Cadott crowns two youth champs at State wrestling

By Ginna Young

The tradition of winning continues in the Cadott wrestling program, as 19 Hornets youth grapplers took part in the Wisconsin Wrestling Federation (WWF) State Championships. This year, to help cut down on exposure, the event was held at the Woodside Wisconsin Dells Center, March 5-7.

“In a year where COVID has changed the way things are done, we were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to wrestle in a State tournament,” said coach Dan Yeager. “Unlike past years, this year, there was no “qualifier,” so anyone who wanted to compete, had the opportunity.”

Because of the way it was set up, some brackets had as many as 40 wrestlers, depending on where they fell in weight classes. Typically, the athletes have 45 minutes between matches to “recover,” but with such huge brackets, the wrestlers only had 10-15 minutes between matches.

“With short rest times in between matches, stamina was as important as ever,” said Yeager. “All of our athletes gained valuable experience and battled in each match.”

For some of the youth, they came away with more than just good experience, as Cadott saw two of their competitors crowned champions in their weight classes, with seven making podium out of the 19 who attended the tournament.

Jacob Phelps (120 pounds) and Liberty Faber (120 plus), wrestled their way to State champion, while Gavin Slocum (45) was just shy of the title, finishing in second place. Iszybelle Sonnentag (95) followed that up with third and Kamren Schuebel (57) came in fourth.

Tessa York (95) finished in fifth and to round out the placings, Henry Hager (60) earned a sixth place finish.

The Hornets ended with a team record of 45-33, recording 14 pins (ranked 34th of 236 clubs) and scored 246 points (ranked 18th of 262 clubs).

“A big congrats to all of our wrestlers, for having the courage to give their best at the State tournament and control their emotions,” said Yeager. “I have received compliments in regards to our sportsmanship, as well as the way our fans were always there for each wrestler.”

[caption id="attachment_114333" align="alignnone" width="300"] Tessa York 95 lbs. • Fifth Place[/caption] [caption id="attachment_114334" align="alignnone" width="300"] Liberty Faber 120 lbs. plus • First Place[/caption] [caption id="attachment_114335" align="alignnone" width="300"] Kamden Schuebel (left) 57 lbs. • Fourth Place[/caption] [caption id="attachment_114337" align="alignnone" width="300"] Iszybelle Sonnentag 95 lbs. • Third Place[/caption] [caption id="attachment_114338" align="alignnone" width="300"] Henry Hager 60 lbs. • Sixth Place[/caption] [caption id="attachment_114339" align="alignnone" width="146"] Gavin Slocum 45 lbs. • Second Place[/caption]