Gerald Walsh looks at the top senior wrestlers in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin high school wrestling for 2014-2015 looks to be very competitive. The wrestlers selected are strangely bunched between 126 pounds and 152 pounds. There will be seven of the top ten within that range on the list because every one of them earned their spot. Wisconsin lacks the dominant big men that peppered the heavier ranks the last five years. The depth is in the middleweights and it shows.
Five of the wrestlers represent the largest school division, Division I. One wrestler represents the next division, Division II. Four very good wrestlers come from the small school division, Division III.
Robert Lee (Photo/Jeff Beshey, The Guillotine)Projected High School Weight Class: 138/145
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Analysis: Lee is a two-time state champ, winning state titles as a junior and freshman, sandwiched around a runner-up finish as a sophomore. He is a young senior who is extremely competitive and is driven to excel. Lee takes great pride in who and what he represents. He has accumulated a 142-14 career record through his junior year wrestling the toughest schedule in Wisconsin. Kaukauna hosts the Cheesehead and travels to the toughest tournaments that they can enter. From going to Fargo for the Rumble on the Red to the Minnesota Christmas Tournament, Lee has wrestled the best.
2. Cole Martin (Lancaster)
Projected High School Weight Class: 138-145
Projected College Weight Class: 141
Analysis: Martin, who competes in Division III, won state championships the last two seasons at 132 pounds and 120 pounds, and was a runner-up as a freshman at 106 pounds. He excels in the classroom with a 3.99 GPA. Martin only had 23 matches in 2014 after breaking his ankle in football. He is an excellent all-around wrestler that is especially nasty on his feet. Martin's coach describes him as the ultimate student-athlete.
3. Kal Gerber (Reedsville)
Projected High School Weight Class: 126
Projected College Weight Class: 125
Analysis: As a junior, Gerber won his second state championship in Division III, compiling a record of 45-2. His high school career record is 130-10. Gerber is an all-around athlete. He was all-conference three times in baseball and two times in cross-country. Gerber plans on majoring in pre-med and is leaning towards Iowa State. He has a GPA of 4.0 and is ranked first in his class.
4. Dewey Krueger (Oconto Falls)
Projected High School Weight Class: 145
Projected College Weight Class: 141/149
Krueger is a two-time state finalist, winning a state championship as a sophomore at 132 pounds. His high school career record is 119-12. Krueger has had the opportunity to face many of the top wrestlers in Wisconsin his first three years and has always been competitive.
5. Joe Ziolkowski (D.C. Everest)
Projected High School Weight Class: 152/160
Projected College Weight Class: 157
Analysis: Ziolkowski claimed a state championship in Division I last season at 145 pounds, compiling a season record of 49-3. His high school career record is 138-16. Ziolkowski wrestles in a very tough conference in middle Wisconsin that has produced many past state champions. He was a first team Academic All-State wrestler last year. Ziolkowski has warmed up to the idea of wrestling in college and is looking forward to that opportunity. He plans on majoring in business in college.
6. David Chadd (Lancaster)
Projected High School Weight Class: 195
Projected College Weight Class: 197
Analysis: Chadd earned a state championship last season in Division III at 182 pounds, a year after finished third in the state tournament as a sophomore. He enters his senior season with a high school career record of 112-20. Chadd is a physical wrestler who likes to mix it up. He is also a talented Greco-Roman wrestler. Chadd has gone from a gangly 170-pounder as a freshman to a beast 195-pounder this year. He is very good on his feet and an excellent thrower. Chadd carries a 3.488 GPA.
7. Mason Reinhardt (Merrill)
Projected High School Weight Class: 170-182
Projected College Weight Class: 174
Analysis: Reinhardt is a three-time state placewinner, finishing as a state runner-up last season after state tournament finishes of third as a sophomore and fifth as a freshman. He has been in a very tough weight class in his conference and state his first three years of high school competition. His high school career record is 134-12. Reinhardt has earned his No. 7 spot based on competition and without a state championship.
8. Kasey Caelwaerts (Pulaski)
Projected High School Weight Class: 160
Projected College Weight Class: 157/165
Analysis: Caelwaerts was injured last season as a junior, but was a state runner-up as a sophomore to Beau Breske at 152 pounds. He has a high school career record of 109-8. Caelwaerts captured an InterMat JJ Classic title at 145 pounds in 2012. He has also been a Mid-States champion. He will be very tough at whatever weight he wrestles. Caelwaerts is a hammer on top and is looking to score whenever he steps on the mat.
9. Grant Wiedopohl (Reedsville)
Projected High School Weight Class: 170-182
Projected College Weight Class: 184/197
Analysis: Wiedopohl is coming off a state championship season at 170 pounds after going 43-1. He was a state fifth-place finisher as a sophomore at 152 pounds. Wiedopohl has compiled a high school career record of 122-18. He is a tough, aggressive upperweight from one of the smallest schools in Wisconsin with an up-and-coming program.
10. Eric Schmidt (Verona)
Projected High School Weight Class: 152
Projected College Weight Class: 149/157
Analysis: Schmidt has been a state runner-up in each of his last two seasons. As a junior, Schmidt fell to Joe Ziolkowski, and a sophomore lost to Jared Scharenbrock. Schmidt is a very tough, fluid wrestler who will be a handful for anyone who faces him.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now