By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School wrestling team expects a banner performance at the Mid-States Tournament Dec. 29 and 30 at UW-Whitewater.
“We fully expect to go in and win that tournament,” Elks coach Ken Reynolds said. “We have high expectations for the tournament. We figure to be a contender, the one that everyone wants to beat.
“We expect it and we embrace it. We’re ready for it. The kids want it.”
The Elks finished ninth last season at Mid-States with 117 points. Pulaski won the team title (167.5). Elkhorn also celebrated its ninth weight class title in as many championship matches last season when Konnor Mohr won the title at 138 pounds.
Forty-two teams from Wisconsin and Illinois participated in the 2013 tournament.
The Elks are 12-1 overall in dual meets, and will wrestle at Mid-States against the one team to beat them in dual meet competition – Stoughton.
Stoughton beat Elkhorn 35-28 Dec. 6 in the Vern Pieper Duals at Stoughton High School. In the latest Wisconsin Wrestling Online Division 1 team rankings, Stoughton is ranked fourth in Division 1 and Elkhorn is ranked eighth.
Elkhorn and Stoughton are in the same WIAA Division 1 postseason regional bracket.
“This is different,” Reynolds said, “It’s a tournament format, not a dual meet. I’d kind of like to see how we stack up against them. Regional is the same type of format – the individual tournament. We’re anxious to see how we wrestle with them in an individual tournament.”
The Elks won a Southern Lakes Conference dual meet 75-6 Dec. 18 at Westosha Central in their final meet before Mid-States. The Elks won six of seven contested matches by pin.
Elkhorn’s Riley Remington, at 145 pounds, pinned Dennis Grubb in 1 minute, 26 seconds. Bryce Jacobson (152) pinned Rue Swift in 1:18.
Keaton Verhoeven (182) pinned Keith Tremelling (1:13) and Richard Heideman (285) pinned Jeff Palmer (1:23). Jayce Coffey (106) pinned Andrew Koroly (1:26) and
Connor Leahy (126) defeated Westosha’s Griffin Bollendorf 11-6
