Waterford garners four individual titles in sectionals
By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Several Waterford Union High School wrestlers get to end their season in Madison.
The Wolverines claimed four champions and are sending five to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament after competing Feb. 22 in a sectional tournament at The Prairie School in Racine.
Racine St. Catherine’s High School served as hosts of the sectional.
The state tournament, which is at Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, started Thursday and runs through Saturday.
At the sectional tournament the top two in each weight class advance to state.
Two-time defending state champion Hayden Halter (43-2) won his weight class at 126. Halter pinned Racine Park’s Joseph Mendoza in 2:59 in the title match.
Halter pinned Mukwonago’s Antonio Klinkerfues (27-21) in the semifinals and pinned Sebastian Rosales from Kenosha Bradford/Reuther (14-13) in 1:18 in the quarterfinals.
Halter is ranked second in Division 1 at 126 in the latest Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll.
“He just keeps upping his game,” Wolverines coach Tom Fitzpatrick said. “It’s been impressive. After regionals he really cranked it up.”
Lucas Johnson (45-6) also won a sectional title. Johnson beat Franklin’s Sabri Sino (40-8) 3-2 in the title match at 106.
Johnson pinned Mukwonago’s Brady Wierzbicki (26-21) in 1:52 in the semifinals and pinned Kenosha Indian Trail’s Alex Basken (26-14) in 45 seconds in the quarterfinals.
Johnson is ranked seventh in Division 1 at 106 in the latest WWO state poll.
At 132 pounds Joshua Cherba also won a sectional title and advanced to state. Cherba (37-10) beat Mukwonago’s Tyler Goebel (40-11) 2-1 for the title.
Cherba beat Union Grove’s Cade Willis (39-4) 9-7 in the semifinals and defeated Indian Trail’s Luke Hogan (26-14) 10-5 in the quarterfinals.
Cherba is ranked fourth in Division 1 in the latest WWO state poll. Fitzpatrick said Cherba wrestled in the tournament’s toughest weight class.
Zach Kaminski (41-13) won the title at 170 after beating Mukwonago’s Luke Stromberg (40-8) 9-4.
Kaminski advanced after Jake Skrundz (24-3) defaulted in the semifinals due to injury. Kaminski opened his tournament by pinning Union Grove’s Drayton Doberstein (15-17) in 3:45.
Kaminski is ranked ninth in Division 1 at 170 in the latest WWO state poll.
Evan Danowski (41-10) finished second at 160 after losing 5-2 to Burlington’s Ben Kumprey (32-4) in the final. Danowski, a sophomore, is advancing to state for the first time.
Danowski beat Wilmot’s Logan Pye (23-10) 3-1 in the semifinals and pinned Kenosha Tremper’s Tyler Hansen (27-12) in the quarterfinals.
The Wolverines finished third as a team at the sectional with 124 points. Mukwonago won the sectional (201). Burlington finished second (158).
Among Southern Lakes Conference teams Union Grove finished seventh (48), Wilmot 10th (14) and Westosha Central 12th (12).
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