Cadott brings home championship crown at Ellsworth
By Ginna Young
It’s mat time once again for the Cadott wrestling program, with the grapplers starting off the season with two back-toback challenges.
Dec. 2 vs. Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau-Melrose-Mindoro (W 43-30)
“It was great to be back in the gym with fans again,” said coach Josh Spaeth. “First and foremost, I’d like to say thank you to the fans who attended the dual. It was a loud and exciting environment for our athletes.”
Hosting Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau-Melrose-Mindoro, the Hornets saw each eligible wrestler on the team gain experience. Many of the Cadott athletes also saw victories.
Senior Gavin Tegels (220 pounds) got the win over Bradyn Lockinton, by a 2:39 fall, while junior Dawson Webster (170) won over Alex Wieczorek, with a fall in 2:54. Junior Cole Pfeiffer (160) earned the victory by fall in 2:25, over Ben Peterson.
Junior Tristan Drier (152) won over Colin Niederkorn, by fall in 1:35, with senior Kaleb Sonnentag (145) winning in a 2:45 fall over David Hiles. Junior Brayden Sonnentag (132) took on Jackson Blaken, winning by major decision, 13-2.
Also winning for Cadott, was senior Logan Harel (126), defeating Brooks Johnson by a 5-1 decision, as well as freshman Kaleb Lodahl (106), who won over Terek Fry, with a 3:18 fall.
Spaeth says their opponent for the dual showed that they are a great team, that is well-coached and considered one of the best in the state.
“Overall, I am very pleased with our team performance,” said Spaeth. “Every athlete gave their best effort and we cannot ask more than that.”
Dec. 4 Ellsworth Tournament
In a 10-team tournament, the Hornets were in good form, bringing home the championship from Ellsworth for the first time in many years.
“This is a great way to start the season,” said Spaeth. “All participating wrestlers scored points, which helped us bring home the team trophy.”
B. Sonnentag, Pfeiffer and Tegels were crowned champions on the day, while K. Sonnentag, Harel and Drier finished as runner-ups.
B. Sonnentag earned his first place finish by a 12-2 major decision over Regis wrestler Chase Kostka, while Pfeiffer got his chance with a 1:54 fall over Ivan Veenendall, of Ellsworth. Tegels won by fall over Noah Knobloch, in 1:08.
At the end of the day, B. Sonnentag was awarded the Most Valuable Wrestler Award.
“This is the third consecutive year, that a Hornet wrestler was voted the Most Valuable Wrestler,” said Spaeth. “Brady Spaeth (former Hornet State champion) won this award two of the previous seasons.”
