The Merrill Varsity Wrestling Team competed in two Christmas tournaments.
Hodag Scramble in Rhinelander
On Dec. 21, 2023, the Bluejays wrestled in the Hodag scramble in Rhinelander. Merrill took 5th out of the 26 teams. Two Varsity Merrill wrestlers took home wins in their weight class: Dusty Schmirler at 106 and Allison Hunter at 114 in the Girl’s Division. “Dusty and Allison had great days, pinning all their opponents,” said Merrill Varsity Wrestling Head Coach Brian Suchocki. “Dusty continues to improve weekly. Allison has competed many years and it continues to pay off on the mat.”
Remington Skic, Callum Wheeler, and Mikal Plautz all took third place in their weight classes.
“Remington stayed aggressive in all his matches,” Suchocki said. “He lost a tough match in the semis. I’m impressed with his work ethic and attitude as he continues to evolve.”
“Callum is stepping it up this year. Callum really dominated in his third place match against a tough opponent,” he said.
“And Mikal is putting it together as a Senior,” Suchocki said. “Other coaches are taking notice of how much he has improved. Mikal made the most of his third place match by getting a pin over his opponent.”
Northern Exposure tournament
Merrill hosted the Northern Exposure tournament on Dec. 28 and emerged the Team Champions. Merrill competed against Crivitz, East Troy, Marquette Senior, Oconto, Sauk Prairie, Waukesha South, Wausau East, and Wisconsin Dells.
“We wrestled well as a team and got better throughout the tournament,” Suchocki said. “Even though we are young as a team, we are starting to come together.”
“Even when we lose we are battling,” he said. “In the last dual against Sauk Prairie, the runner-up, we wrestled with intensity and focus.”
“You could see the wrestlers wanted it for each other,” Suchocki said. “We had some outstanding performances from all the wrestlers. Leading the way were Jayden Graap (120), Brady Norton (138), Callum Wheeler (144), Jace Olson (175), and Mikal Plautz (285) with 7 wins and 0 losses throughout the tournament.”
“Jayden had his first action with the Varsity team and looked good,” he said. “It was great to get him in the lineup.”
“Brady is now starting to put together some solid performances, and he wrestled really well,” Suchocki said.
“Callum established himself and now is picking up momentum going into the second half of the season.”
“It was a special tournament for Jace,” Suchocki said. “Not only did he go 7-0, but he received the award for the most pins in the least amount of time. It was great to see him compete so well. Jace is using good technique, and it’s showing in the results.”
“Mikal showed some emotion after his last match and really got the team fired up,” he said. “We need that.”
Wrestlers with 6 wins were Dusty Schmirler (106), Remington Skic (126), Hunter Opper (165), Austin Depies (190), and Noah Klug (215). Brett Suchocki (132) had 5 wins.
“Overall it was a great effort by the team,” Coach Suchoski said. “We are looking forward to the second half of the season starting with the SPASH dual at home on Jan. 4.”