Blake Thiry knew that Saturday represented a clear opportunity.
The Indiana University football commit and Prairie du Chien High School senior was having a fine wrestling season, but a couple of early losses had irked him. So did a loss in the Bi-State Classic finals as a junior, and that had been festering for a year.
Thiry received a chance to avenge two of those defeats on the same day and found a way to answer both challenges and make his fourth Bi-State Classic a memorable one.
Thiry (21-2) began his day with an 11-2 major decision over Aquinas junior Tyson Martin and followed it up with a 4-2 victory over Port Washington’s Garett Kawczynski in 215-pound bouts to walk out of the La Crosse Center a Bi-State champion for the first time. He had previously finished third and second in the event.
“Beating two guys who had beaten me before is a great feeling,” Thiry said after winning the title. “I’d been third and second here before, and it was time to get this done.”
Thiry, ranked second in Division 2 by Wisconsin Grappler, never gave Kawczynski, ranked first in Division 1, a good chance at an attack. He kept moving and didn’t allow Kawczynski (19-1) any clear openings. That came from watching last year’s Bi-State final, which Kawczynski won 6-5.
“He’s a shorter guy, and he was able to get in on my legs last year,” Thiry said. “This year, I stayed lower in my stance, wore him down and got him in the end.”
The two went to the second period scoreless before Kawczynski recorded a quick escape for a lead in the second. Thiry had to fight off an attempted takedown with 40 seconds on the clock to get to the third facing a 1-0 deficit.
Thiry then escaped with 1:23 on the clock in the third and took Kawczynski down with 1:01 to go for his first lead — one that he didn’t relinquish. Kawczynski did escape in the closing seconds, but Thiry held on the for 4-2 victory. The takedown came after Kawczynski had gotten to his leg, and Thiry was able to fight it off.
“He came off the mat last year and said right away that he wasn’t aggressive enough,” Prairie du Chien coach Mike Rogge said of Thiry. “We knew this guy hadn’t made it to the third period yet this year. The plan last year was to get to the third period and score. That was the plan again this year, to make him work, make him work and then finish it.”
It was the perfect way to end a day that began with a major decision over a wrestler to majored him earlier this season. Thiry knew he’d have to dictate the pace better the second time around against Martin (16-1) and did.
“I got to my attacks more and kept moving my feet,” Thiry said of the victory. “That worked out really well for me.”
Thiry said he then gave himself 30 minutes to celebrate the semifinal win before getting focused on the next task.
“It gives me an extra boost of confidence after taking two losses early in the season,” Thiry said of the sweep. “Coming here and winning Bi-State after taking those losses is a big accomplishment.”
LIETZAU, MOORE EARN SECOND PLACE: Sparta senior Devon Lietzau and West Salem/Bangor junior Teghan Moore qualified to wrestle on the stage Saturday night, but both of them were defeated in title bouts.
Lietzau (21-1) was beaten for the first time this season in the 138-pound final, and Moore (19-2) was right there with his opponent until the end of the third period in his 106-pound title match.
Lietzau was taken down and put on his back in the first period by Mequon Homestead’s George Jones (17-3) and wasn’t able to find a way to recover. Jones stretched his lead to 11-3 after two periods, and that ended up being the final score.
Moore battled Chatfield’s Jameson Priebe (13-0) to a scoreless first period and was within 4-1 early in the third period before a takedown and four near fall paved the way for Priebe to win 11-1.
Priebe was able to stop Moore from taking control after Moore got temporary control of his right leg midway through the second period.
Priebe followed that up with the takedown that gave him a 4-0 lead just 20 seconds later.
THIRD PLACE: Aquinas junior Tyson Martin (16-1) and Holmen senior Jonathon Lamprich (16-2) were able to win their final matches and claim third place at 215 and 165, respectively.
Martin charged back from the semifinal loss to Blake Thiry and pinned Hudson’s Dawson Clymer (22-2) in 2:01, while Lamprich hung a 7-4 decision on Iowa-Grant/Highland’s Jaxon Busse. Lamprich finished his tournament with four straight victories after a quarterfinal loss.
FOURTH PLACE: Holmen’s Rex Lancaster (15-3, 106), Aquinas’ Roger Flege (16-2, 132), De Soto’s Seth Greeno (21-2, 175) and Logan/Central’s Jayden Delao (22-2, 190) all advanced to third-place matches before losing.
Lancaster came up short in a 2-1 match to Evansville’s Collin Frey (20-1)/ 7-5 decision to Hutchinson’s Logan Schwanz, and Delao came up short in a 4-2 match to Mequon Homestead’s Guy Fraley.
SIXTH PLACE: North Crawford/Seneca’s Jaren Grimsled (24-6,113), Holmen’s Turner Campbell (15-2, 132), Prairie du Chien’s Mason Hird (20-5, 144), Tomah’s Cameron Finch (20-2, 150) and Prairie du Chien’s Bryce Lenzendorf (18-6, 165) all recorded sixth-place finishes.
