Fennimore Wrestling Team State

MADISON – For a few tense minutes Saturday, everyone involved with the Coleman wrestling program started thinking like actuaries, mathematicians and trained wrestling officials.

The Cougars had just finished in a tie with Fennimore in the WIAA Division 3 state team wrestling championship match at the UW Field House, and the winner was going to be decided by tiebreaker criteria.

At first, Coleman coach Kevin Casper thought his team might have fallen short. Then he was thinking the Cougars had won. And then, well, he just didn't know.

"I had my scorekeeper, my statistician, I was asking her and I knew that pins was the same, tech falls was the same. There was no majors. And then after that I didn't know what it was," Casper said. "I was just like, 'I guess we're just going to find out when they do it.

"Then they confirmed it. It was pure elation."

Ultimately, Coleman was awarded the title based on tiebreaker Criteria i, which is the most total first points scored. Coleman had 14, and Fennimore had 13.

"Our whole team went crazy," said Shamus McLain, one of five seniors on the roster. "They were like settle down, settle down. We were on edge. Everything in your body was just jumping. It was crazy."

The team championship is the 11th for Coleman overall and the sixth in the current dual meet format. The Cougars' last team title came in 2014.

"It's awesome," Casper said. "After what we lost last year with six seniors that were incredible — two of them were three-time state champs, another a state champ — I never anticipated this. I can tell you that, to be honest. So for these kids to do what they did is unbelievable."

Freshman Will Bieber's 8-3 decision at 126 pounds gave Coleman a 26-20 lead heading into the final match at 132.

Fennimore sent out state individual champion Alex Birchman, while Coleman countered with senior Noah Chang, who had not wrestled all season. Birchman pinned Chang in 3:25, giving Fennimore six team points to tie the match.

"I was pretty confident that they probably were going to get a pin there. They got a state champion and our boy (was) 0-0," Casper said. "This boy, he's a senior and he's busted his butt to work his way down in weight and I just thought it was a good time for him to go out there and wrestle."

Karson Casper won by technical fall 15-0 at 138 to open the match, and Sam Kuchta followed with a 5-2 win at 145 for Coleman.

After a couple of wins by Fennimore, Cole Klimek won 4-3 at 170 for the Cougars. Coleman won back-to-back matches at 195 and 220, a 6-5 decision by Jonathon Bieber and a pin by McLain in 51 seconds to give Coleman a 20-11 lead through eight of 14 matches.

Ray Lemieux won 6-4 at 106 for Coleman for a 23-14 lead, but Fennimore won the next two matches by decision heading into Will Bieber's match at 126.

"These kids wrestled with so much heart and so much fight, it's unbelievable," Coach Casper said. "Not giving up some of those majors and some pins, they were just as important as the guys that got a pin or won the match. It was crazy. I think we had four kids that, you know, stayed away from giving up bonus points by like one point or two. That won us the match ultimately."

Klimek, a sophomore, said the Cougars were "truly family" and said their desire to compete not only for themselves but for their teammates was what pushed them through.

"That was the greatest feeling ever in my life so far," he said.

Coleman defeated Random Lake 40-36 in one semifinal earlier Saturday, while Fennimore advanced with a 37-31 victory over Stratford.

COLEMAN 27, FENNIMORE 26

138: Karson Casper C tech. fall over Maximos Miles 15-0. 145: Sam Kuchta C dec. Aidan Nutter 5-2. 152: Mason Lull F dec. Owen Kinzinger 5-1. 160: Nick Blaschke F dec. Jakob Horton 3-2. 170: Cole Klimek C dec. Mason Miles 4-3. 182: Will Ahnen F tech. fall over Coby Den Ruyter 19-2. 195: Jonathon Bieber C dec. Logan Klaas 6-5. 220: Shamus McLain C pinned Cameron Winkers :51. 285: Aaron Ragels F dec. Spencer Karban 8-2. 106: Ray Lemieux C dec. Brett Birchman 6-4. 113: Jayden Glasbrenner F dec. John Nowak 7-0. 120: Luke Blair F dec. Chance Gruber 6-0. 126: Will Bieber C dec. Macoy Fitzgerald 8-3. 132: Alex Birchman F pinned Noah Chang 3:25.

COLEMAN 40, RANDOM LAKE 36

132: Will Bieber C pinned Skylar Koch 1:07. 138: Karson Casper C pinned Parker Scholler 1:26. 145: Sam Kuchta C major dec. Hayden Scholler. 152: Joey Bock RL pinned Jakob Horton 3:06. 160: Aiden Vandenbush RL pinned Ramiro Cortez 1:28. 170: Samuel Schwabe RL pinned Cole Klimek 4:32. 182: Jonathon Bieber C dec. Brock Upson. 195: Coby Den Ruyter C pinned Miguel Acuna :28. 220: Shamus McLain C pinned Owen Kies :42. 285: Spencer Karban C pinned Jordan Arendt 3:30. 106: Ray Lemieux C dec. Mark Szombathelyi 4-0. 113: Tanner Birenbaum RL won by forfeit. 120: Jackson Averill RL won by forfeit. 126: Ethan San Felippo RL won by forfeit.

Fennimore Wrestling Team State

Source: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/sports/2020/03/07/wiaa-state-wrestling-coleman-advances-d-3-championship/4984367002/

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