By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
Even with the No. 4-ranked Division 1 team in the tournament, and the No. 3-ranked Division 3 team also present, Burlington showed it must be considered a team to be reckoned with by winning the annual Mid-States Wrestling Classic held Dec. 28 and 29 at UW-Whitewater.
The Demon grapplers tallied 193.5 points to win the 42-team event. Mukwonago, which is ranked No. 4 in Division 1, was second with 168 points, and Iowa-Grant, ranked No. 3 in Division 3, was third with 161.5.
Burlington crowned two champions at the event, and also had three thirds, and two fourths.
Twelve of the 14 Demon wrestlers scored points. All but two won at least two matches.
Winning their weight classes were Brody Fitzpatrick, at 138 pounds; and Brandt Gavin, at 152.
Fitzpatrick, who had missed the first part of the season due to injury and had only returned to action Dec. 22, pinned his first two opponents, both in the first period, and then won an 11-3 major decision in the quarterfinal match.
In the semifinals, Fitzpatrick earned a 7-0 decision over Lukus Dittner of Delavan-Darien. Eric Lease of Oconomowoc, who came in to the finals with a 20-1 record, was no match in the finals, as Fitzpatrick won a 16-1 technical fall.
“He really dominated (Lease),” head coach Jade Gribble said. “He wrestled at a faster speed. It was impressive how dominating he was in that finals match.”
Gavin, who is ranked No. 6 in the state at 152, pinned his first-round opponent, and then scored a 9-0 major decision in the second round.
In the quarterfinals, Gavin earned a 6-0 decision over Bryan Fuhrer of Kenosha Tremper.
Gavin’s two toughest matches came in the semifinals and finals.
In the semis, Gavin edged Dan Klema of Vernon Hills, Ill., 4-2. In the finals, he handed Branden Capetillo of Sheboygan South, who was ranked No. 2 in the state, his first loss by a 2-1 decision.
“Brandt just keeps plugging away,” Gribble said. “He stuck with his game plan (in the finals). He did a lot of things well.”
Gavin was trailing 1-0 until late in the match when he scored a two-point takedown to get the win.
Gavin is now 17-1 overall.
Derek Gill (126), Matt Ehlen (132) and Willie Ehlen (145) each took third.
Gill’s only loss came to a perennial nemesis – Dominic Garcia of Kenosha Tremper (No. 5 in Wisconsin). Garcia defeated Gill by a 6-3 decision. Garcia won the bracket.
Gill, who came in to the tournament ranked No. 3 in the state, had a tough bracket featuring two wrestlers ranked No. 2 (at 126 and 132), and one each ranked No. 5, No. 13 and No. 14 in Wisconsin, and No. 5 in Illinois. His final four matches were all against ranked wrestlers, with Gill winning three of them.
Gill defeated Jordan Gundrum of West Bend East (No. 13 in Wisconsin) 6-1; Erik Nord of Belvedere North, Ill. (No. 5 in Ill.) 3-1, and Gabe Grahek of Milwaukee Marquette (No 2 at 132) in overtime, 4-3. In the Grahek match, Gill won it in the final 30 seconds.
Matt Ehlen won six of his seven matches, losing only in the quarterfinals to Alex Maes of Wrightstown in a 12-2 major decision. Maes is ranked No. 4 in Division 2, while Ehlen is ranked No. 7 in Division 1.
Willie Ehlen, ranked No. 6 at 145 won five of his six matches, losing only in the semifinals to Jared Scharenbrock of Sun Prairie, 105. Scharenbrock is ranked No. 4 in the state.
Gribble called Scharenbrock “a horse” and noted that Ehlen had Scharenbrock on his back at the end of the match.
Ben Hornickle, at 106 pounds, and Ryan Jazdzewski, at 170, each finished fourth, winning five of seven matches. His only losses were to Ozaukee’s Cole Large (ranked No. 3 in Division 3) and Colin Kenyon of New Trier, Ill., who is ranked No. 12 in Division 3 in Illinois. Hornickle is ranked No.11 in Division 1 in Wisconsin.
Jazdzewski, ranked No. 9, lost only to Elkhorn’s Jake Stilling (ranked No. 6) and Dan Stott of Harvard, Ill. Stott is ranked No.1 in Division 1 in Illinois. Stilling won the weight class, and Stott was third.
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