LA CROSSSE — If there was a best place to start its Division 1 state championship dual meet, the Holmen High School wrestling team received that opportunity.
The second-seeded Vikings were underdogs against top-seeded Kaukauna, but being able to begin at 113 pounds and put three consecutive individual state finalists on the mat was certainly a benefit.
It provided a chance at some momentum against a team trying to win its sixth straight team state championship.
Holmen did build something on Saturday, but the Ghosts gradually neutralized it in a 31-26 victory that allowed them to walk out of the La Crosse Center with that sixth straight title.
“They are really solid from (1)65 up, so we had to get everything we could through (1)57,” Holmen coach Justin Lancaster said.
The Vikings (16-1) gave Kaukauna (24-2) everything it could handle and led for the majority of dual.
Holmen won six of the first seven matches and led 23-3 after senior AJ Alesch (50-9) scored a 4-2 decision over Jacksyn Thorpe at 150. Alesch got his takedown in the second period and produced the final margin of victory with an escape early in the third.
As for the three state finalists?
Freshman Brendan Henderson (55-3) won by major decision at 113, sophomore Rex Lancaster (51-5) won a decision from state place-winner Andrew DiPiazza at 120, and junior Brock Needham (54-6) pinned his opponent in 3 minutes, 14 seconds at 126.
A loss at 132 was followed by a Nathan Henderson (42-4) decision at 138 and a major decision from senior Noah Henderson (39-11) at 144. The Vikings could have used a few more bonus points, but six wins in seven matches against a team like Kaukauna was nothing to be disappointed about.
The Ghosts stormed back to take a 28-23 lead after a pin at 215, and that made necessary a win from senior Jagger Jepson (40-15) at 285 to give Holmen a chance to win the dual in the final match at 106.
Jepson matched up with senior Nehemiah Lendobeja (50-4), who placed third at last week’s individual state meet. He pushed, he shoved, he tried to get control of Lendobeja just once for a takedown, but he couldn’t get it.
Jepson, an individual state qualifier, nearly created the control he needed a couple of times in the match, and he was relentless in the third period before Lendobeja took him down as time expired for a 4-0 victory.
“Jagger did everything he could, and he gave himself a chance to win near the end, but it didn’t happen,” Lancaster said. “His effort was amazing. Sometimes you don’t know how kids will react to big moments, but he was amazing.”
Freshman Brady Needham (39-20) won the final match at 106 to give the Vikings their seventh win in the dual. The Ghosts, who won their closest championship match during the current title run, earned the separation they wanted through bonus points.
The runner-up finish is Holmen’s third and first since 2022. The Vikings were also second in 2018.
