Leader McNeill off to stellar start
By Jason Arndt
Staff Writer
As Westosha Central High School enters its wrestling season, all coach Jason Ladd can hope for is improvement from last year, when they finished seventh of eighth teams in the Southern Lakes Conference.
“We are still on year two in working a new system,” said Ladd, who is in his second season. “So we are just hoping to continue to make progress.”
But, the Falcons return a scattering of experienced wrestlers throughout the lineup, including state qualifier Ryan Cavil and four others that reached the WIAA Division 1 sectionals.
Cavil, who lost in the first round at state, has been bumped from the 120 pound weight class to 132 entering his junior season, when he finished 32-19.
“Ryan Cavil, a state qualifier last year, he is still recovering from an injury,” said Ladd. “He has upped a couple of weights, so it’s hard to see where he is going to be at.”
Meanwhile, another contender is senior Andrew Koroly, who also getting bump from 106 as a junior to 113 this year.
According to Ladd, Koroly is still adjusting to a higher weight class, but is capable of competing against bulkier wrestlers.
“Andrew Koroly was really at the doorstep of going to state tournament at 106, and he has moved up to 113, so that is a big change,” said Ladd. “He is still trying to figure out that weight.”
Koroly finished 28-18 as a junior.
Junior Reid McNeill, at 195 pounds, has been installed as one of the Falcons leaders for the 2016-17 campaign.
According to Ladd, McNeill exhibits enthusiasm, an asset he hopes can rub off on the rest of the team.
“Reid is the team captain, the team leader, and all of the guys feed off his energy. He takes a lot of responsibility in the getting the guys together,” said Ladd.
As a sophomore, McNeill went 23-22 en route to a sectional appearance.
In addition to the trio, the Falcons are looking to sophomore Jefferson Kearby at 138 and junior Dennis Grubb, the other two sectional qualifiers from last season.
Last year, Kearby went 21-21 and Grubb finished 22-21.
“We have guys in the lineup that definitely have experience, and they worked hard last year and most of them ended with a winning record, just above .500,” said Ladd.
Joining the five experienced wrestlers are senior Michael Mosback (120), junior Keegan Jones (126), junior Andrew Christensen (145), junior Zach Bell (182), all of whom came back for another season.
But, according to Ladd, the lineup has not been solidified, noting it could change by the conclusion of the season.
“We have gotten thrown back into a really tough sectional, so it is hard to say what those weights are going to look like at that time,” said Ladd.
Before they reach sectionals, the Falcons have SLC rivals to contend with, including defending champion Lake Geneva Badger, Burlington, Elkhorn and Waterford.
“(Elkhorn) returned a lot of guys, they probably returned more than anybody else in the conference,” said Ladd. “Waterford, too, Waterford seems to be wrestling well and both of those teams are ranked.”
Burlington 72, Westosha Central 9
A Westosha Central High School wrestling squad riddled with injuries could not keep up with host Burlington High School in a Dec. 15 Southern Lakes Conference dual meet.
The Falcons entered the match with a 1-2 record, with a win against Union Grove, but endured seven of their 12 losses via pin to lose to a Demons’ squad led by a core of freshman.
According to Burlington coach Jade Gribble, who credited freshmen Ben Kumprey (126), Jake Skrundz (132) and Matt Ehlen (138) for opening with three quick pins, Burlington capitalized on a short-handed Westosha Central team.
“I think tonight was just simply our night, we just went up there and went at them,” said Gribble, who acknowledged Falcons’ coach Jason Ladd. “I know he has got some injuries and he is working on them.”
Kumprey sent Falcons’ junior Keegan Jones to the mat in 29 seconds, followed by a Skrundz pin to junior Ryan Cavil in 50 seconds, before Ehlen defeated Falcons’ sophomore Jefferson Kearby in 3:49 to give Burlington an 18-0 early lead.
Of the three pins, Ladd states Cavil wrestled through an injury, one of several entering the contest.
“We wrestled really well against Union Grove, when we had all of our guys together,” Ladd said. “We came here tonight and were really shorthanded.”
The Demons won the next five matches, three via pin and the other by forfeit, until Falcons’ junior Reid McNeill stepped in to give Westosha Central its first of two wins when he pinned Burlington sophomore Nathan Bousman at 3:46.
McNeill’s pin came as no surprise to Ladd.
“You can’t discount what Reid has been doing up at that weight,” said Ladd. “(McNeill) tends to rise to the occasion when he has time to think about a tough match.”
Burlington won four of the last five matches, including pins by junior Max Travis (285) and sophomore Max Weiler (120).
Along with a McNeil victory, the Falcons’ other win came from senior Andrew Koroly, who edged Burlington sophomore Kyle DeRosier on a 5-4 decision.
Burlington’s win, according to Gribble, was largely due to the focus of his freshmen at the start of the match.
“They have just been wrestling hard all year, they just kind of run out there and set the tone for us and got some early pins,” Gribble said.
“Burlington is obviously a real tough team, they have freshman, who are outstanding,” said Ladd.
Burlington 72, Westosha Central 9
126 – Ben Kumprey, B, pin Keegan Jones, 0:29; 132 – Jake Skrundz, B, pin Ryan Cavill, 0:50; 138 – Max Ehlen, B, pin Jefferson Kearby, 3:49; 145 – Qwade Gehring, B, pin Andrew Christensen, 1:43; 152 – Eli Kiesler, B, forfeit; 160 – Luis Guevara, B, pin Sam Grasseschi, 3:27; 170 – Lance Otter, B, forfeit; 182 – Nate Crayton, B, pin Zach Bell, 1:20; 195 – Reid McNeill, W, pin Nathan Bousman, 3:46; 220 – Jacob McCarty, B, forfeit; 285 – Max Travis, B, pin Byron Biehn, 0:25; 106 – Grant Zelechowski, B, forfeit; 113 – Andrew Koroly, W, def Kyle DeRosier, 5-4l; 120 – Zach Weiler, B pin Nick Trecker, 0:59.