SWAL/SWC Preview Blog

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SWAL/SWC Preview

With the football realignment bringing in teams and sending out teams, the winter season restores a sense of order and tradition.  In wrestling it is always fun to project, but it always comes down to how it shakes out in the end. 

First things first, The off-season quietly recognized (is that an oxymoron?) SWAL coaches who have contributed to the sport.  Long-Time Coaches Greg Jentz (Fennimore) and Stan Weigel  (Boscobel) were recognized by the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Hall of Fame for Lifetime Service.  Personal plaques commemorating their contributions were unveiled at "The Dome" in Wisconsin Dells during their induction.

A month later at the Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association annual meeting Chad Steldt (Fennimore) was recognized as 2018-2019 Region 5 Co-Coach of the Year as a result of winning a state championship and his work to positively impact his wrestlers outside the sport.  Also recognized was Robert Miller for 50 years of coaching. He is one of four coaches in the history of WWCA to be recognized for such an honor. Coach Miller is currently a middle school coach at Fennimore and long-time head coach at Riverdale.  Coach Miller is a Wisconsin George Martin Hall of Fame and National Hall of Fame member for his leadership of the Riverdale Wrestling Success.

The SWAL also celebrated the accomplishments and retirement of Scott Schmitz (Mineral Point) after 32 years at the helm.  Coach Schmitz led teams to 6 state finals with 4 state championships.  In addition to multiple state qualifiers and place winners, 26 athletes earned individual state titles under his tutelage. He was a three-time Wisconsin coach of the year and five-time district coach of the year.  This success was recognized by his peers as he is a Wisconsin George Martin Hall of Fame Member and National Hall of Fame Member. 

The SWAL coaching staffs will see some new faces and some faces in new places.  Wayne Otto will take over as head coach in Boscobel. In Prairie du Chien Mike Rogge has been promoted from assistant to head coach to fill the vacancy.  Mineral Point will tap former two-time state individual champion alum Curtis Fiedler to fill their vacancy with the retirement of Coach Schmitz.  Coach Fiedler resigned as a teacher and co-head coach in River Valley to return home.   River Valley will now be led by Dan Machovec and T.J. Wunnicke. 

As the cliché goes, the conference will reload.  Every year multiple time conference champions and state champions graduate only to see a new crop rise-up in this dog-eat-dog conference as 26 individuals from the 14 weight classes represented the Clash at the state tournament.  It certainly does not appear as if that number will see a large drop this year.  The freshman contributions could be the difference makers, but those mysteries will play out in this year's production of the The Young and the SWAL.  For now, let's look at returning contributors who will help the teams' campaigns this year.

Belmont/Platteville will look to jump another level under second year head coach Emeric Williams.  The buzz around the community is there is optimism as the program moves forward with their investment in the youth and off-season camps.  Senior Will Schaefer was able to taste success at the state tournament last year with a fifth-place finish and that will serve as an example for his teammates to get over the hump this year. Schaefer was joined at state by 30+ match winner Michael Douglas who returns this year.  Sectional qualifier's John Burbach and Dylan Taber will add valuable experience to the team.

With new Head Coach Wayne Otto, Boscobel will begin in a rebuilding year.  The Bulldogs will be led by senior Braiden Pickett who will look to hit the 100-career win mark this year.  They will get contributions from last year's underclassmen Levi Glasbrenner, Ethan Hulce, Blake Sander, Cooper Fitzgerald, and Lane Waterman.

Cuba City/Benton/Southwestern turned some heads with individual performances last year and their 3rd place finish at D2 regionals under the direction of Head Coach Craig Donar.  Look for Senior Troy Leibfried to improve on his 35-5 finish from last year. The team also returns sectional qualifiers Ayden Nolan and Bradley Goffinet. Donar has a good understanding of what needs to be done to continue moving the program forward.

Head Coach Cole Wunnicke will once again bring a formidable Darlington/Blackhawk Team to the fight.  Though they don't boast a large amount of returning sectional qualifiers, they represented many 3rd place finishers in a  Lancaster Regional that advanced 24 of 28 sectional qualifiers on to state.  Senior Leif Bredeson who was defeated 2-1 in the state finals will look defend his Clash Conference Title. He will be joined by fellow seniors Cayden Milz and Carson Lobdell who have had successful careers.  Look for contributions by sophomore Cashton Hauser.

Head Coach Ryan Lord  returns senior sectional qualifier Riley Crook who spent a lot of time in the off-season in order to gain valuable experience for Dodgeville.  Dodgeville has experienced an increase in middle school numbers over the past couple of years and will need their underclassmen to step up after losing key seniors to graduation; however, a big portion of their lineup was made of freshman and sophomores last year.   Look for contributions from sophomore Drew Palmer and juniors Louden Fuerstenberg and Austin Phelan.

Head Coach Chad Steldt was able to build depth last year and as a result will return many key contributors on this year's iteration of wrestling at Fennimore.  They enter the pre-season ranked number one in the state in Division 3 coming off a state championship season.   The Golden Eagles return 7 state qualifiers that encapsulate four state place winners which includes state finalist Alex Birchman.  In addition to Birchman, the Eagles return state place winners Luke Blair, Aidan Nutter , and Aaron Ragels as well as state qualifiers Mason Lull, Will Ahnen, and Brody Lee.  They will return key contributors in seniors Nick Blaschke, Mason Miles, Trent Helms, Braxton Wilson, Deven Kohrs and Taggan Gommel who participated multiple times last year in several of the events. Look for contributions from junior McCoy Fitzgerald and sophomores Caden Hahn and Connor Northouse who got big wins at last year's team sectional. The Golden Eagles had a busy off-season with many of their wrestlers competing in the spring and summer.  They will be tested early and often with a once-again, tough schedule that includes the Cliff Keen and Denver Duals in Iowa, the Stoughton Badger Invitational, and the Cheesehead Invitational.

Iowa-Grant/Highland will enjoy several key returners for Head Coach Ryan Allen.  Like Darlington/Blackhawk, they too cannot be overlooked based on sectional qualifiers with a loaded regional and their freshman were forced to grow up fast last year.  The team will be led by sophomores Mason Welsh, Treyton Starkey, Cal Dorota and junior Donald Laufenberg .  Look for major contributions by junior Andrew Winders and senior Jason Sedbrook as they battle the conference while setting the table for what they hope lies ahead.

Head Coach Brad Sturmer had many seniors on last year's team; however, untimely injuries provided opportunities for younger guys to gain valuable experience for the Lancaster Arrow squad.    As a result, key wrestlers won't be under the radar and with a solid group returning this year, the team is starting the pre-season ranked 8th in Division 3. Four state qualifers return including state finalists  Remington Bontreger and Caden Straka and state participants Carter Lull and Dustin Wolf.  Look for contributions from Matthew Crosby and Logan Schneider as the season unfolds.

Mineral Point's first-year Head Coach Curt Fiedler will capitalize on some off-season work of what will inevitably be a traditionally tough Mineral Point team who enters the year ranked Honorable Mention.  Expect strong individual performances from juniors Nolan Springer and Mason Hughes.  Springer who placed 5th at the WIAA Individual Tournament was also the 16 and Under Freestyle State Champion  and racked up several wins on Wisconsin's National Freestyle Dual Team last summer.  Hughes, who barely missed the state tournament by dropping a 6-4 decision in his sectional match to go to state, went on to become the 16U state runner-up in the state freestyle tournament with a 5th place finish in Greco-Roman.  Along with his teammate Hughes, he also racked up several wins for Team Wisconsin's Freestyle dual team.  The Pointers will also get strong performances from Colbi Carey, Trapper Nafzger, Ross Lindsey, Bo Hanson, and Daniel Nordstrom.  Mineral Point like others will utilize some strong freshman to solidify the lineup.

First year Head Coach Mike Rogge's Prairie du Chien's Blackhawks have certainly enjoyed the anticipation about their upcoming team.  The team will begin the season ranked 8th in Division 2, but if the team can stay healthy early on, it will only be a matter of time before their stock will rise.   The team returns state qualifiers Matt Rogge and Bradyn Saint and senior State 3rd Place finisher Traeton Saint.  In addition, they return senior Jerrod Ostercamp who had success in multiple tournaments in the off-season.  They will also get key contributions from Chase Fisher, Isaac Avery, and Colton Wall.  In addition to these returning contributors, it is no secret they will utilize a quality freshman group to fill in any gaps.  Finally, they welcome Tyler Hannah to their lineup. Hannah, who moved to Prairie du Chien from Viroqua this year was last year's Division 2 state runner-up and the 18U freestyle runner-up in Wisconsin as well as a the 18U Greco-Roman State Champion.  He also represented the USA at the 16U World Championships as a Greco-Roman Team Member.  All these scenarios add up to what the Blackhawks hope will build on their Division 2 Team Sectional Appearance last year.

Richland Center Head Coach Darren Gunderson returns quality individuals who will make their mark in the swarm of the SWAL.  The Hornets will see hardware brought home throughout the year in experienced wrestlers Max Schmidt, Gus Donovan, Warrick Wolf, Isaac Jones, and Jaren Hill.  Schmidt, Donovan, and Wolf lead the team as returning sectional qualifiers with Schmidt also finishing 6th last spring at the 18U Greco-Roman State Championship.  Look for success to come at tournaments using individual scoring.

River Valley's Co-Head Coaches Dan Machovec and T.J. Wunnicke will field a solid team.  Though the Blackhawks do not have the depth they have enjoyed over the past few years, they have some solid returners who will certainly find themselves on the ranking boards as the season gets started.  The team will be led by senior Cayden Robson who was a state qualifier last year. Juniors Jimmy Jennings and Keeghan Kjos will be expected to be viewed on the aforementioned ranking boards as the season continues.  Though the team lost several seniors last year, tradition will more than likely prove otherwise if they are counted out.    The team has a challenging schedule once again that will help their individuals achieve desired goals when it counts.

Riverdale was a match away from participating at the WIAA team state making it to the sectional finals and will return some solid talent. Look for them to fill losses of key seniors with solid freshman.  The Chieftains will be led by Tyler Hach a 30+ match winner and state qualifier for Head Coach Jeff Campbell.  Like many of the teams in the Clash, they will have individuals who will be in the mix.  Look for Hach to be joined by junior Justice Dilley and sophomore Jonah Dennis who was a State 16U 3rd place finisher in Greco-Roman as statistical leaders.  Riverdale will get contributions from Kacey Layton and Jordan Keegan.

As stated earlier, the freshman may be the difference makers in some of these lineups.  Before we crown them as difference makers prior to the season starting, they will have to earn their ink.  The wrestlers in these returning lineups have been battle-tested in one of the strongest conference tournaments in the state as evidenced by state place winners, team finishes, and careers after high school.  This certainly only serves as a preview and probably deserved more research, but feel free to fill in the blanks of your own teams or additional information for those who follow the SWAL/SWC.  In addition, if there are alumni who are wrestling after high school at any level, please reply and list.

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Alumni Wrestling List (Please Add) 
Zach Licht- Loras
Shane Liegel Loras
Max Maylor- Michigan
Cole Martin - Wisconsin
Alston Nutter - Northern Michigan Olympic Education Center
Caleb Radtke -UW-Platteville
Sawyer Sarbacker-UW-La Crosse
Hunter Wardell -Rochester Community College
Isaac Wiegel- UW-Platteville
Brady Wetter- Wisconsin

[DKelly28]

Alumni Wrestling List (Please Add) 
Zach Licht- Loras
Shane Liegel Loras
Max Maylor- Michigan
Cole Martin - Wisconsin
Alston Nutter - Northern Michigan Olympic Education Center
Caleb Radtke -UW-Platteville
Sawyer Sarbacker-UW-La Crosse
Hunter Wardell -Rochester Community College
Isaac Wiegel- UW-Platteville
Brady Wetter- Wisconsin

Nick Rogge, Augsburg.

Nice writeup as well!