MADISON, Wis. – The match-ups are set for the championship finals of the 2019 State Individual Tournament following Friday’s semifinals at the Kohl Center.
Of the 84 wrestlers remaining in contention for State crowns, 18 are former champions and 17 enter the finals undefeated.
Among the past champions are a pair of wrestlers in pursuit of their fourth titles, a feat accomplished by only 16 others in State Tournament history. One is Bryce Bosman of Luxemburg-Casco, who advances to the final with a 38-6 record following a 5-1 decision in his semifinal match, and the other is Brock Schlough of Boyceville, who won by a 5-4 decision to improve his record to 49-0 on the season.
Five wrestlers will contend for their third State individual championship. In Division 1, Eric Barnett of Hortonville at and Keegan O’Toole of Arrowhead advanced to the finals with records of 46-0 at 126 and 24-0 at 145, respectively.
Shane Liegel of River Valley attempts to win his third title in Division 2 with a 46-0 mark, and Coleman teammates Koltin Grzybowski and Caleb Gross have their sights set on their third titles at 113 and 126, respectively. Grzybowski enters the finals with a 42-2 record and Gross comes in with a 42-3 mark.
Those targeting a second championship in Division 1 are Hayden Halter of Waterford, who is 40-6 at 120; Hunter Lewis of Stoughton, who is 51-1 at 138; Kevin Meicher of Middleton, who possesses a 34-0 record at 152; Joshua Otto of Arrowhead, who possesses a 41-1 mark at 170; and Parker Keckeisen of Nicolet, who is 46-0 at 182.
In Division 2, Tommy Larson of East Troy looks to capture his second championship with a 44-3 record at 113. Cody Holmes of Two Rivers is 47-4 in his attempt at a second title, and teammate Matty Bianchi attempts to duplicate that feat with a 49-2 mark at 132. Aidan Medora of St. John’s Military Academy/Brookfield Academy wrestles at 138 with a shot at a second title with a 32-0 record. Two other wrestlers in the division going for a second State title are Stephen Buchanan of Neillsville/Greenwood/Loyal, who is 47-0 at 195, and Logan Zschermitz of Spencer/Columbus Catholic, who is 45-0 at 285.
In addition to the undefeated former champions in quest of undefeated seasons, eight other wrestlers remain unbeaten heading into the finals. Those in Division 1 include Nicolar Rivera of Stoughton (54-0) at 106, Dajun Johnson of Whitefish Bay/Dominican/University School (39-0) at 160 and Jacob Somlai of Brookfield Central (47-0) at 220. Jacek Nickowski of Baldwin-Woodville is 37-0 at 120 in Division 2. He is attempting to win his first title. In Division 3, four finalists are in position to claim their first title and an undefeated season, including Cian Fischer of Weyauwega-Fremont (46-0) at 120, Brady Spaeth of Cadott (45-0) at 160, Trett Joles of Boyceville (49-0) at 182, and Ethan Heil of Edgar (34-0) at 220.
The State Individual Wrestling Tournament resumes Saturday at 10 a.m. with the consolation semifinals in each division. The championship finals begin at 5:30 p.m.