Wrestlers are statebound

Drexler has great shot to win his third straight title

By Casey Krautkramer

Nine local wrestlers will compete in the WIAA Division 3 individual state wrestling tournament this Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 24-26, for a chance at winning a gold medal atop the podium at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Stratford senior Gavin Drexler, 35-1, will attempt to win his third consecutive state championship this weekend. He only needed 39 seconds to pin freshman Micah Kuchta, 34-12, of Coleman in the 138-pound sectional first-place match on Saturday in Shawano, to advance to state yet again this season.

Drexler, a Division 1 North Dakota State recruit, has a 107-1 match record since the start of his sophomore high school season. He’s the defending WIAA Division 3 state champion at 138 pounds, after winning the state title at 126 in 2020. Stratford head coach Adam Davison is always impressed by Drexler’s drive to win on the mat.

“Gavin is certainly on a great roll; he really helps set the tone for our team,” Davison said. “His work ethic and attitude is always phenominal.”

Seven Stratford grapplers will compete in this weekend’s state tournament. Four other Tigers won sectional championships including freshman Trenton Cournoyer at 106 pounds, senior Elijah Lucio at 152, junior Jackson Ormond at 182 and senior Raife Smart at 195.

Lucio advances to individual state for the third straight season; he placed fifth at state at 145 pounds last season after not placing at 138 pounds in 2020. Smart was state runners-up at 195 pounds last season in his first state appearance.

Cournoyer, 34-8, won an 8-4 decision against junior Dylan Comins, 48-7, of Lena in the sectional championship. Coach Davison was proud of his young wrestler’s will to win the sectional title. “We are certainly excited about Trenton becoming a sectional champion as a freshman,” Davison said. “Early in the finals. he was down 4-1 against a kid who had pinned him earlier in the season; he easily could have given up on himself and been satisfied with being a state qualifier. He hit a big move and put his opponent on his back, taking his first lead, 5-4, and from there the momentum completely shifted. I’m so proud of him for winning the second and third periods of that match.”

Lucio, 34-2, pinned freshman Breyson Kelley, 36-11, of Florence/Niagara, in two minutes, 46 seconds in the sectional championship. His biggest win, however, was a 10-1 major decision against junior Will Bieber, 44-6, of Coleman in the sectional semifinal match.

“Elijah avenged a loss on Tuesday against Coleman at team sectionals, by beating Bieber so it was good to see him get back on track,” Davison said.

Ormond, 38-8, won a 6-5 decision against a familiar foe in Sloan Welch, 40-6, of Auburndale in the sectional final.

“Jackson defeated Sloan for the second week in a row, even though Sloan won the first three matches against him this year,” Davison said. “Jackson has consistently worked to get better and his results are promising.”

Smart, 30-3, won an 8-3 decision against senior Brice Thiel, 27-12, of Auburndale in the sectional championship.

“Raife had his toughest matchup in the first round, by defeating the Shiocton kid who was also ranked in the top five in Division 3; Raife looks healthier leading up to state,” Davison said.

The top three wrestlers in each sectional weight class advance to state. Stratford senior Cole Marten was sectional runners-up at 220 pounds.

“We are all really pumped for Cole because he comes from a great family that has been part of the Stratford wrestling community for years,” Davison said. “This is his first trip to state as an individual and to see him punch that ticket as a senior was a cool moment.”

Tigers senior Dillon Kirsch placed third at 145. His twin brother, Gavin Kirsch, barely missed advancing to state with a fourth-place finish at 160 pounds.

“Dillon made it to state the ‘hard way’ by losing in the first round and then wrestling his way back to third place at sectionals,” Davison said. “It shows a lot about Dillon’s character to be up against the ropes facing elimination and still be able to get the job done. Unfortunately, Gavin Kirsch came up one win short of making it to state but he still had a great senior season.”

First timers at state

Athens senior Brooks Kraus is mak- ing his first trip to the WIAA Division 3 individual state tournament this weekend, after barely missing state last season. Kraus, 36-8, won a 6-2 decision in the first overtime against senior Noah Altmann, 40- 8, of Auburndale in the second-place wrestleback in the 132-pound weight class at sectionals on Saturday in Shawano. Kraus just missed qualifying for state last season with a fourthplace finish at 113 pounds in the sectional.

Marathon sophomore Dylan Dodson is also making his first trip to state. Dodson, 38-9, pinned junior Ray LeMieux, 37-11, of Coleman in the second-place wrestle back in the 113-pound weight class at sectionals on Saturday. Dodson also just missed qualifying for state last season with a fifth-place finish at 106 pounds in the sectional.

No Edgar wrestlers qualified for state this season.

Brooks Kraus

Dylan Dodson