Rider powers Sauk Prairie wrestlers

Austin Rider weighed in at more than 60 pounds under the heavyweight limit at the 55th annual Sun Prairie Bob Downing Scramble last Saturday. But that didn’t make a difference in the outcome as the Sauk Prairie senior earned his first-ever tournament title, pinning his way to the championship at 285 pounds. “I like to take it one match at a time, each kid’s different,” said Rider, who improved to 11-0. “I’m bumping up to heavyweight, so it’s a little bit different. I definitely have the quickness, I can feel that. I know that they’re bigger, so I like to wrestle smarter.”  Fennimore earned the championship of the 22-team event, finishing with 731 points to hold off Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, which scored 677 points. Lodi (493), Union Grove (486) and Oregon (437) rounded out the top five. Sauk Prairie, which entered wrestlers at just six of the 14 weight classes, finished 11th with 299 points. “Overall, it was a solid day for only bringing six guys,” Sauk Prairie coach Matt Gaffney said. “They worked hard. Each day that they compete, you find out more about your team. It’s just nice to get some solid competition. Each match you wrestle, you’re getting in better shape.” Five of the six Eagles who competed ended up on the podium with a top-five finish. Leading the way was Rider, who pinned all four of his opponents and has nine pins in 11 matches to date. “Austin weighed in at 217, and in that weight class he is doing some good things,” Gaffney said. “He’s got a real good headlock right now. When he’s on top, he’s putting a lot of leg rides in. Not a lot of heavyweights are used to being leg ridden. He’s had a lot of success and I’m happy for him. He’s having a lot of fun  “We were debating earlier this week, because we knew Simon Patterson would be drilling with the National Guard, on whether to move Austin to 220. But he made the right decision there.” Rider opened the meet with a first-round bye, then pinned Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln’s Sam Scheidegger in 2 minutes, 44 seconds. Rider advanced to the quarterfinals where he pinned Manitowoc’s Gryffin Jonas in 3:19. In the semifinals, Rider made short work of Fennimore’s Braxton Wilson, pinning him in just 1:28. Rider finished off a perfect day, pinning Kenosha Indian Trail’s Mason Kochersperger in 3:46. Rider, who placed 11th at 182 pounds at the Bob Downing Scramble a year ago, said the team’s lack of varsity wrestlers just forces the Eagles to band together even tighter. “We’re a small team, we don’t have a lot of guys out this year,” Rider said. “But the guys we bring, they want to go out there, and they want to battle. We go out there and battle for each other, and it’s just awesome. You’ve got to love it.” Sophomore Colton Uselman (10-1) added a third place finish at 106 pounds. Senior Marcus Hankins (10-1), who was ranked fifth at 195 in last week’s wiwrestling.com poll, also took third at 195. “Marcus had a tough battle with a kid from Fennimore,” Gaffney said of Hankins’ 3-1 loss to Will Ahnen in the semifinals. “They both got an escape point and were wrestling on their feet and the kid took him down with about 10 seconds left. “But Marcus rebounded to get a tech fall to place third. It was his first technical fall, and he was pretty excited to end the day that way. I was happy for him.” Gaffney said Uselman has found his niche after competing about 10 pounds lighter than the 106 pound limit a year ago. “Colton’s really filling into his weight class,” Gaffney said. “Last year he was around 95, 96 pounds. He’s made a huge improvement since last year, just being on the mat. I’m real excited for his future.” Junior Carson Saladis (4-4) placed fourth at 145, while junior Luis Elizondo (8-3) was fifth at 138. Senior Sam Vils (4-7) rounded out the lineup, taking 11th at 160. “To get a champion is always a boost for the team,” Gaffney said. “There were a couple of matches here or there where you wish you could have got those ones. But it was a good day.” • On deck: Sauk Prairie hosts Waunakee in a Badger North Conference dual on Friday on Alumni Night at 7 p.m. The Eagles then compete at the Marty Loy Invitational in Fond du Lac on Saturday beginning at 8 a.m.   Dec. 14 Sun Prairie Bob Downing Scramble Team results: 1, Fennimore, 731; 2, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 677; 3, Lodi, 493; 4, Union Grove, 486; 5, Oregon, 437; 6, Kenosha Indian Trail, 433; 7, Oak Creek, 426; 8, Belmont/Platteville, 370; 9, Marshall, 324; 10, DeForest, 314; 11, Sauk Prairie, 299; 12, Madison LaFollette, 292; 13, Manitowoc, 290; 14, Grafton, 269; 14, River Valley,  269; 16, Menomonee Falls,  268; 17, Sun Prairie, 227; 18, Deerfield, 211; 19, West Bend West, 197; 20, Campbellsport, 147; 21, Madison West, 87; 22, South Milwaukee, 59.   Sauk Prairie results 106: Colton Uselman (10-1) placed 3rd and scored 51 team points. Round 1 -- received a bye; Round 3 -- received a bye; Quarterfinal – dec. Lucas Bean, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 3-1; Semifinal – lost by maj. dec. to Ben Bast, West Bend West, 14-0; 3rd Place Match – won by dec. over Alex Basken, Kenosha Indian Trail, 7-4 138: Luis Elizondo (8-3) placed 5th and scored 51 team points. Round 1 -- received a bye; Round 3 – pinned Ashton Mcdonald, Lodi, 1:12; Quarterfinal – lost by sudden victory decision to Luke Hogan, Kenosha Indian Trail, SV-1 9-7; Cons. Round 2 – pinned Daniel Fandler, Grafton, 2:48; 5th Place Match – pinned Richard Quintana, Sun Prairie, 4:53. 145: Carson Saladis (4-4) placed 4th and scored 45 team points. Round 1 -- received a bye; Round 3 – pinned Zach Copus, Marshall, 0:56; Quarterfinal -- won by decision over Damien Bennett, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 3-0; Semifinal – lost by tech. fall to Owen Heiser, Oregon, 2:59 (17-0); 3rd Place Match – pinned by Keeghan Kjos, (River Valley, 5:49. 160: Sam Vils (4-7) placed 11th and scored 24 team points. Round 2 – pinned Casey Noble, DeForest, 2:44; Round 3 – pinned by Wyler Lubeck, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 3:00; Cons. Round 1 -- won by major decision over Nolan Murphy, MD 9-0; Cons. Round 2 – pinned by Dylan Urban, Campbellsport, 1:43; 11th Place Match -- won by decision over Justis Douglas, Deerfield, 3-0. 195: Marcus Hankins (10-1) placed 3rd and scored 56 team points. Round 1 -- received a bye; Round 3 -- received a bye;  Quarterfinal – pinned Trae Ford, Union Grove, 4:46; Semifinal – lost by decision to Will Ahnen, Fennimore, 3-1; 3rd Place Match -- won by tech fall over Sam Paar, 4:21 (17-2). 285: Austin Rider (11-0) placed 1st and scored 72 team points. Round 1 -- received a bye; Round 3 – pinned Sam Scheidegger, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 2:44; Quarterfinal – pinned Gryffin Jonas, Manitowoc, 3:19; Semifinal – pinned Braxton Wilson, Fennimore, 1:28; 1st Place Match – pinned Mason Kochersperger, Kenosha Indian Trail, 3:46.   GYMNASTICS  Eagles open season: Sauk Prairie placed seventh out of eight teams at the West Salem Invitational last Saturday. Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau won the meet with 133.5 points, followed by host West Salem with a score of 131.1. Sauk Prairie finished with 111.65 points. The Eagles opened their season on Dec. 10 with a dual at perennial state power and Badger North Conference rival Mount Horeb, where the host Vikings earned a 139.775-111.525 victory. At West Salem, junior Heidi Kuhnau recorded Sauk Prairie’s top individual mark, scoring a personal-best mark of 8.5 on vault to tie for sixth place.  “We were missing Carina (Meixelsperger) from varsity, but the girls really stepped up and we scored the same as we did on Tuesday at Mount Horeb,” Sauk Prairie coach Justine Anderson said. “We still are trying to put all the pieces together in competition, but they are getting there. “We have three full days of practice before we compete again and they are very motivated after being so close to nailing some of their skills on Saturday.” Senior Addison Desroches recorded a personal-best score of 7.7 on the vault, while junior Kylie Wilson earned a PR on the vault with a 7.7 and a personal-best 7.5 on floor exercise. “Emily Herbrand filled in on the uneven bars and also got a PR with a very basic bar routine, which was incredible,” Anderson said.  “I am hoping that most of the competition nerves are settling down a little and they will continue to improve under pressure. We were just a little rusty, but are fired up and motivated to keep improving.” • Mount Horeb 139.775, Sauk Prairie 111.525 — The Vikings’ Andrea O’Connell won the all-around with a score of 35.95 points, adding wins in floor exercise and on the uneven bars, to lead host Mount Horeb to a Badger Conference dual-meet victory over the Eagles on Dec. 10. Heidi Kuhnau led Sauk Prairie, tying for third place on the balance beam with a score of 8.325. Kuhnau also paced the Eagles in the all-around (31.7), floor exercise (8.075), vault (8.15) and uneven bars (7.125). • On deck: Sauk Prairie will compete in a triangular dual with River Valley at Dodgeville on Friday beginning at 5:30 p.m.   Dec. 10 Mount Horeb 139.775, Sauk Prairie 111.525 Floor exercise: Andrea O’Connell, MH, 9.425. Balance beam: Sydney Stoenner, MH, 8.825. Vault: Stoenner, MH, 9.125. Uneven bars: O’Connell, MH, 9.15. All-around: O’Connell, MH, 35.95.   Sauk Prairie results Floor exercise: Heidi Kuhnau, 8.075; Corina Meixelsperger, 7.475; Addie Desroches, 7.15; Ava Putnam, 6.7; Kylie Wilson, 6.2. Balance beam: Kuhnau, 8.325; Meixelsperger, 6.9; Wilson, 6.825; Desroches, 6.8; Putnam, 6.6. Vault: Kuhnau, 8.15; Wilson, 8.15; Putnam, 7.925; Meixelsperger, 7.85; Desroches, 7.3. Uneven bars: Kuhnau, 7.125; Meixelsperger, 5.125; Putnam, 4.65; Emily Herbrand, 4.25; Desroches, 3.15. All-Around: Kuhnau, 31.675; Meixelsperger, 27.35; Putnam, 25.875; Desroches, 24.40.   Dec. 14 West Salem Invitational Team scores: Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau 133.5; West Salem 131.1; Baraboo 127.6; River Valley 127.6; Reedsburg 115.25; Markesan 115.025; Sauk Prairie 111.65; Tomah 105.7. Floor exercise: 1, Shatrawka, RV, 9.325; 2, Miller, GET, 9.05; 3, Hammes, WS, 8.95. Balance beam: 1, Shatrawka, RV, 9.2; Hammes, WS, 8.75; 3, Koss, GET, 8.65. Vault: 1, Shatrawka, RV, 9.0; 2, Lutter, R, 8.9; 3, Hammes, WS, 8.8. Uneven bars: 1, Miller, GET, 8.3; 2, White, GET, 8.275; 3, Thill, GET, 8.2. All-around: 1, Shatrawka, RV, 34.725; 2, Hammes, WS, 34.575; 3, Lutter, R, 33.45. At West Salem.   Sauk Prairie results Floor exercise: Heidi Kuhnau, 7.9; Kylie Wilson, 7.5; Ava Putnam, 7.1; Addie Desroches, 7.075; Rachel Endthoff, 6.2. Balance beam: Kuhnau, 7.7; Putnam, 7.3; Wilson, 7.1; Desroches, 6.3; Makenna Gieck, 4.6. Vault: Kuhnau, 8.5; Putnam, 8.15; Desroches, 7.7; Wilson, 7.6. Uneven bars: Kuhnau, 7.025; Putnam, 5.5; Emily Herbrand, 4.8; Desroches, 4.4; Alexis Strunz, 4.3. All-Around: Kuhnau, 31.125; Putnam, 28.05; Desroches, 25.475.