Demon grapplers begin season with wins

By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
The Burlington High School wrestling team continued its early season roll with a 65-9 trouncing of Delavan-Darien Tuesday. The win improved the Demon grapplers dual overall and Southern Lakes Conference record to 2-0. They also won the Gunslinger Invitational held Saturday at Slinger.
In the Delavan-Darien dual, Burlington lost just two matches.
Of the 12 matches they won, six came by way of forfeit. The remaining six matches featured pins by Brody Fitzpatrick at 145 pounds, Cody Elsbury at 152 and Kyle Crayton at 170. Robert Elsbury (106) won a 4-3 decision, Wes Gavin (138) a 3-1 decision, and Josh Bird (126) a 17-1 technical fall.
In their first-ever appearance at the Gunslinger Invitational at Slinger Saturday, the Demons came home with the title. Two days earlier, the Demon boys had defeated Union Grove 64-12 in opening season action.
Head coach Jade Gribble noted he took some extra wrestlers to the Slinger event in order to give more wrestlers matches.
Overall, the Demons scored 289.5 points to easily outdistance Cedarburg which had 205.75 points.
Burlington had four wrestlers win titles, five more take second place, five thirds and one fifth. Second-, third- and fifth-place wrestles all finished 4-1 in dual matches.
“All in all, it was a good day,” Gribble said.
Taking first place were Ben Hornickle at 113 pounds, Bird at 126, Elsbury at 152 and Crayton at 170.
After a first-round bye, Hornickle pinned his next four opponents, all in the first period.
Bird, a freshman, had three pins, a technical fall and a major decision.
His biggest win came over Turner Pruett of West Bend East in the finals. Bird pinned Pruett, who was 44-9 last year, in 5 minutes 58 seconds.
Elsbury won his first two matches by pin, his next by major decision, and his final two matches by decision.
Crayton had three pins and two decisions on his way to his title.
Fitzpatrick (145), Hegeman Tiedt (182), Koty Agnes (195), Greg Miller (220) and Tyler Kirkeeng (285) all lost in the championship bouts.
The Demons had little trouble with the Broncos Nov. 29, although Gribble noted that Union Grove is definitely getting better in the 64-12 BHS win.
“It was a nice way to start the season,” Gribble said, adding that his grapplers “decided to go out there and make it happen” by being aggressive.
Burlington won 11 of the 14 matches, with 9 of the 11 wins coming by pin, and one by forfeit.