On Friday December 28, the PEM Wrestlers traveled to the campus of University of Wisconsin Eau Claire to compete in the UWEC Holiday Duals. This year’s tournament featured 16 teams from Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The first round of pool competition pitted the PEM Bulldogs against the Bulldogs of Mondovi, WI. Despite having 3 wrestlers ranked in the WI state rankings, this dual would be all PEM from start to finish. Getting pins for the Bulldogs were Kael Lamb, Cael Marx, Joe Stucky, Carter Marx, Dustin Dittrich, Logan Wingert, and Jason Feils getting the first varsity win of his young career. Getting wins by forfeit included Dereck Boyum, Lafe Aarsvold, Alex Rahman, Connor Jones, Martin Prieto, Isaac Walch, and Garrett Olson. Meet highlights for the Bulldogs included Cael Marx, Dustin Dittrich, and Logan Wingert all defeating state ranked opponents. But the biggest highlight of the day happened as well in the 1st round when senior Dustin Dittrich achieved career victory #100 with his pin of Mondovi’s Raith Baeur. Dittrich becomes just the 27th wrestler to achieve this milestone in the 57 year history of the Plainview and PEM wrestling programs joining legendary luminaries like Blaine and Garrett Miller, Mark Krier, and Jay Stephan just to name a few, as well as two members of the current PEM coaching staff Daren Wingert and Cam Miller.
While PEM was wrestling Mondovi, on the opposite side of the pool bracket, and team composed of Junior Varsity standouts from 4 different teams at the tournament cooked up a little upset over Ladysmith, WI. So in the preliminary pool championship match, PEM faced the JV All-stars who were simply termed the Badgers. Again, this round was all PEM, as the Bulldogs won 13 of the 14 matches, including 7 by fall, 1 by major decision, and 5 by forfeit. Getting pins for the Bulldogs in round 2 were: Cael Marx, Lafe Aarsvold, Joe Stucky, Connor Jones, Alex Rahman, Dustin Dittrich, and Kael Lamb. Martin Prieto used a variety of offensive attacks in the neutral position to defeat his opponent by a 15-6 major decision.
After the preliminary rounds were concluded, all of the teams were re-bracketed into new pools. PEM was placed with the other 3 teams that went 2-0 in the preliminary rounds, that included Grand Rapids, Mahtomedi, and Park of Cottage Grove. One of the differences between wrestling in MN and WI is that in WI, wrestling meets do not always start at the 106 lb. weight class. They are determined by a random draw at the beginning of the tournament. So when championship competition began for the Bulldogs, the opening weight was 138.
The first round of championship put the Bulldogs against #9 ranked Grand Rapids, MN, the defending champions of Section 7AA. Starting at 138, Grand Rapids would get out of the gate first with a decision victory to take a 3-0 lead in the dual. But their lead was short-lived as Bulldog sophomore Cooper Hofschulte would dominate the 1st period of the 145 lb. match culminating in a pin at 1:51 giving the Bulldogs a 6-3 lead in the meet. At 152, junior Joe Stucky would more than hold his own against 200 match winner and #1 ranked Kellen Schauer holding the match to an 8-4 decision. At 160, senior Carter Marx got the PEM momentum rolling again with a 1st period pin, giving the Bulldogs the dual meet lead again, this time at 12-6. Grand Rapids would recover with a pin of their own to again tie the dual at 12-12 heading into the top four weights. Freshman Martin Prieto would start the upper weight rally with an onslaught of takedowns in the 182 lb. weight class, earning a 23-8 technical fall and 5 more points on the scoreboard for the Bulldogs. In the next 3 weight classes (195, 220, & 285) senior Dustin Dittrich and juniors Riley and Logan Wingert would get the Bulldogs out to a much more substantial lead. All 3 posted 1st period pins giving the Bulldogs 18 more team points and a 35-12 lead heading back to the bottom weight classes.
Grand Rapids was able to get back in the dual at 106 and 113 getting two pins and closing the PEM lead from 23 to 9 points with 3 weight classes left. But 120, sophomore Garrett Olson put the dual on ice with a 1st period pin, giving the Bulldogs an insurmountable 15 point lead with 2 weight classes remaining. Kael Lamb would provide a little more cushion at 126, getting an 11-1 major decision. Grand Rapids would win the final bout of the meet at 132, but it would be too little too late as the Bulldogs would hang on for the 45-29 victory. Their first this season over a ranked opponent.
The 2nd round of championship competition put the Bulldogs against the Zephyrs of Mahtomedi, MN. The Zephyrs are currently in the Lean and Mean (honorable mention) section of the AA rankings. This dual would start at 145 with Cooper Hofschulte battling hard in a 5-1 decision loss to #9 ranked Bryce Fitzpatrick giving the Zephyrs their first lead of the dual at 3-0. At 152, Joe Stucky with get the Bulldogs on the board with a 3-1 victory over 2018 state entrant Reid Lawrence, knotting up the dual at 3-3. Carter Marx would earn a major decision over 2018 state entrant Nate Kujiwa giving the Bulldogs their first lead of the dual at 7-3. But a Mahtomedi pin at 170 would put the Zephyrs out front again for the second time at 9-7. But it was to be short-lived, as again the upper weight punch of Martin Prieto (182), Dustin Dittrich (195), Riley Wingert (220), and Logan Wingert(285) all provided pins giving the Bulldogs a commanding 31-9 lead heading back into the lower weights. The upper weight wins included two wins over 2018 state entrants by Prieto and Riley Wingert at 182 and 220.
Restarting at 106, PEM freshman Isaac Walch picked up the very first pin of his young varsity career with a 2nd period fall over Lewis Pieper in 2:43, extending the PEM lead to 37-9. Freshman, Jason Feils would take a forfeit at 113 to contribute 6 more points to the Bulldog lead. In one of the best contested matches of the day at 120, Garrett Olson would head into the 3rd period, knotted up at 0-0 before posting an escape and a takedown to claim the 3-0 victory and extend the Bulldog lead. Kael Lamb would continue the Bulldog winning streak with another decision victory at 126. Mahtomedi would claim one final victory at 132 with their state place-winner and St. Cloud State commit Jake Fitzpatrick. But PEM would claim the final match of the dual with sophomore Cael Marx outlasting 2018 state entrant and section champion Ian Wilsey by a score of 6-2, giving the Bulldogs a 52-14 victory.
In the final dual of the day, PEM faced Park High of Cottage Grove, MN. The meet started at 152 with Joe Stucky claiming a forfeit due to a Park injury in the previous round. Carter Marx would extend the Bulldog lead to 12-0 with a 1st period pin at 160. But Park would storm back with a pin at 170 by #5 ranked Edric Waindim and a comeback headlock pin at 182 to tie the dual at 12-12. Dustin Dittrich would take only 1:47 to put the Bulldogs back in front again with a first period pin. But Park would again counter with #7 ranked Antonio Davis getting a pin and tying up the team score at 18-18. Logan Wingert accepted a forfeit at 285 to again give the Bulldogs a 6 point lead, but again Park would tie it back up with a pin at 106 to knot the dual at 24-24. Jason Feils would provide the Bulldogs another 6 point lead at 113 by accepting a forfeit. Then at 120, sophomore Garrett Olson would finally break the back and forth needing only :30 seconds to pick up a pin and give PEM a double digit lead for the first time in 7 weight classes. Fellow sophomores, Kael Lamb, Dereck Boyum, and Cael Marx would add another 17 points to the Bulldog total at 126, 132, and 138 with a forfeit, 15-0 technical fall, and 1st period pin. Park would claim the final match of the dual at 145 but it would not be enough as the Bulldogs would win the dual and claim the tournament championship.
Coach’s Comments: “I was very pleased with today’s tournament. We still have plenty of places to continue to improve, but progress is definitely noticeable. It was exciting to compete against teams and individuals that we don’t normally see. The individual milestones witnessed today, were also very exciting to watch. Any time a wrestler achieves 100 wins it is a tremendous accomplishment that reflects a great amount of dedication and consistency over a number of years.”
Pictures of the Event can be located here!
Team Results:
1. Plainview/Elgin/Millville
2. Mahtomedi, MN (Lean and Mean AA)
3. Park High, MN
4. Grand Rapids, MN (#9 AA)
5. Pine Island, MN
6. Eau Claire Memorial, WI
7. Abbotsford/Colby, WI
8. Lacrosse Logan/Central, WI
9. C-E-C Lumberjacks, MN
10. Superior, WI
11. JV All-Stars
12. Ladysmith, WI
13. Rocori, MN
14. Whitehall, WI
15. Mondovi, WI
16. Independence, WI
Individual Results:
Match #1 Pool 4 Semifinal PEM 84 Mondovi 0 126 - Kael Lamb (PEM) over Ashton Crawford (Mondovi) Fall 1:21 132 - Dereck Boyum (PEM) by Forfeit 138 - Cael Marx (PEM) over Lance Crawford (Mondovi) Fall 3:21 145 - Lafe Aarsvold (PEM) by Forfeit 152 - Joe Stucky (PEM) over Payton Leirmo (Mondovi) Fall 0:33 160 - Carter Marx (PEM) over Brandon Wagner (Mondovi) Fall 1:07 170 - Alex Rahman (PEM) by Forfeit 182 - Connor Jones (PEM) by Forfeit 195 - Martin Prieto (PEM) by Forfeit 220 - Dustin Dittrich (PEM) over Raith Bauer (Mondovi) Fall 5:02 285 - Logan Wingert (PEM) over Nathan Pelke (Mondovi) Fall 1:22 106 - Isaac Walch (PEM) by Forfeit 113 - Jason Feils (PEM) over Eli Burr (Mondovi) Fall 1:39 120 - Garrett Olson (PEM) by Forfeit
Match #2 1st Place Match Pool 4
PEM 76 Badgers 6
132 - Dereck Boyum (PEM) by Forfeit
138 - Cael Marx (PEM) over Phillip Orphal (Badgers) Fall 4:00
145 - Lafe Aarsvold (PEM) over Jacob Cooper (Badgers) Fall 2:00
152 - Joe Stucky (PEM) over Trevor Lund (Badgers) Fall 1:30
160 - Carter Marx (PEM) by Forfeit
170 - Connor Jones (PEM) over Kaden Gruber (Badgers) Fall 1:00
182 - Alex Rahman (PEM) over Zeke Brown-Knott (Badgers) Fall 1:00
195 - Martin Prieto (PEM) over Alex Keiser (Badgers) Maj 15-6
220 - Dustin Dittrich (PEM) over Braden Lortscher (Badgers) Fall 3:00
285 - Riley Wingert (PEM) by Forfeit
106 - Cooper Abbett (Badgers) over Isaac Walch (PEM) Fall 3:00
113 - Jason Feils (PEM) by Forfeit
120 - Garrett Olson (PEM) by Forfeit
126 - Kael Lamb (PEM) over Eli Kotz (Badgers) Fall 1:00
Match #3 Championship Pool Round 1
PEM 45 Grand Rapids(#9AA, MN) 29
138 - Nate Burdick (Grand Rapids) over Cael Marx (PEM) Dec 5-3
145 - Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) over Brayden Jones (Grand Rapids) Fall 1:51
152 - Kellen Schauer (Grand Rapids) over Joe Stucky (PEM) Dec 8-4
160 - Carter Marx (PEM) over Tyler Prebeck (Grand Rapids) Fall 1:52
170 - Brendin Morlan (Grand Rapids) over Alex Rahman (PEM) Fall 2:35
182 - Martin Prieto (PEM) over Parker Nelson (Grand Rapids) TF 23-8
195 - Dustin Dittrich (PEM) over Dominick Wuethrich (Grand Rapids) Fall 0:38
220 - Riley Wingert (PEM) over Jasper Lindqvist (Grand Rapids) Fall 1:29
285 - Logan Wingert (PEM) over Ziek Riendeau (Grand Rapids) Fall 1:43
106 - Philip Keenan (Grand Rapids) over Isaac Walch (PEM) Fall 0:52
113 - Zach Wilke (Grand Rapids) over Jason Feils (PEM) Fall 2:42
120 - Garrett Olson (PEM) over Connor Wakefield (Grand Rapids) Fall 1:28
126 - Kael Lamb (PEM) over Tim Jobe (Grand Rapids) Maj 11-1
132 - Caydon Lehman (Grand Rapids) over Dereck Boyum (PEM) TF 17-2
Match #4 Championship Pool Round 2
PEM 52 Mahtomedi 14
145 - Bryce Fitzpatrick (Mahtomedi) over Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) Dec 5-1
152 - Joe Stucky (PEM) over Reid Lawrence (Mahtomedi) Dec 3-1
160 - Carter Marx (PEM) over Nate Kujawa (Mahtomedi) Maj 11-3
170 - Collin Grandstand (Mahtomedi) over Alex Rahman (PEM) Fall 3:03
182 - Martin Prieto (PEM) over Hunter Hall (Mahtomedi) Fall 4:32
195 - Dustin Dittrich (PEM) over Tony Kammerer (Mahtomedi) Fall 1:01
220 - Riley Wingert (PEM) over Alec Zell (Mahtomedi) Fall 4:38
285 - Logan Wingert (PEM) over Elijah Heatherston (Mahtomedi) Fall 3:45
106 - Isaac Walch (PEM) over Lewis Pieper (Mahtomedi) Fall 2:43
113 - Jason Feils (PEM) by Forfeit
120 - Garrett Olson (PEM) over Hunter Wilsey (Mahtomedi) Dec 3-0
126 - Kael Lamb (PEM) over Owen Chow (Mahtomedi) Dec 4-0
132 - Jake Fitzpatrick (Mahtomedi) over Dereck Boyum (PEM) TF 18-2
138 - Cael Marx (PEM) over Ian Wilsey (Mahtomedi) Dec 6-2
Match #5 Championship Pool Round 3 PEM 53 Park High 28 152 - Joe Stucky (PEM) by Forfeit 160 - Carter Marx (PEM) over Sam Ruiz (Park High) Fall 0:27 170 - Edric Waindim (Park High) over Connor Jones (PEM) Fall 3:28 182 - Noah Johnson (Park High) over Martin Prieto (PEM) Fall 4:30 195 - Dustin Dittrich (PEM) over Krystiyan Mullen (Park High) Fall 1:47 220 - Antonio Davis (Park High) over Riley Wingert (PEM) Fall 3:03 285 - Logan Wingert (PEM)by Forfeit 106 - Zachary Silvis (Park High) over Isaac Walch (PEM) Fall 1:03 113 - Jason Feils (PEM) by Forfeit 120 - Garrett Olson (PEM) over Perry Paananen (Park High) Fall 0:30 126 - Kael Lamb (PEM) by Forfeit 132 - Dereck Boyum (PEM) over Nick Affolter (Park High) TF 15-0 138 - Cael Marx (PEM) over Tyler Ledesma (Park High) Fall 1:02 145 - Solomon Lankow (Park High) over Cooper Hofschulte (PEM) Maj 12-3
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