By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
Eight Waterford Union High School wrestlers lived to grapple another day after finishing in fourth place or better Feb. 13 at a WIAA Division 1 Regional Tournament at Muskego High School.
Those who advanced compete Saturday in a WIAA Division 1 Sectional Tournament at New Berlin West High School.
The top four finishers in each weight class advance from the regional to the sectional meet. The top two finishers in each weight class at New Berlin West advance to the WIAA Division 1 State Individual Wrestling Meet Feb. 25-27 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
“We look forward to a competitive field at the sectional tournament,” Waterford coach Tom Fitzpatrick said. “We want to continue doing the things that got us here.
“Wrestling aggressively, with attitude, and imposing our will has made us what we are. We don’t want to change now.”
Waterford finished third in the team standings with 168 points. Mukwonago won the regional (220) and wrestled Pewaukee Tuesday at Burlington in a team sectional dual meet.
Pewaukee won a Division 1 regional meet at Brookfield Central on the other side of the Wolverines’ sectional bracket.
Mukwonago advanced to team state Tuesday night with a 43-25 victory.
The Wolverines finished with five individual champions at Muskego.
“It was a great regional tournament,” Fitzpatrick said. “I feel the team is peaking at the right time and is wrestling up to their potential, which is all we can ask of them.”
Justin Ratkovec at 126 pounds, Austin Thomas (145), Tanner Cadman (160), Jared Krattiger (170) and Jack Trautman (195) each won their weight class at Muskego.
Ratkovec (34-1) is ranked No. 2 at 126 pounds in the latest Wisconsin Wrestling Online Division 1 state poll. He beat West Allis Nathan Hale’s Marshall Rushton 11-5 in the semifinals.
Ratkovec led Mukwonago’s Nick Armstrong 8-0 in the second period of the title match before Armstrong defaulted due to an injury.
Krattiger (43-0) is ranked third in the state in Division 1 at 170 in the most recent Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll after being ranked No. 1 most of the season. Krattiger beat West Allis Central’s Dustin Diebitz by major decision (11-1) in the regional final.
Thomas (37-3) beat Hale’s Oliver Arena 6-2 for the title at 145 pounds and Cadman (35-9) beat Burlington’s Lance Otter 7-6 for the title at 160.
Trautman (37-8) pinned Central’s Jeff LeFlore in 3:23 for the regional title at 195.
Sam Winski (36-12) lost to Mukwonago’s Aaron Schulist in the title match 113 pounds and finished second. Last season Schulist finished second at state in Division 1 at 106 pounds. He pinned Winski in 2:45 for the regional title.
EJ Mastrocola (27-11) finished third at 285 and Jordan Danowski (12-12) finished fourth at 152.
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