TINA L. SCOTT
EDITOR
Merrill Senior Night
On Thursday, Jan. 20, the Merrill Bluejay Wrestling Team took on DC Everest (DCE) for Senior Night. “It was an exciting dual and we had our chances to win the dual,” said Merrill Head Varsity Wrestling Coach Brian Suchocki. “Even though we fell 39-38, we competed very well.”
“Our experienced wrestlers are leading the way, and our younger wrestlers are doing their part. This team is often shorthanded and dealing with a lot of adversity,” he said. “We will continue working through any setbacks.”
“It was awesome to see many of our Seniors picking up wins on Seniors Night. Wyatt Bathke and Kieran Hehling earned pins, and Dominic Roper picked up a forfeit.”
“Wyatt battled back and forth until he finally put his opponent to his back,” Suchocki said.
“Kieran had one of the more exciting matches. I like how he competes, and it was awesome for him to get the pin on Senior Night.”
“Ryder Depies and Callum Wheeler both pinned their opponents,” he added, “while Austin Depies and Brian Ball earned major decisions.”
“On top of Senior Night, the team and fans wore red to support the memory of their teammate, Owen Cordova. Owen was a great teammate, and he is dearly missed,” Suchocki said. “He would be proud of his teammates’ efforts.”
Whitnall Wrestling Tournament
The Merrill Varsity Wrestlers competed in the Whitnall Wrestling tournament on Saturday, Jan. 22.
“The wrestling team had another solid showing at Whitnall, going 3-2 on the day,” Suchocki said. “The team wrestled well, even though we were more shorthanded than we were against DCE.”
“Going 5-0 on the day were Brian Ball and Ryder Depies. Ryder is doing a great job in practice and now in competition coming back from injury. Ryder looked sharp and executed well at the tournament. It’s good to have him back,” he said. “Brian put together another good performance. As the year goes on, he continues to improve.”
“Wyatt Bathke had a solid day going 4-1. Wyatt is always battling, and it’s fun to watch,” Suchocki added.
“The team overall competed well,” he said.
Whitnall dual pairing results:
Match #1 Championship Bracket Stoughton defeated Merrill 69-12. Ryder Depies and Brian Ball won their matches.
Match #2 Consolation Bracket Whitnall/Greendale defeated Merrill 47-36. Kieran Hehling, Austin Depies, Brian Ball, Dominic Roper, Wyatt Bathke, and Ryder Depies won their matches.
Match #3 Consolation Bracket Merrill defeated Waunakee 42-30. Jon Hart, Brian Ball, Dominic Roper, and Wyatt Bathke all picked up forfeits; Callum Wheeler won with a fall at 0:42, Austin Depies won with a fall at 1:45, and Ryder Depies won with a fall at 2:20.
Match #4 Consolation Bracket Merrill defeated Delavan-Darien 31-30. Brady Norton, Callum Wheeler, and Brian Ball all picked up forfeits; Wyatt Bathke won with a fall at 0:54 and Ryder Depies won with a fall at 0:53. Merrill’s team score was adjusted by 1.0 for tie breaker
Match #5 Consolation Bracket Merrill defeated Green Bay Preble 48-18. Jon Hart, Callum Wheeler, Brian Ball, and Kieran Heling all picked up forfeits; Brady Norton won with a fall at 0:55, Austin Depies won with a fall at 0:45; Wyatt Bathke won with a fall at 0:45, and Ryder Depies won with a fall at 1:25.