By David Paulsen
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
In their final dual prior to the Southern Lakes Conference Meet, the Waterford High School wrestling squad lost 44-28 to Wilmot Jan. 26.
With the loss, the Wolverine boys finished the SLC dual portion of the season with a 2-5 record.
Waterford won just five of the 14 matches, with four of those five wins coming by pin. The fifth win came by technical fall.
The Wolverines were also penalized one point for a bench misconduct call.
Kody Azarian (at 126), Max Fischer (132), Dillon Malecki (170) and Francisco Mata (195) all won by pin. Austin Christenson at 138 scored a 17-1 technical fall.
One of the biggest matches of the day came at 152 pounds where Waterford’s Francisco Mata faced Wilmot’s Ryan Gartner. Gartner is ranked No. 3 in the state and Mata No. 14. Gartner edged Mata in this match, 5-4.
The SLC Meet will be held Saturday, Feb. 4, at Badger High School in Lake Geneva.
It should be a highly competitive meet with a total of 32 SLC wrestlers ranked in Division 1 or Division 2.
At 152 pounds, five wrestlers are ranked. At 145 and 106, four are ranked.
Every weight class has at least one ranked wrestler, with nine weight classes having two or more.
Waterford has four ranked wrestlers. Azarian is ranked No. 4 in the state at 120 pounds, Christenson No. 9 at 145, Nannemann No. 14 at 152, and Mata No. 14 at 195.