By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
One of the most successful seasons in the history of Elkhorn Area High School wrestling ended with a record number of state place winners, but coach Ken Reynolds will point to a different milestone as a sign of the Elks’ dominance this past season.
“What really stands out to me is the conference tournament,” Reynolds said. “Our first goal each season is to win the conference title. Our second goal is team state.”
The Elks won the Southern Lakes Conference title outright with seven champions and 12 of 14 wrestlers finishing third or better Feb. 4 at Central High School in Paddock Lake.
“There hasn’t been a wrestling team that dominated a conference tournament like in a long time,” Reynolds said, “and I’ve been around Southern Lakes Conference wrestling for (more than) 30 years.”
The cherry on the Sunday of the Elks’ season is the five state qualifiers the program sent to the WIAA Division 1 State Individual Wrestling Tournament Feb. 23-25 at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Benji Peak won a state title at 126 pounds. Daniel Stilling finished fifth at 132 and Grant Truesdale finished sixth at 113. Bryce Jacobson (152) and Riley Remington (170) also qualified for state.
The three state place winners are a record for the program, and the Elks have sent 19 wrestlers to state over the past four seasons.
“They did it as a team, and they believed in each other,” Reynolds said. “There are teams that don’t have 19 wrestlers go to state in 25 years.”
The Elks have yet to make their first appearance at the team state tournament, but came closer than in the past this season.
The Elks wrestled Feb. 14 at home in a WIAA Division 1 Team Sectional dual meet and lost 36-25 to Stoughton.
Stoughton entered the dual meet ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 1 in the latest Wisconsin Wrestling Online state poll. Elkhorn entered the dual ranked fourth in the same poll.
Stoughton lost 35-27 to Kaukauna March 4 in the team state final at the Field House at the University of Wisconsin.
Reynolds said numerous coaches approached him at the state individual tournament and said they were impressed with the Elks’ effort against Stoughton.
“We gave them a pretty good battle,” Reynolds said. “People know where we are, and where we fir in the scheme of things.”
The Elks won a regional title this season, and won five of six tournaments they entered this season. Reynolds said the program’s culture breeds success, and make wrestling for school and community a point of pride.
“We’ve created a culture that when you walk in the wrestling room, there’s a lot more than putting on a pair of shoes,” Reynolds said. “It’s about respect, and representing your community, your school, your family.
“There’s a lot of pride that goes into it. We represent a lot more than one person. That’s what we talk about every day – this isn’t about one kid. This is about Elkhorn. We wrestle for you.”
