Seven wrestlers — five boys and two girls — from the Coulee Region will compete for Bi-State Classic championships Saturday night at the La Crosse Center.
West Salem/Bangor’s Teghan Moore, Holmen’s Nathan Henderson, Aquinas’ Martez Sheard, Sparta’s Devin Lietzau and Prairie du Chien’s Blake Thiry all won boys semifinal matches Saturday morning, and Black River Falls’ Riley Hanrahan and Aquinas’ Sophia Paulson won girls semifinals.
Henderson and Sheard — both freshmen — will meet for the 120-pound championship and assure the area of a winner.
Henderson (14-1) followed up a significant win over Chatfield’s Javier Berg on Friday night with a 17-2 technical fall over Auburndale’s Derek Godard (17-2). He ended that match in 3 minutes, 6 seconds. Sheard (15-0), who won by technical fall over previously unbeaten Trenton Cournoyer (23-1) of Stratford on Friday, beat Bay Port’s Owen Wathke (22-1) by a 7-4 score in their Saturday semifinal.
Thiry (20-2) avenged one of his two losses this season by becoming the first to beat Aquinas junior Tyson Martin (14-1) in their semifinal meeting at 215. Thiry posted an 11-2 major decision after Martin beat him by an 11-1 score when they wrestled the first time this season.
Thiry matches up with Port Washington’s Garett Kawczynski (19-0) in the finals. Kawczynski beat Thiry 6-5 in last year’s Bi-State final and went on to a runner-up state finish.
Moore, a junior, puts his 19-1 record on the line against Chatfield’s Jameson Priebe (12-0) in the 106-pound final. Moore, who placed seventh last year, took care of previously unbeaten Jack Falk (15-1) by a 13-10 score in their semifinal.
Lietzau (21-0), a sixth-place finisher at 132 last year, is in the 138 final after beating River Valley’s Noah Radtke (15-3) by technical fall Saturday morning. Lietzau needed 4:25 to score 17 points and shut out Radtke. He meets Mequon Homestead’s George Jones (16-3) in the championship match.
Hanrahan (5-0) is competing in her first tournament of the season after an elbow injury sidelined her from competition, but she’s encountered little resistance in her 138 bracket. The sophomore advanced to the finals by pinning Medford’s Avery Losiewicz (12-3) in 3:01 to qualify for a championship match against Mineral Point’s Dealya Collins (9-1).
Paulson, a senior, is in the Bi-State finals for the first time at 145. The third-place finisher last year and two-time state qualifier handed Black River Falls’ Katelyn Nosbisch (9-4) a 12-0 defeat in the semifinals and will wrestle Spencer/Marshfield Columbus’ Azariah Hoffmann (14-1) in the championship match.
THIRD PLACE (GIRLS): Holmen’s Aini Anderson (11-1, 100), Westby’s Kylie Klum (11-1, 107), North Crawford/Seneca’s Franky Groom (18-3, 132) and Black River Falls’ Katelyn Nosbisch (9-4, 145) all won consolation semifinals and earned the right to wrestle for third place.
