Demon wrestlers are winning on the mat and in the classroom
By David Paulsen
correspondent
This has been quite a year so far for Burlington High School sports teams.
First, the Demon girls volleyball team won the school’s first-ever state team title.
This winter, the gymnastics team has set and reset state records, becoming the first Wisconsin team to ever score more than 150 points in one meet.
In addition, the boys wrestling squad is making its first-ever trip as a team to the state tournament. The Demons will compete in the WIAA Division 1 State Team Wrestling Championship Friday, March 2, and Saturday, March 3, at the University of Wisconsin-Fieldhouse in Madison.
BHS athletic director Eric Plitzuweit said the excitement around BHS is a good thing.
“When our athletic programs are doing well, it’s just a better feel around the school,” he said. “Obviously, it’s an exciting time here at the high school. We’re proud of Coach (Jade) Gribble and his kids.”
The wrestling team’s pending first appearance at state has been a topic of discussion.
“Kids have been talking about it in class,” Gribble said.
Gribble and Plitzuweit both noted they have received numerous e-mails congratulating the team on the trip to state.
“It’s nice hearing from the community,” Plitzuweit said, adding that the community has been very supportive of the team.
Senior 120-pounder Derek Gill noted the community support of the team at the Mukwonago sectional when the Demons defeated West Allis Central Feb. 14 to earn the trip to state.
Gill said there was a lot of orange in the crowd, and that the Burlington fans were “a lot louder than their crowd.”
Since then, “people I don’t even know come up and congratulate me,” Gill said.
“People talk about it a lot now,” 145-pounder Willie Ehlen said. “It’s kind of cool to hear people talking about it.”
Brandt Gavin, who wrestles at 160 pounds, said the atmosphere on the team in preparation for its appearance at state is easy-going. The team members are having fun with the experience.
Ehlen noted that Gribble is encouraging the team to stay loose and have fun.
“He’s telling us to do the same things we’ve been doing all year,” Ehlen said.
Plitzuweit noted the BHS wrestling team has a storied tradition. Yet this year sets a new standard.
“To have a body of work like we have this year is pretty special,” he said.
Earning a trip to state is not an accident for this team.
“I think it’s just dedication,” heavyweight Neal Miller said. “There’s a lot of guys on this team that are very dedicated to wrestling. All those guys work countless hours. They want to win.”
“Being my senior year, it’s just an awesome feeling,” Gill added. “The guys you’ve been training with are going to be there. We’ll be cheering each other on.”
For Gribble, this is his first time as a head coach taking a team to state. Gribble was part of the Riverdale team that won state when he was a sophomore and finished second his junior year. He was an assistant coach at Stoughton one year when it took second at state.
“This is something we’ve been working for for a long time,” Gribble noted, adding that the trip to state shows all the hard work put in, not just by the wrestlers, but by the coaching staff and the parents through all grade levels.
What is the team’s goal?
“We’d like to win it,” Miller said. “But we’ve just got to take it one meet at a time and see what happens.”
The wrestling squad not only has excelled on the mat, the team also excels in the classroom.
Plitzuweit noted that the boys have a cumulative grade point average of 3.42, with the seniors cumulative GPA at 3.82.
Excelling in the classroom is something BHS athletes have been doing all year. Plitzuweit said that of the 514 student-athletes who have competed in fall and winter sports this school year, the cumulative GPA is 3.45.
“They’re excelling in the classroom,” he emphasized.
Burlington will face Holmen in the opening round of the team state tournament on Friday, March 2, at 7 p.m.
If victorious in that duel, the boys will take on the winner of the Badger-Hartford duel on Saturday, March 3, at 9 a.m.
If they should win that duel, the Demons would compete for the state title on Saturday, March 3, at 6 p.m.
Plitzuweit indicated he plans to offer a student fan bus.
“I know we will be represented well in Madison,” Plitzuweit said.
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