End of the road for wrestlers

The road to the WIAA Division 1 individual state wrestling tournament made a stop in West Salem last Saturday. Unfortunately for six Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights boys’ and two girls’ wrestlers, it was the end of the road. For seniors Brason Ballweg and Austin Lankey in the boys tournament and Kaya Howard in the girls tournament, it was also the swansong of their prep wrestling careers. Lankey was eliminated with a loss in the quarterfinals at 165 pounds, while Ballweg lost in the wrestleback round and placed fourth at 157 pounds.  Only the top two finishers in each weight class advanced to this week’s boys state tournament which opens at the Kohl Center on Thursday afternoon. Wisconsin Rapids finished first in the team competition with 186 points. Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights finished 13th out of 16 teams with 14 points. “It was tough sledding,” Sauk Prairie coach Matt Gaffney said. “It was a tough sectional with Wisconsin Rapids, Holmen and Reedsburg and Tomah and Waunakee. It was a tough tournament.” The Eagles gave it their all, especially Ballweg, an all-conference linebacker in football, who came up short on his bid to end his career at state. Ballweg (33-15) pinned Sparta’s Abraham Sanchez in 2 minutes, 39 seconds in the quarterfinals, but lost an 11-0 major decision to Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln’s Bennett Weidman in the semifinals. Reedsburg Area’s Braxton Walter then pinned Ballweg in 4.58 in their third-place match. “We knew going into it that it would be a tough bracket, just like all of them are,” Gaffney said. “Brason wrestled well the first round and got a pin. “In the third-place match, he had the Reedsburg kid again. He went 1-1 against him, winning their dual but losing to him at the conference meet. We knew it would be a tough match.” Gaffney said that Ballweg, a team co-captain along with Lankey, “left it all on the mat.” “Any time you see a senior’s career have that last match, it’s always an emotional rollercoaster,” Gaffney said. “But I’m super proud of him. He had the COVID year his freshman year and then sophomore year he broke his foot. This is only his second full season in high school. He had a great career.” Also finishing fourth was sophomore Lane Albers (18-12) at 190 pounds. He earned an 8-4 decision over Holmen’s Blake Goyette in the quarterfinals. But Jayden Delao of La Crosse Logan/Central pinned Albers in 55 seconds in their semifinal match. Middleton’s Bryce Falk ended Albers’ season when he pinned him in 2:46 in the third-place match. “Lane had a good season,” Gaffney said. “He looked good in the first round.” Gaffney said he had hopes that Albers would make it through the wrestleback round. “I was hoping it would be closer than it was,” Gaffney said of Albers’ rematch with Falk. “He battled him real tough at regionals. But Falk was on. He had a real, good showing.  “But what’s nice about Lane is that he’s only a sophomore and has two more years. I’m excited for his future and am hoping he puts in some mat time in the off-season and comes back strong next year.” Also advancing to sectionals but losing their opening-round matches were the trio of freshman Max Schroeder (106 pounds), sophomore Mitch Ziegler (126) and junior Logan McIntyre (215). Gaffney said that he is looking forward to next season when the Eagles return four of their six sectional qualifiers. “Max and Mitch and Logan lost their first matches, but all will be back next year,” Gaffney said. “We’re just getting started.” Rodriguez advances: Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights advanced one its three sectional wrestlers to the third annual girls state tournament that begins on Thursday at the Kohl Center. Senior Luz Rodriguez was the only competitor at 235 pounds and was an automatic qualifier for state. Freshman Margaret Barrett (15-3) pinned Sparta’s Jazmine Hernandez in their semifinal match at 100 pounds. But Barrett lost to Holmen’s Aini Anderson 9-7 in their first-place match. Senior Kaya Howard (9-3) also won her semifinal match, pinning La Crosse Logan/Central’s Emylie Vang in 1:51. But Howard lost a 6-0 decision to Holmen’s Allison Weiss in their first-place match. However, only the sectional champion advanced to the state tournament. “Maggie wrestled great and lost a tough match in the finals,” Gaffney said. “Kaya battled hard in the finals as well. But Maggie is only a freshman, she has a very bright future.”   Feb. 17 WIAA Division 1 West Salem Sectional BOYS Team scores: 1, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 186; 2, Holmen, 103; 3, Reedsburg Area, 90; 4, Waunakee, 86; 5, Baraboo, 67.5; 6, Middleton, 67; 7, Sparta, 44.5; 8, West Salem/Bangor, 43.5; 9, Tomah, 33.5; 10, Onalaska/Luther, 30; 11, Madison West, 21; 12, La Crosse Logan/Central, 15; 13, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights, 14; 14, DeForest and Madison Memorial, 6; 16, Madison East, 0.   Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights individual results: 106: Max Schroeder (23-17) didn’t place. Championship Bracket – lost by fall to Deegan Armagost, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 1:39.   126: Mitch Ziegler (7-16) didn’t place. Championship Bracket – lost by fall to Carter Freeman, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 0:54.   157: Brason Ballweg (33-15) placed fourth and scored 8 team points. Championship Bracket – pinned Abraham Sanchez, Sparta, 2:39; Semifinals – lost by maj. dec. to Bennett Weidman, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 11-0; Third-place match – lost by fall to Braxton Walter, Reedsburg Area, 4:58.   165: Austin Lankey (26-12) didn’t place. Championship Bracket – lost by dec. to Cody Petersen, West Salem/Bangor, 5-2.   190: Lane Albers (18-12) placed fourth and scored 6 team points. Championship Bracket -- won by dec. over Blake Goyette, Holmen, 8-4; Semifinals – lost by fall to Jayden Delao, La Crosse Logan/Central, 0:55; Third-place match – lost by fall to Reed Falk, Middleton, 2:46.   215: Logan McIntyre (26-18) didn’t place. Championship Bracket – lost by maj. dec. to Greysen Reimer, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 17-6.   GIRLS Team scores: 1, Holmen, 226; 2, Tomah, 86; 3, Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights, 58; 4, Waunakee, 56; 5, DeForest, 44; 6, La Crosse Logan/Central, 42; 7, Madison West, 32; 8, West Salem/Bangor, 28; 9, Sparta, 12; 9, Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln, 12; 11, Madison East, 8; 12, Reedsburg Area, 4; 13, Baraboo, Madison Memorial, Middleton and Onalaska/Luther, 0.   Sauk Prairie/Wisconsin Heights individual results: 100: Margaret Barrett (15-3) placed second and scored 22 team points. Championship Round 1 -- received a bye; Quarterfinal -- received a bye; Semifinal – pinned Jazmine Hernandez, Sparta, 0:44; First-place match – lost by dec. to Aini Anderson, Holmen, 9-7.   114: Kaya Howard (9-3) placed second and scored 22.0 team points. Championship Round 1 -received a bye; Quarterfinal -- received a bye; Semifinal – pinned Emylie Vang, La Crosse Logan/Central, 1:51; First-place match – lost by dec. to Allison Weiss, Holmen, 6-0.   235: Luz Rodriguez (7-5) placed first and scored 14.0 team points. Championship Round 1 -- received a bye; Quarterfinal -- received a bye; Semifinal -- received a bye; First-place match -- received a bye.