Justin Lancaster has coached in the WIAA team state wrestling tournament before, but he is excited about a new opportunity that awaits him at the University of Wisconsin Field House on Friday.
That’s when Lancaster will make his debut as part of Division 1 when he coaches fourth-seeded Holmen High School in a quarterfinal dual at 5:30 p.m. Friday against fifth-seeded Muskego.
Lancaster took Freedom to team state prior to taking over the Vikings three years ago. He guided the Irish to Division 2 team championship in 2015 and 2019, and he’s excited to take a focused team back to the tournament for the 13th time and first since a runner-up finish in 2022.
“I made (practice) optional for those who aren’t weighing in (for state), and they are still at practice and doing a great job,” Lancaster said. “This adds to our program. The more practices we have, the better we can be in the future.”
Holmen was pretty darn good this season. It took care of quality local opponents Aquinas, G-E-T/Melrose-Mindoro and West Salem/Bangor, then won its regional and handed New Richmond and Menomonie sound defeats at the team sectional in Hudson.
That sets the stage for the quarterfinal dual against Muskego and a a very familiar coach to Lancaster.
Sean Fortmann has coached the Warriors for 14 seasons, and this is their fourth straight state appearance.
Lancaster and Fortmann were friends and wrestling teammates at UW-Oshkosh.
“They are very well-coached, and I know that for sure,” Lancaster said of the Warriors. “I don’t know a lot about them individually because we don’t go to the same tournaments.”
The quarterfinal winner wrestles either top-seeded Kaukauna or eighth-seeded West Allis Hale at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The championship dual takes place at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Muskego had six qualifiers for the individual state tournament, and 132-pounder Cale Zelinski (48-5) came out of it with a fifth-place finish.
Mason Techmeier (35-13, 126 pounds), Brady Austin (40-14, 138), Tim Schanen (31-16, 144), Cole Reid (48-6, 157) and Blake Hofmeister (12-10, 165) all qualified but did not place.
The Vikings had three state qualifiers, and two of them brought home medals.
Freshman Nathan Henderson (44-5) was fifth at 120, and freshman Rex Lancaster (46-7) sixth at 106. Senior Jonathon Lamprich (40-8, 165) also wrestled at the Kohl Center last week with two wins and two losses but did not place.
The Vikings also have significant talent that didn’t qualify like Turner Campbell (34-4, 126), Brock Needham (29-14, 132), Noah Henderson (36-14, 138), Colin Griffin (30-15, 157) and others.
What they will all have to adapt to is the atmosphere at the Field House. The crowd is close and loud in a historic building that houses a much different crowd that the one that filled the Kohl Center for the individual state tournament.
Those who make the finals will also have to deal with wrestling over two days instead of the typical one-day format for dual invitationals.
“That’s really hard,” Lancaster said. “We’re very fortunate to have the staff that we do because a lot has to happen behind the scenes in terms of who is doing what and what role everyone has.
“But it’s awesome, and I’m super-excited because this is the first time we’ve gone since I’ve been here. We’re the fourth seed, right in the mix, and we know we can compete.”
WIAA TEAM STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
At the UW Field House, Madison
DIVISION 1
Friday quarterfinals, 5:30 p.m.
(1) Kaukauna vs. (8) West Allis Hale
(4) Holmen vs. (5) Muskego
(3 Bay Port vs. (6) Reedsburg
(2) Hartland Arrowhead vs. (7) Waukesha West
Friday semifinals, 7:30 p.m.
Kaukauna/West Allis Hale winner vs. Holmen/Muskego winner
Bay Port/Reedsburg winner vs. Arrowhead/Waukesha West winner
Saturday championship, 3 p.m.
Semifinal winners
