In more
ways than one, it is a new season for the University of
Wisconsin-Oshkosh wrestling program.
Larry Marchionda, the high priest of prep wrestling in the state for
years, is no longer the Titans coach but has been moved up to wrestling
“administrator” to make way for last year’s assistant coach, Nick
Matiash.
The young wrestlers who were dominated last season are a year older
and a year better.
And the attitude, which was one of uncertainty, has blossomed into a
quiet confidence thanks to two early-season wins that few expected.
“We’re just starting to get a seasoned group together,” Matiash
said. “We had one senior last year and three-quarters of the roster
was freshmen and sophomores. We’ve gotten a little bit older.”
And, at least judging from the early results, a little better.
It began with a 31-6 victory over WIAC newcomer Lawrence University,
a program the Titans hadn’t beaten in 10 years. Then came a breakout
performance last Saturday when Oshkosh, in front of a raucous home
crowd, knocked off 19th-ranked Platteville, 22-19.
And while Matiash cautions that too much can be drawn from one match,
even he admits it was a big win for the program.
“Guys are gaining confidence,” he said. “They’re getting
reassurance that they’re doing the right things. The more people know
about our program, the more recruits we’re going to get and then
we’ll have a lot of quality wrestlers pushing each other.”
For the time being, though, Matiash wants to build the program with
the wrestlers he has now.
“We don’t have a lot of guys who come in and think they know it
all,” he said. “They’re really willing to work at it.”
Matiash, a two-time conference champ at Platteville, is still
learning how to be a head coach himself. And that’s where Marchionda,
who built a powerhouse at Fond du Lac High School, comes in.
Matiash and assistant coach Mike DeRoehn will handle most of the
duties on the mat while Marchionda will take care of the issues off the
mat.
“I’ve only known him three years but he knows everybody,”
Matiash said. “He keeps us on top of everything. He takes care of the
guys quite a bit. I’m three years out of college and he knows a lot
more about the guys than I do.”
So between them, they hope to turn UWO’s wrestling fortunes around.
It starts with a solid core of returning wrestlers including seniors
Joel Dziedzic, who wrestles at 149 pounds, and Nick Jasurda, a
184-pounder who was 20-15 last season and was an alternate for the
Division III national tournament.
Matiash is also optimistic about sophomore heavyweight Nathan
Muckerheide, who was 16-5 with nine pins last season, and could be the
difference in a lot of matches this season.
In fact, he opened Oshkosh’s upset of Platteville with a pin,
setting the tone for the entire match.
Matiash also likes twin brothers Brad and Jeff Baker, who wrestled
for traditional state prep powerhouse Freedom and will work at 125 and
133 pounds, respectively.
“Our strength is spread out,” Matiash said. “We’re probably
strongest at the very top and the very bottom but I think we’re very
balanced too.”
Other wrestlers to watch include junior Luke Madson at 141 pounds,
freshman Adam Dorner at 157 and junior Mark Farchione at 197.
The Titans next match is Saturday in Mequon for the Concordia Open.
The next home match is Dec. 10 against Whitewater.
Chuck Carlson: (920) 426-6662 or ccarlson@oshkosh.gannett.com