MADISON — Koda Purney wasn’t about to allow what happened Thursday take place again on Friday.
The Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro junior was knocked out of the Division 2 113-pound bracket due to a bad decision during a quarterfinal match against Oconto Falls’ Isaiah Holtz on the first day of the WIAA individual state wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center.
Purney had a 10-4 lead when he tried to tilt Holtz for back points or a pin.
“I shouldn’t have tried the tilt,” Purney said. “I got myself a little too extended and got myself pinned.”
That pin put Purney (47-9) in Friday afternoon’s consolation round, and he responded to the defeat with a very solid 10-3 decision over Chetek/Weyerhaeuser’s Aaron Olson to advance to Saturday’s consolation semifinals.
Purney, the fifth seed, matches up with Coleman’s Bently Nowak (43-10) for that match, and he wrestles for fifth place with a victory.
He led Nowak from start to finish and had to power through plenty of stoppage time to get the victory.
“I took everything I learned in the match I lost and put it toward this match,” Purney said. “It’s kind of tough with the delays, but you have to know you are going to be okay.”
Sophomore Aaron Dunigan (50-8) won his second match in as many days and will join Purney in the quest for fifth place. Dunigan bounced back from a quarterfinal loss on Thursday with an 11-4 victory over Freedom’s Henry Vander Heiden (47-8) in the Division 2 215-pound bracket. Dunigan pulled away from a 7-4 lead with an escape and takedown to turn the tide for good.
Dunigan squares off with second-seeded Ross Crist (46-8) of Darlington/Black Hawk (46-8) for the chance to wrestle for fifth place.
BLUGOLDS PUSH FOUR TOWARD FIFTH PLACE: Waylon Hargrove knew the first points were going to be important in his Division 3 157-pound consolation match against Weyauwega-Fremont’s Connor Johnson (44-13) on Saturday afternoon and felt much more comfortable in the match after getting the first takedown.
“The key was to stay low because he has a strong shot if he gets in,” the junior said of Johnson. “I wanted to shoot first and get the first takedown.”
Hargrove (36-8) beat Johnson 5-3 to advance to Saturday morning’s consolation semifinals, where he matches up with Oostburg’s Connor Mentink (50-5).
Freshman Martez Sheard (40-5) didn’t do much of anything right in a one-sided quarterfinal loss to Stratford’s Trenton Cournoyer (54-3) on Thursday, but he was on his game during Friday’s 120-pound consolation match against Brillion’s Ethan Hoyer (50-14). Sheard needed just 2:04 to beat Hoyer 18-1 and advance to a consolation semifinal against Cedar Grove/Belgium’s Carsen Voskuil (45-6).
“It was disappointing because I came here hoping to be a four-time champion,” Sheard said of Thursday’s loss. “But now it’s about fifth place, and I wanted to go out and have a good match today.”
Freshman Tyler Paulson (37-11) advanced at 126 after a tiebreaker on Thursday sent him to the consolation round. Paulson returned focused and cranked out a 10-2 major decision over Random Lake’s Chase Koepp (41-8).
Junior Will Flottmeyer (20-6) joins them in the consolation semifinals after running Rosholt’s Magnus Hilgers (27-8) tired in their 285-pound consolation match. Flottmeyer was surprised to give up an early takedown, but he simply pushed the pace as much as he could and pulled away from a 4-4 match in the third period for an 8-5 victory.
Flottmeyer said conditioning is his friend, and they have to work together for the best possible results.
“It’s about tiring them out and taking them to deep waters,” Flottmeyer said. “A lot of these guys don’t have the conditioning. They come out strong first period, but I’m trying to keep moving in the third and make them move, too.”
Freshman Lincoln Stanek and senior Sophia Paulson had their seasons ended in the consolation rounds on Friday.
Stanek (37-11), who went 1-1 at 106 on Thursday, was handed a 3-0 defeat by Glenwood City’s Will Obermueller (39-11).
Paulson (26-8), a four-time state participant, was pinned by Dodgeland’s Zoye Hilby (31-7) in their 145-pound match.
