By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
In six dual meets last week the Elkhorn Area High School wrestling team maintained dominance in the Southern Lakes Conference and tested itself against some of the area’s better programs.
The Elks defeated Westosha Central 64-12 in a SLC dual meet Dec. 12 at home. Elkhorn won eight of 11 matches by pin.
On Dec. 14 the Elks competed in the Waukesha West Invitational at Waukesha West High School. Elkhorn finished 3-2 in the dual meet tournament and finished third as a team.
At Waukesha, the Elks defeated Waukesha West 70-6, Kenosha Indian Trail 57-21 and DePere 46-22. Elkhorn lost 38-27 to Cedarburg and 36-30 to West Allis Hale.
Cedarburg won the invitational and Hale finished second. DePere finished fourth, Kenosha Indian Trail fifth and Waukesha West sixth.
“We didn’t wrestle as well Saturday on our feet,” Elks coach Ken Reynolds said. “We’ve got to get a lot better. They let up a little bit, a little bit of thinking we’re better than we are. We’ve got to continue to work.”
Reynolds said the Elks ceded two weight classes in each dual meet at West. The Elks score a minimum of six points for a victory, and lost by less than 12 points to both Hale and Cedarburg.
Three Elkhorn wrestlers finished the day 5-0 at West – Bryce Fitzgerald (120 pounds), Bryce Jacobsen (132) and Konnor Mohr (138).
Aside from two forfeits, all of Fitzgerald’s victories this season are by pin.
“It says how focused he is, and he’s working hard,” Reynolds said. “He wrestles well on his feet – that’s really a big part of my emphasis.”
Jacobsen and Mohr also earned praise from Reynolds.
“Double-leg takedowns, for both of them, are working well,” Reynolds said. “They’re in shape and working hard. Their double-leg takedowns are unstoppable.”
Reynolds also commended John Olsen (145), Jordan Barr (182) and Dylan Linhart (220). Each is 10-2.
“We’re young,” Reynolds said. “We’re still very competitive with the best teams in the state. That expectation has to be there. I just hope they stick with and they continue to work hard.”
Cedarburg is an Honorable Mention selection in Division 1 in the latest Wisconsin Wrestling Online team rankings.
Up next for the Elks is Waterford. Reynolds said the Wolverines recently lost a tight dual meet with Burlington. The Demons are ranked seventh in Division 1 by Wisconsin Wrestling Online.
“We expect it’s going to be a battle,” Reynolds said. “Waterford is much improved from last year, and they were still competitive with us last year.”
