By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
With a number of the wrestlers competing in a junior varsity tournament, the Union Grove High School wrestling squad finished seventh out of 10 schools at the Badger Invitational held in Lake Geneva Saturday.
The Bronco boys tallied 78 points at thee event won by Badger with 203.5 points.
The invitational is held in a scramble format with a wrestler winning his first match moving into Pool A, and a wrestler losing his first match moving into Pool B.
Only three Bronco wrestlers won their opening matches – Brett Kieslich at 120, Thurston Lovell at 145 and Tony Beck at 285.
Beck finished second in his weight class, losing only by pin in one minute 16 seconds to Ben McFall of Iowa Grant. McFall is ranked No. 7 in Division 3.
“Tony’s got to have the confidence to be in those matches,” head coach Andy Weis said.
Beck’s three wins all came by pin in the first periods.
Keislich and Lovell both placed fourth in their weight classes.
Weis noted that Keislich had a very tough bracket. He had to face the No. 1-ranked wrestler at 120 – Austin Quartullo of Muskego – and the No. 3-ranked wrestlers at 126 – Kody Azarian of Waterford. Quartullo pinned Keislich in 3:24, while Azarian scored a 16-1 major decision.
“It’s good experience,” Weis noted.
Cole Ryan, after losing his first match, came back to win his next three matches to finish fifth.
In that first match, Weis said Ryan trailed by just a point or two before getting pinned.
He then received a bye, won by pin in 1:06 and earned a 10-6 decision.
“Ended up having a good day,” Weis said of Ryan.
Union Grove took on Westosha Central in a Southern Lakes Conference dual Tuesday. Results of that dual were unavailable at deadline.
The Bronco boys will participate in the Homestead Invitational on Friday, Jan. 18.
Next week, they will host Delavan-Darien in an SLC dual on Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m.
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