Six grapplers go 4-0 for the day
By Dan Truttschel
Correspondent
The only thing that kept the East Troy wrestling team from a perfect day a Saturday’s Rock Valley Conference Duals was the seventh tiebreaker in a match with Whitewater.
Despite that, the positives from the day were overflowing.
East Troy had six wrestlers finish with a 4-0 record, as it went 3-1 overall at the meet held at Big Foot.
The Trojans posted victories over Big Foot (54-27), Brodhead-Juda (51-24) and Clinton (60-60). East Troy and Whitewater tied at 39-39 in the first dual of the day, and the Whippets were awarded the win based on a 7-6 edge in having the first wrestler to score a point in their individual match.
“Our goal was to go 4-0,” East Troy coach Mike Howard said. “We were close to our goal, but every point and every pin or not getting pinned matters. The team learned some very valuable lessons in the Whitewater match.
“We do have kids that go out and fight every match and every dual meet, and sometimes we come up short. Three of our recent duals against Whitewater, Jefferson and Edgerton came down to the very last match. We are right in the mix with the top teams of the conference, and we will continue to work on our weaknesses as a team and as individuals.”
Highlighting the day were 4-0 efforts by Wyatt Kegley (106), Cole McPherson (113), Tommy Larson (113/120), AJ Hall (126), Jake Dessart (170) and Jake Price (220).
Kegley, who won three matches by pinfall and another by forfeit, continues to progress, Howard said.
“Wyatt Kegley keeps getting better and more confident as the season progresses,” he said. “He is getting more (multi)-dimensional with his technique and starting to open up.”
The Trojans currently have three state-ranked wrestlers, led by Larson, who continues to hold the top spot in the state in Division 2 at 113 pounds. Dessart and Price both are listed as honorable mention, according to the latest wiwrestling.com poll.
East Troy returns to action Thursday night at Waukesha Catholic Memorial at 7 p.m., followed by the Fort Atkinson TKO Invitational on Saturday at 9 a.m.
“We need to continue to improve these next few weeks to get the team ready for conference and the state tournament series,” Howard said. “The TKO Tournament in Fort Atkinson should be great competition with 17 teams competing and many ranked wrestlers throughout each weight class.
“We have several strong kids that should do well at the TKO but we need to be prepared this week to wrestle our best.”
Tough loss to Eagles
East Troy started its week with a 42-39 RVC loss Jan. 10 to visiting Jefferson.
Earning wins were Price (220), by pin in 1:51; Max Hudson (285), by pin in 3:02; Larson (113), by major decision, 12-3; Mason Orgas (145), by pin in 1:43; John Veselka (152), by pin in 53 seconds; and Dessart (170), by pin in 1:34.
Larson’s victory came over Quintin Gehrmann in a matchup of the state’s top-two ranked wrestlers at 113 pounds – and a rematch from last year’s 106-pound state championship match won by Larson.
“He was able to dominate every position and came away with a hard-fought 12-3 (win),” Howard said.
Howard also was pleased with the efforts of both Orgas and Hudson, who is just a freshman, but continues to impress.
“Mason Orgas is really coming on strong and things are starting to click for him,” Howard said. “He is getting very skilled at the cradle and ended up pinning his Jefferson opponent.
“Max Hudson is also stepping up his game as our heavyweight freshman. You don’t see too many freshmen competing at the varsity level as a heavyweight, but (he) is holding his own. He had an awesome back trip to a pin combination (in his win).”
