By Chris Bennett
Correspondent
Elkhorn Area High School wrestling coach Ken Reynolds thinks Benji Peak missed wrestling for the Division 1 state title at 113 pounds by half a second.
Peak, Bryce Jacobson (152 pounds) and Richie Heidemann (285) wrestled at state for the Elks in the WIAA Division 1 State Individual Wrestling Meet Feb. 25-27 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Peak missed scoring a two-point near fall against Mukwonago’s Aaron Schulist Feb. 27 in a semifinal match. Schulist (38-5) eventually won the match 6-5 on the first tie-breaker.
If Peak earns the near fall he beats Schulist and advances to the final at 113. In the same match Peak also allowed his first reversal of the year, which earned Schulist two points. Schulist advanced and lost 8-4 to Stevens Point’s Dylan Koontz (44-0) in the Division 1 title match at 113.
Undeterred, Peak clawed his way through the consolation side of the bracket and finished third. Peak (33-4) beat Eau Claire North’s Mason Phillips (49-3) 3-1 in the third-place match.
“After you lose it is so hard to come back and win, because you’ve lost the opportunity to become a state champion,” Reynolds said.
“A lot of kids cannot rebound after that. He came back and won two matches. That’s incredible to me. It’s the hardest thing to do at the state tournament.”
The Elks’ trio qualified for state Feb. 20 at a sectional tournament at Verona Area High School. The top two in each weight class advance from the sectional to state. Peak won his weight class and Heidemann and Jacobson each finished second.
Heidemann (21-7) and Jacobson (38-7) each lost their only match at state and did not earn a wrestleback.
Peak opened at state with a major decision victory (10-1) against Green Bay’s Zak Nelson (40-9). Peak pinned Kaukauna’s Brandon Micksh (31-8) in 4:43 in the quarterfinals before losing to Schulist.
Peak beat Oak Creek’s Mitch Landgraf (46-5) 8-3 in a consolation semifinal before beating Phillips for third place.
“He is one of the best wrestlers in the state,” Reynolds said of Peak. “We walked in and I could not believe how many people were welcoming him. I thought he was running for Governor when we were walking down the street. Everyone knows him and respects him.”
Peak wrestles extensively in the offseason, and Reynolds said Peak’s ability to be ready for any match sets him apart.
“He knows how to prepare,” Reynolds said. “He’s been in so many big tournaments. He’s one of the most prepared kids, mentally and physically. He has a game plan.”
Jacobson lost 6-2 to Wauwatosa’s Jordan Boettcher (42-7) in his only match at state.
“He got on that stage,” Reynolds said. “It was really important for him – it’s always hard, the first trip. He wrestled well, but he didn’t wrestle his best.”
Heidemann lost 6-0 to Wausau West’s Brady Lenz (40-5) in his only match at state. Reynolds said Heidemann was not prepared for state due to a knee injury that nagged since December. Heidemann finished sixth at 285 last season.
Among Southern Lakes Conference schools Burlington’s Hegemann Tiedt finished fourth at 220 in Division 1. Badger’s Cole Mikrut finished second at 285 and Robby Mutimer fourth at 126 in Division 1.
Wilmot’s Jake Morgan finished second in Division 1 at 145 pounds and Waterford’s Jared Krattiger finished third at 170 in Division 1. Every school in the conference except Delavan-Darien sent a wrestler to Madison.
