East Troy sends four wrestlers to state tournament
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The East Troy wrestling team headed to Saturday’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 Milwaukee Lutheran Sectional with four wrestlers still alive for a state tournament berth.
And the Trojans returned home with that same number with their tickets punched.
All four sectional qualifiers – senior Andy Strey (138) and juniors Cody Vogel (120), Gabe Braam (132) and Jeremy Dedick (160) – posted top-two finishes to advance to Madison.
Strey and Dedick each won their weight classes, while Vogel and Braam were second.
Strey, who improved to 39-2 overall, recorded pinfall victories in his first two matches. Strey pinned Chilton-Hilbert’s Casey Lisowe in 2:18 and Wapun’s Reid Zeitlow in 3:11 to advance to the finals.
In that match, Strey blanked Mayville’s Dakota Danner 4-0 to secure his place at the state tournament.
Dedick, now 32-4 overall, needed just 3:10 to pin Elkhart Lake’s Troy Rebedew in the opening round.
In the semifinal, Dedick blanked Oostburg’s Charlie Yeadon 7-0, followed by a hard-fought 8-5 win over Whitewater’s James Ehlen in the title matchup.
Vogel and Braam didn’t quite complete a title run, but did enough to join their teammates in Madison this weekend.
Vogel, now 42-2 overall, advanced to the championship match at 120 pounds with wins of 7-2 over Valders’ Alemayehu Lehman and 3-2 over Campbellsport’s Bennett Marchant.
Those two wins sent Vogel to the finals, where he dropped a tight 6-4 decision to Chilton-Hilbert’s Abraham Self, who currently is ranked No. 2 in Division 2.
That loss forced Vogel into a wrestle back matchup with a state berth on the line, and he responded with a 10-4 victory over Whitewater’s Irving Sedano to extend his season another week.
Braam, now 28-10, pinned Campbellsport’s Jacob Johnson in 3:09 to open the day, followed by a 5-0 win over Chilton-Hilbert’s Nick Ditter in the semifinals.
In the finals, Braam fell 6-5 to Kiel’s Tanner Woepse, to finish second overall.
Woepse is currently ranked third in Division 2 by Crossface Magazine.
Heading to Madison
The East Troy foursome now turns its attention to the Kohl Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus this weekend.
Action for Vogel and Braam began Thursday night, while Strey and Dedick received first-round byes and begin their tournament run Friday morning.
Vogel, ranked fourth in the state, faced River Valley sophomore Nate Jennings (25-11) in the first round. The winner advanced to a second-round matchup with the state’s top-ranked 120 pounder, Nekoosa sophomore Jordan Sarver (39-4), Friday morning.
Braam, ranked fourth, faced Stanley-Boyd sophomore Sam Burzynski (34-10) in the opening round. Like Vogel, a win in that match would send Braam to a battle against the state’s top-ranked wrestler, Sparta sophomore Jaden Winchel (45-0), in the second round.
Both Strey and Dedick had to wait for their first state opponent.
Strey, ranked third, will face the winner of either Two Rivers senior Chris Yauch (46-3), the defending state champion, or Somerset senior Freddie Mangine (27-12).
Yauch currently is ranked second in the state.
At 160 pounds, Dedick, ranked third, will face either Luck senior Tristan Brewer (40-2), ranked seventh, or Luxemberg-Casco junior Cullen Ducat (31-11), ranked ninth, in a second-round matchup Friday morning.
