Eagles’ swimmers keep dynasty alive

It was business as usual for the Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights boys swimming team last week, as the Eagles won another Northern Badger Conference title. Sophomore Matthew Loy won two individual events and swam on the winning 200-yard freestyle relay to lead the Eagles to their fourth straight league championship in a meet held at Jack Young Middle School in Baraboo last Friday night. That matched the program record of four titles in a row, which last occurred from 1976-79. “We could win 20 of these, and they would always feel like it was the first time,” Eagles’ coach Todd Wuerger said. “I think every one, so far, has had a different component and a different personality, where it’s taken a different approach, a different strategy, a different whatever to achieve it. “This year, by far, it felt like the most challenging year to earn it because from that very first meet with McFarland, where we won by 14 (points), we had to put together our strongest lineup to win.” The Eagles scored 506 points to easily outdistance runner-up Waunakee (422). McFarland was third with 378 points. Loy won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.94 seconds and added the 100 freestyle title (:50.99). He also led off the winning 200 freestyle relay that included freshman Sam King, and juniors Adam Stecker and Sam Beattie and finished in a time of 1:33.72. “Matthew took a big step in this meet,” Wuerger said of Loy. “He started to emerge his freshman year. But he is a totally a guy who you can pretty much insert him in just about any race and there’s a chance he’ll score high.” Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights didn’t record a second-place finish but had 22 top-six finishers. “McFarland was the favorite,” Wuerger said. “They were seeded to beat us by 22 points. That became the focus of our pre-meet meeting. I wanted them to be aware that on paper, we were not seeded to win this meet. “But two of McFarland’s better swimmers were out with the flu, and we kept doing well. They swam with a lot of heart. They were out to defend their title and were not going to let it fall outside their grip. I’m very proud of them.” • On deck: Sauk Prairie will compete at the WIAA Division 2 Baraboo Sectional on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m.   Feb. 7 Badger North Conference Meet Team scores: 1, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights, 506; 2, Waunakee 422; 3, McFarland 378; 4, Baraboo 374; 5, DeForest 336. 200-yard medley relay — 1, Baraboo (Lohr, Laux, Hamm, Klingenmeyer), 1:40.48; 2, Waunakee, 1:41.32; 3, McFarland; 4, DeForest, 1:46.30; 5, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights ‘A’ (Zach Guentherman, Sam King, Adam Stecker, Jordan Chao), 1:47.83; 6, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights ‘B’ (Alec Buss, Casey Vande Hey, Evan Leece, David Heck), 1:49.78. 200 freestyle — 1, Slane, M, 1:52.90; 2, Kobza, W, 1:54.08; 3, Sam Beattie, SP/WH, 1:55.23; 4, Leece, SP/WH, 1:56.41; 5, McCook, W, 1:58.81; 6, Daniel Bakhchevnikov, SP/WH, 1:59.25. 200 individual medley — 1, Lohr, B, 1:59.72; 2, Busse, W, 2:06.65; 3, Guentherman, SP/WH, 2:10.69; 4, Shrader, W, 2:11.02; 5, Ridd, D, 2:14.01; 6, Jackson Shavlik, SP/WH, 2:15.65; 7, Ryan Godwin, SP/WH, 2:16.34; 10, Vande Hey, SP/WH, 2:21.16. 50 freestyle — 1, Matthew Loy, SP/WH, :22.94; 2, Klingenmeyer, B, :23.15; 3, Wolf, D, :23.21; 4, Wallace, W, :23.66; 5, King, SP/WH, :23.80; 6, Stecker, SP/WH, :24.09. 100 butterfly — 1, Ramminger, D, :53.43; 2, Vinson, W, :54.33; 3, Laux, B, :56.37; 4, Kreft, M, :56.86; 5, Stecker, SP/WH, :59.79; 6, Hamm, B, 1:00.10; 9, A. Buss, SP/WH, 1:01.74. 100 freestyle — 1, Loy, SP/WH, :50.99; 2, Wolf, D, :51.06; 3, Leece, SP/WH, :52.15; 4, Chao, SP/WH, :52.54; 5, Thompson, M, :54.18; 6, Hittman, B, :54.43. 500 freestyle — 1, Kobza, W, 4:58.95; 2, Busse, W, 5:04.75; 3, Shavlik, SP/WH, 5:11.16; 4, Slane, M, 5:13.96; 5, Beattie, SP/WH, 5:18.27; 6, Jaccard, D, 5:21.38; 8, Godwin, SP/WH, 5:27.54. 200 freestyle relay — 1, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights ‘A’ (Loy, King, Stecker, Beattie), 1:33.72; 2, Baraboo, 1:36.11; 3, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights ‘B’ (Heck, Bakhchevnikov, Godwin, Shavlik), 1:36.55; 4, Waunakee, 1:37.63; 5, McFarland, 1:39.02; 6, Baraboo, 1:40.19. 100 backstroke — 1 , Lohr, B, :53.66; 2, Vinson, W, :56.48; 3, Shrader, W, :58.55; 4, Guentherman, SP/WH, :58.94; 5, Thorson, M, 1:00.16; Kreft, M, 1:00.30; 8, A. Buss, SP/WH, 1:02.68. 100 breaststroke — 1, Ramminger, D, 1:00.04; 2, Laux, B, 1:04.64; 3, Schulz, M, 1:05.14; 4, Wallace, W, 1:05.28; 5, King, SP/WH, 1:06.09; 6, Mandli, M, 1:06.75; 7, Chao, SP/WH, 1:07.34; 8, Bakhchevnikov, SP/WH, 1:08.30; 10, Vande Hey, SP/WH, 1:09.36. 400 freestyle relay — 1, Waunakee (Kobza, Busse, Shrader, Vinson), 3:23.54; 2, DeForest, 3:27.77; 3, McFarland, 3:29.10; 4, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights ‘A’ (Loy, Beattie, Godwin, Chao), 3:30.13; 5, Baraboo, 3:30.34; 6, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights ‘B’ (Shavlik, Leece, Guentherman, Bakhchevnikov), 3:34.03.       WRESTLING WATERTOWN — Seniors Marcus Hankins (182 pounds), Simon Patterson (220) and Austin Rider (285) each finished as a runner-up at the annual Badger Conference wrestling tournament hosted by Watertown High School last Saturday. Sauk Prairie finished sixth at the tournament with 174 points. Stoughton, ranked third in Division 1 in the WiWrestling.com state poll, won its sixth consecutive Badger Conference tournament with 326 points, crowning five individual champions. “The last round was rough, we only won one of the placement matches,” Sauk Prairie coach Matt Gaffney said. “It was hard going out that way. But sixth place out of 15 teams in the Badger Conference – in my mind in the toughest conference in the state – with only 10 guys has been the story all year.” Milton was second with 240 points. Waunakee (215.5), Baraboo (208) and Fort Atkinson (181) rounded out the top five. “Carson Saladis, our 138-pounder, was out with the flu today,” Gaffney said. “If you put him in the lineup, we’re top five.” Hankins (37-4), ranked fifth, missed out on his first conference title when he was pinned in 3:59 by Baraboo’s undefeated and fourth-ranked John Gunderson in the 182-pound final.  Patterson (26-6) was pinned by Stoughton’s Brooks Empey in 1:01 in the 220 finals. Rider (37-4) lost a tough 8-5 decision to Monroe’s Bodie Minder in the 285 title match. Baraboo (7-0) won the Badger North duals title, but Waunakee (6-1) finished just ahead of Baraboo in the conference tournament to share the Badger North overall title with the Thunderbirds.. Sauk Prairie (4-3), which won its final four league duals, secured a third-place finish in the Badger North. “One of our goals was to place ahead of the teams that beat us,” Gaffney said of the conference meet. “We placed ahead of Reedsburg, which was a positive note.” Freshman Nolan Vils (9-1) defeated Oregon’s Nathan Hall 7-2 in their third-place match. Also earning a place on the podium were fourth-place finishers senior Dawson Enge (120) and junior Luis Elizondo (132). “I didn’t even expect to be here,” said Vils, who won the state JV title at 195 pounds on Jan. 25 and was recently added to the Sauk Prairie lineup. “Practicing with all the seniors helped a lot, helped me how to understand what to do and how to be a better wrestler.”  • On deck: Sauk Prairie will compete at the WIAA Division 1 Holmen Regional on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m.   Feb. 8 Badger Conference Tournament Team scores: 1, Stoughton, 326; 2, Milton, 240; 3, Waunakee, 215.5; 4, Baraboo, 208.5; 5, Fort Atkinson, 181; 6, Sauk Prairie, 174; 7, Watertown, 159; 8, Portage, 157; 9, Monroe, 142; 10, Reedsburg, 133.5; 11, Oregon, 108; 12, Monona Grove /McFarland, 107; 13, DeForest, 57; 14, Beaver Dam, 49; 15, Mount Horeb, 44. Dual-meet standings North: Baraboo 7-0, Waunakee 6-1, Reedsburg 5-2, Sauk Prairie 4-3, Portage 3-4, Beaver Dam 2-5, DeForest 1-6, Mount Horeb 0-7. Final division standings North: 1 (tie), Baraboo and Waunakee; 3, Sauk Prairie; 4, Reedsburg; 5, Portage; 6 (tie) DeForest and Beaver Dam; 8, Mount Horeb.   Championship matches 106: Ril. Nilo, Mil, dec. Beckett, P, 9-7, sudden victory. 113: O. Wilkowski, Wtn, pinned Haldiman, Mil, 5:12. 120: Heinz, Wau, dec. Roy. Nilo, Mil, 7-3. 126: Rivera, Sto, dec. E. Wilkowski, Wtn, 15-10. 132: Cad. Fry, R, dec. Wichman, Wtn, 5-0. 138: Tijerina, P, dec. Jesse, Bar, 6-4. 145: Model, Sto, dec. Arnold, Por, 7-1. 152: Gunderson, MGM, dec. Niday, Or, 7-3. 160: Mechler, Sto, mdec. Rielly, Monr, 14-3. 170: Grindle, Wau, dec. Estes, Bar, 8-5. 182: Gunderson, Bar, pinned Hankins, SP, 3:59. 195: Detweiler, Sto, dec. Horvatin, FA, 8-2. 220: B. Empey, Sto, pinned Patterson, SP, 1:01. 285: Minder, Mon, dec. Rider, SP, 8-5. 106: Colton Uselman (31-11) placed 8th and scored 6 team points. Champ. Round 1 – Pinned Ryan Payne, Oregon, 0:39); Quarterfinal – lost by pin to Chance Suddeth, Stoughton, 1:23; Cons. Round 2 – lost by dec. to Kyler Neuberger, Beaver Dam, 3-1; Cons. Round 3 – dec. Dylan Miller, Reedsburg, 8-2; 7th-place match – lost by dec. to Jayden Freie, Waunakee, 5-2. 113: Riley Minette (4-10) didn’t place and scored 3 team points. Champ. Round 1—Lost by maj. dec. to Rose Ann Marshall, Stoughton, 13-0; Cons. Round 1 – Pinned Eduardo Tostado, 2:34; Cons. Round 2 – maj. dec. over Alexis Winecke, Baraboo, 5-0; Cons. Round 3 – Lost by pin to Caden Schneider, Reedsburg,  2:10. 120: Dawson Enge (19-7) placed fourth and scored 22 team points. Champ. Round 1 -- Received a bye; Quarterfinal – Pinned Ryan Schneider, Reedsburg, 1:49; Semifinal – lost by pin to Royce Nilo, Milton, 2:24; Cons. Round 3 -- Dawson Enge maj. dec. over Riley Hibner, Portage, 12-2; Third-place match – lost by pin to Alex Wicks, Stoughton, 1:25. 126: Dylan Breunig (11-17) didn’t place. Champ. Round 1 – lost by pin to Cole Weaver, Monona Grove /McFarland, 1:58; Cons. Round 1 – lost by dec. to Jacob Ashland, Fort Atkinson, 12-6. 132: Luis Elizondo (22-12) placed fourth and scored 19 team points. Champ. Round 1 – Pinned Thomas Lyon, Oregon, 0:35; Quarterfinal – dec. Seth Williams, Portage, 15-12; Semifinal – lost by dec. to Walker Wichman, Watertown, 6-3; Cons. Round 3 – dec. Zak Shore, Milton, 8-3; Third-place match – lost by maj. dec. to Aiden Worden, Fort Atkinson, 15-6. 152: Sam Vils (19-19) placed eighth and scored 7 team points. Champ. Round 1 – lost by dec. to Justin Sanchez, Milton, 4-0; Cons. Round 1-- Received a bye; Cons. Round 2 – dec. Spencer Andrews, Portage, 6-0; Cons. Round 3 – won by med. forfeit over Logan Thomas. Beaver Dam); Seventh-place match – lost by pin to Kyle Wilcox, Waunakee, 2:56. 182: Marcus Hankins (37-4) placed second and scored 31 team points. Champ. Round 1 -- Received a bye; Quarterfinal – Pinned Nate Schreiner, Reedsburg, 0:42; Semifinal – maj. dec.  over Alex Witt. 10-0; First-place match – lost by pin to John Gunderson, Baraboo, 3:59. 195: Nolan Vils (9-1) placed 3rd and scored 26 team points. Champ. Round 1 – Pinned Zachary Weber, Reedsburg, 0:59; Quarterfinal – lost by dec. to Ben Florencio, Baraboo, 11-8; Cons. Round 2 – pinned Shane Steines, Portage, 4:25; Cons. Round 3 – Pinned Jack Schweitzer, Waunakee, 3:48; Third-place match – dec. Nathan Hall, Oregon, 7-2. 220: Simon Patterson (26-6) placed second and scored 28 team points. Champ. Round 1 -- Received a bye; Quarterfinal – dec. Jordan Hergert, Milton, 0; Semifinal – dec. Mika Gutoski, Fort Atkinson, 8-1; First-place match – lost by pin to Brooks Empey, Stoughton, 1:01. 285: Austin Rider (37-4) placed second and scored 32 team points. Champ. Round 1 -- Received a bye; Quarterfinal – Pinned Hayden Steinle, Portage, 0:55; Semifinal – Pinned David Finkel, Reedsburg, 0:43; First-place match – lost by dec. to Bodie Minder, Monroe, 8-5.   GYMNASTICS Junior Heidi Kuhnau paced Sauk Prairie in all four events and the all-around, but the Eagles lost to host Milton 139.2-116.85 in a dual last Thursday. Kuhnau registered Sauk Prairie’s top score with an 8.8 in the floor exercise. She also finished first for the Eagles in the vault (8.4), balance beam (7.975) and the uneven bars (7.2). She finished with a score of 32.375 in the all-around. Also competing in the all-around for Sauk Prairie were sophomore Ava Putnam (29.35), senior Addie Desroches (26.95) and junior Rachel Endthoff (26.15). • On deck: Following a dual against Watertown on Tuesday, Sauk Prairie will compete at the Platteville Invitational on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m.   Feb. 6 Milton 139.2, Sauk Prairie 116.85 Balance beam: 1, Olstad, M, 9.125; 2, Burki, M, 9.0; 3, Dunk, M, 8.6. Sauk Prairie – Heidi Kuhnau, 7.975; Ava Putnam, 7.4; Addie Desroches, 7.15; Kylie Wilson, 7.0; Rachel Endthoff, 6.7.  Floor exercise: 1, Olstad, M, 9.2; 2, Girard, M, 9.1; 3, Dunk, M, 8.95. Sauk Prairie – Kuhnau, 8.8; Putnam, 7.9; Wilson, 7.85; Endthoff, 7.25; Desroches, 7.2.  Uneven bars: 1, Dunk, M, 9.0; 2, Olstad, M, 8.75; 3, Girard, M, 8.125. Sauk Prairie – Kuhnau, 7.2; Putnam, 6.05; Desroches, 5.4; Endthoff, 5.15; Alexis Strunz, 4.05.  Vault: 1, Dunk, M, 9.15; 2, Girard, M, 8.85; 3, Hughes, M, 8.425. Sauk Prairie – Kuhnau, 8.4; Wilson, 8.125; Putnam, 8.0; Desroches, 7.2; Endthoff, 7.05. All-around: 1, Dunk, M, 35.70; 2, Girard, M, 34.225; 3, Burki, M, 33.775. Sauk Prairie -- Kuhnau, 32.375; Putnam, 29.35; Desroches, 26.95; Endthoff, 26.15.