Madison awaits four Rebel Jays wrestlers

The Laona-Wabeno-Three Lakes varsity boys wrestling team participated last Friday in the WIAA Division 3 Individual Wrestling Sectional at Peshtigo High School. It earned four qualifying tickets to the state championship tournament to be held next week in Madison.

Max Clark, Ryker Schingeck, Reegan Roy, and Brody Hoffman were each undefeated in their respective weight brackets, going 16-0 in match competition against wrestlers from 17 different schools in the surrounding region.

As a team, the Rebel Jays also finished in third place, and for the first time in team history, they also qualified for the WIAA Division 3 Team Sectional this Saturday, February 21, in Lena.

Not only was this fearsome foursome of wrestling dominant at the sectional last week, but they also regularly led their weight brackets this season, winning 181 of 192 total matches. Clark (113 lbs.), a senior at Wabeno High School, had two byes and two pin victories to lead the team in overall scoring, while sophomore Schingeck topped the podium at 120 pounds for his eighth consecutive first-place finish. Schingeck also had a secondary celebration as he collected his 100th career match victory in his final bout.

Roy is a junior and once again swept his 126-pound bracket, earning his 50th match win of the year, coming just one week after celebrating his milestone 150th varsity win during the Northern Lakes Conference championship tournament. Hoffman (190 lbs.) won his 41st match of the year during the sectional with two pins to his credit. He came into the new week following his own milestone achievement of hitting 100 career wins during the conference tournament.

Jayse Demerath and Cameron Tilton were just outside the cut line for individual advancement, but each performed well in the sectional, earning podium finishes for placing third in their weight brackets of 132 and 150 pounds.

Head coaches, Seth Senter and Colin Schubert, expressed pride and appreciation for their wrestlers following the strong individual and team performance in Peshtigo, but were calm and professional in their communication with their squad at the conclusion of the tournament.

“Our approach this season is that winning is an expectation and should be business as usual,” Senter said after the event.

“Our team has been winning because of a commitment to the sport. A lot of these kids spent last summer building their fitness levels and participating in other wrestling programs. The result for our state qualifiers is hundreds of varsity match victories and a chance to be a state champion. Coach Schubert likes to talk about the importance of winning all matches and that none are special. That mindset has spread through our team and helps us stay prepared and not panicked.”

Senter also said that the Rebel Jays are a patchwork of successful pieces to a puzzle.

The patchwork of success extended to the girls’ team last week as they participated in a WIAA Division 3 Regional in Merrill, where Kyra Beaber placed first, and Idalynn Vladik placed second in a field of 10 schools. Each earned a spot at a girls’ sectional competition this Friday, February 20, at D.C. Everest High School. Beaber led the team in scoring with 30 points and had two pins. She was 4-0 in the regional and has a season match record of 27-5.

Although Vladik is new to wrestling, she has 15 wins this year.

The boys’ state championship tournament begins next Thursday, February 26, at the Kohl Center at UW-Madison and runs for three days. This will be the third consecutive year attending for Roy after winning a title last season and the second year for Schingeck. Clark and Hoffman are first-time qualifiers.