Elkhorn 46, Burlington 22
Middleweights run away with dual meet
By Mike Ramczyk
By Chris Bennett
Burlington wrestling coach Jade Gribble didn’t mince words after his squad’s blowout loss Dec. 17 at Elkhorn High School.
“It was a straight up butt-kicking,” he said. “They generally wanted the matches. They fought a little harder than us. A lot of the matches we lost comes from inside. They wanted it more.”
A close match turned into a blowout when Elkhorn turned a 19-18 deficit into a 34-19 lead with two pins and a major decision.
Burlington’s Nate Crayton won at 182 to give the Demons hope, but the Elks finished strong with a forfeit and a pin to provide the lopsided score.
Burlington, which was ranked No. 1 in the area by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel heading into the match, suffered its first loss of the season to the unranked Elks (2-1 SLC).
Josh Bird picked up a pin at 145, but he was forced to wrestle at 145 because he weighed in at 138.2 pounds.
This took him out of his normal 138 weight class, causing a six-point forfeit at 138. Though Bird took care of business at 145, Elkhorn ran away with the match with three straight victories.
Burlington’s Tristan Lind had a shoulder injury and wasn’t able to perform at 195, so Elkhorn gained 12 points from two forfeits overall.
Gribble, who welcomed a baby boy, his first child, the Monday before the match, said it was a busy week.
“Tristan hurt his shoulder on Tuesday,” Gribble said. “It wasn’t best to put him out there. Josh missed weight, so it was disappointing. That’s the first time he’s missed weight. It probably had an effect on the team mentally.”
“But even with Josh at 138, I don’t know if we would’ve won. Elkhorn just had a little more fight.”
Elkhorn’s Riley Remington pinned Burlington’s Thomas Petrick in 5:03 in his first match wrestling at 152 pounds.
“He was relentless,” Elks coach Ken Reynolds said. “We needed him to pin, and he was not going to give up.”
The Elks would not trail after Remington’s pin.
Bryce Jacobson at 160 scored a major decision and won 12-2 against the Demons’ Lance Otter, and Konnor Mohr (170) pinned Burlington’s Louie Hardesty in 1:22.
Reynolds said he told the Elks they could win big in the locker room before the match.
“I really felt we could put up a big number against Burlington,” Reynolds said. “I felt we were much better. Everyone went out and did their job. It was great execution.
“We’re better. We’re a lot better if we do what we are capable of doing.”
Daniel Stilling (126) trailed 5-0 and went to his back in the first period before rallying and pinning the Demons’ Ben Travis in 4:00.
Burlington sophomore Jared Bird dominated his match at 132, earning a 17-3 victory.
Also, Zack Weiler had the team’s second pin at 113 over Elkhorn’s Teddy Woyak.
Burlington’s Hegeman Tiedt opened the match with a 4-0 decision over Richie Heideman, who took fifth at state in the heavyweight division last year.
“Hegeman needed that match to see where he’s at,” Gribble said. “He needed to beat a heavier guy. He wrestled pretty well.”
Gribble said it’s still early, and the kids need to decide what they want to do as a team.
“I see our guys getting better,” he said. “This stings a little bit. We have a good rivalry with Elkhorn. Our guys wanted to wrestle better. I was also gone all week. I don’t know if that makes a difference with them.”
At 220, Thornton suffered his first loss of the season.
“We generally start slow and finish strong,” Gribble said. “That’s what we’ve seemed to do in my 12 years. It has to come from the individuals. Our kids have to find a way. We definitely come back, and we have a long way to go.”
Elkhorn 46, Burlington 22
285: Hegeman Tiedt (BURL) over Richard Heidemann (ELAR) (Dec 4-0) 106: Grant Truesdale (ELAR) over Zeke Isaacson (BURL) (Fall 1:40) 113: Zack Weiler (BURL) over Teddy Woyak (ELAR) (Fall 4:15) 120: Benji Peak (ELAR) over Luke Iverson (BURL) (Dec 8-3) 126: Daniel Stilling (ELAR) over Ben Travis (BURL) (Fall 4:00) 132: Jared Bird (BURL) over James Welsh (ELAR) (MD 17-3) 138: Isaac Taylor (ELAR) over (BURL) (For.) 145: Josh Bird (BURL) over Kevin Pauley (ELAR) (Fall 1:24) 152: Riley Remington (ELAR) over Thomas Petrick (BURL) (Fall 5:03) 160: Bryce Jacobson (ELAR) over Lance Otter (BURL) (MD 12-3) 170: Konnor Mohr (ELAR) over Louie Hardesty (BURL) (Fall 1:22) 182: Nathan Crayton (BURL) over Myles Schumaker (ELAR) (Dec 6-3) 195: Trey Howes (ELAR) over (BURL) (For.) 220: Jordan Barr (ELAR) over Juanye Thornton (BURL) (Fall 2:44)
Demons ninth at Marty Loy
Burlington competed in the annual Marty Loy classic Saturday in Fond du Lac, taking ninth out of 25 teams.
Hudson and Sauk Prairie finished in the top two spots.
Josh Bird won the Demons’ lone championship, at 138 pounds, with a pin fall in the title match against Hudson. Bird (11-0) added a decision and major decision in the preliminary rounds.
Burlington’s other top finish came from Tiedt, who placed second at 285.
After breezing through the tournament with two pins and an 8-1 decision, Tiedt battled undefeated Sheboygan Falls wrestler Brady Koller in the championship.
Koller edged Tiedt, 7-5, to improve to 16-0.
Tiedt’s first loss has him at 11-1 for the season.
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