By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
The upcoming Mid-States Wrestling Classic is a great measuring stick for the Burlington High School wrestling squad.
The invitational, which will feature 43 teams this year, will be held Friday, Dec. 28, and Saturday, Dec. 29, at UW-Whitewater.
Last year, the Demon boys won the event. This year, the event includes Kaukauna, the No. 1-ranked team in Wisconsin in Division 1 and Iowa-Grant, the No. 11-ranked team in Division 3. Burlington is currently ranked No. 10 in Division 1.
“There will be some very good competition there,” head coach Jade Gribble said. “There are a lot of very highly ranked kids.”
Gribble noted that in several of the weight classes, last year’s state champion will be at the meet, or this year’s No. 1-ranked wrestler.
The double elimination tournament gives the wrestlers a lot of mat time over the two days. A wrestler could compete up to a maximum of five matches in a day.
“It’s definitely a grind,” Gribble said, noting that the tournament wears on the grapplers mentally and physically.
Because of that mental and physical stress, Gribble said the event serves as a good measuring stick for his squad.
Gribble breaks his team’s season up into thirds, with the Mid-States Wrestling Classic bringing an end to the first third of the season.
What is Gribble’s goal for this year’s team at the Mid-States? To finish in the top three.
“That would be a realistic thing to accomplish,” Gribble said.
As far as each individual wrestler is concerned, Gribble noted that wrestlers such as Ben Hornickle, Brody Fitzpatrick and Josh Bird will be shooting to finish near or at the top of their weight classes. Hornickle wrestles at 113, Fitzpatrick at 138, and Bird at 126.
For the other Demons, many of them will be aiming for a top-five finish.
“Each kid has a different goal,” Gribble noted. “We’ll be looking for the kids to improve. I’m just looking for some good hard wrestling.”
Gribble indicated he will use the tournament as a means to finalize his roster for the rest of the season.
As to the progress of his squad to this point in the season, Gribble is happy with where the team is at. He admitted that there have been times the team could have wrestled better, such as at the Marty Loy Invitational Dec. 15, but notes the goal is to peak at the end of the season.
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