Marshfield has wrestled among the Valley leaders in the recent past and even garnered state ranking, but this year won’t fit that mold.
The state’s second-ranked Bluejay grapplers destroyed the Tigers in Thursday’s home opener, taking them down by a 55-16 tally.
“I liked our aggressiveness,” MHS coach Scott Arneson said. “In most of our matches our kids were taking the first shot on take-ons and I liked our hand-fighting.
“We were moving forward on our feet instead of waiting for something to happen. There are stats out there that say something like 85% of the time that you get the first takedown, you win the match. We were out there being aggressive all the way through. The nice thing is this match was getting to the end and we were still looking to pin and to score points.”
Wrestling is a unique sport in that each match features fresh kids in a one-on-one situation, so there are no claims or worries of ‘running up the score.’ Each match has later implications in seeding for the conference tournament and the regional-sectional-state slate, so no one begrudges a kid from trying his best to the very end.
After an intial forfeit to Scott T. Arneson (132), Cody Nicholson (138) scored a pin in just :17. Jagger Scholz (145) lost 7-1 and Lucas Lee (152) was pinned in 2:45 to cut the score to 12-9.
But the Jays ripped off five straight victories to put the match out of reach with a 15-3 major decision by Dalton Clayton (160) and max points in the next four.
Mason Reinhardt (170) and Alex Klug (195) alternated pins in 2:30 and 3:56 with forfeits to Ben Hintze (182) and Tyler Schmidt (220).
Gabe Nelles missed a big throw early before losing 9-0 at 285, then Aiden Ball (106) bounced back with a fall in 2:46. Cody Vonderheid (113) picked up a forfeit, Devon Schultz (120) lost 7-2, then Nathan Beyer (126) pulled out a tight 4-2 win.
Merrill’s seniors may have felt a certain sense of urgency in Thursday’s match.
“We only have three home duals, so the seniors know they have to step it up a notch and show what they can do,” Arneson said.
Two of those seniors – Beyer and Klug – drew praise from Arneson. along with sophomore Ball (Devon Schultz).
“Nathan had a tough kid (Luke Mahoney)– short, stocky – but Nathan wrestled a real controlled match,” Arneson said. “It was nice to see him so confident and use the stuff that fits his style. He’s reacting, rather than thinking about it.
“I really liked Klug’s effort. He’s been asking questions in practice, trying to figure things out to wrestle controlled and then explode.
“Aiden had to wear a mask because of stitches, and he opened up and did a nice job. We’ve got a couple of guys wrestling light, too, like Devon Schultz. He’s losing weight to help the team. You have to like that kind of commitment out of kids.”
The Bluejays’ task was made easier by the fact of the four Marshfield forfeits.
“They had several forfeits,” Arneson said. “They had some kids get injured last weekend, so they’re not as deep as they could have been.
“But Marshfield’s got a good program. A lot of their kids are up here for Northern Exposure (training group set in Merrill in the off-season), so we know them and they know us.”
The #2 Bluejays will travel to fourth-ranked, defending state champ Wausau West on Thursday for possibly the premier dual meet in the Valley this year.
West is running a ‘Grappling For Gifts’ promotion whereby spectators can gain entry into the meet by bringing a gift item to donate to a needy child. Gifts will be donated to the Marine Corps for its Toys For Tots drive.
“It’s a neat thing to be a part of,” Arneson said.
“The rankings are great for the kids and the public. When it comes down to it, it should be a heavy-duty match like it’s been for the last 4-5 years. Hopefully, both teams are healthy and may the best team win.”