Guardiola, others poised for state success
By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
Every member of the Waterford Union High School wrestling team lived to hit the mat another day after advancing out of a WIAA Division 1 regional tournament Feb. 9 at Pewaukee High School.
The Wolverines wrestle Saturday in a sectional tournament at Horlick High School in Racine.
At the regional tournament the top four in each weight class advance to the sectional. The top two in each weight class at the sectional advance to state.
The WIAA Division 1 Individual Wrestling State Tournament is Feb. 21-23 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Hayden Halter (34-6) at 120 pounds and Alec Guardiola (37-2) at 152 each won their weight class at the regional.
Halter won three matches – two by pin – and defeated Waukesha South’s Joey Rozanski (26-7) 7-1 for the regional title.
Halter learned late in the afternoon on Feb. 8 he would be allowed to wrestle in the regional. Halter earned two unsportsmanlike penalties for inappropriate behavior in the 120-pound title match Feb. 2 in the Southern Lakes Conference tournament at Elkhorn.
The Halter family sued the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) and Waterford Union High School, and they were granted an injunction in Racine County Circuit Court by Judge Michael Piontek for Hayden to wrestle through the postseason.
Earning two unsportsmanlike penalties means an automatic ejection, the penalty for which is a suspension from the following match.
Had Halter not been allowed to wrestle in the regional his season would have been over.
Hayden Halter is the defending Division 1 state champion at 106 pounds.
Guardiola (37-2) beat Mukwonago’s Cole Hansen (31-7) 13-7 for the regional title at 152. Guardiola opened the regional by pinning Waukesha West’s Jackson Berg (7-9) in 53 seconds.
Zach Kaminski (24-13) finished second at 170. Kaminski lost 4-2 to Mukwonago’s Aaron Schmitz (32-11) in the title match at 170.
Lucas Winski (29-16) finished second at 138. Winski won three matches and beat Pewaukee’s hunter Sanchez (25-20) by a 12-2 major decision in a wrestleback for second place.
Joshua Cherba (39-10) finished second at 126. Cherba lost in the title match when Mukwonago’s Luke Eliszewski (40-5) pinned Cherba in 1:30.
Lucas Johnson (26-15, 106), Hunter Rudzinski (29-29, 113), Jacob Cherba (25-15, 145), Dalton Danowski (20-12, 160), Evan Danowski (26-20, 182), Tony Mastrocola (24-13, 195), Boyd Biggs (33-13, 220) and Gavin Morawetz (12-14, 285) each finished third.
Will French (19-10, 132) finished fourth.
The Wolverines finished second as a team with 241.5 points. Mukwonago won the regional title (316).
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