Halter holds onto state title as court denies WIAA appeal

Hayden Halter has managed to hold onto his 2019 Wisconsin state wrestling title, despite the appeals of the state organization governing high school sports.

The Wisconsin District 2 Court of Appeals has denied the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association's appeal of a ruling that allowed Halter, a Waterford Union High School sophomore, to wrestle in the postseason, culminating in his second straight WIAA state title in Madison, the Racine Journal Times reported.

As InterMat reported in early February, a Wisconsin judge ruled that Halter could continue his quest for a second state title, overturning a suspension issued by the WIAA regarding alleged incidents which the mat official considered to be unsportsmanlike during a wrestling match a week earlier.

In late February, Halter won the 120-pound state championship.

Now the Court of Appeals has ruled, the case will go back to the Racine County Circuit Court, which heard the case and made the original decision, according to the Halter family's attorney Jeremy Levinson.

"Given that the season is over, it's not clear what (the court) will do," Levinson said. "I have been attempting to draw their attention to shaking hands and calling it a day and moving on. We shall see."