TINA L. SCOTT Mount Horeb Tournament Three champions contributed to the win. Dustin Schmirler was the champ in the 106, along with Remington Skic in the 126, and Allison Hunter in the Girls 114. Team Results Wausau East Wausau West
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“As a team, we wrestled well,” Merrill Varsity Wrestling Head Coach Brian Suchocki said. “Everyone contributed and it was a great team win for us. We have been close in the past, but this year we were able to win as a team.”
“Dusty has been solid all season for us and continues to get better each week,” Suchocki said. “Dusty dominated the competition and in the finals really was aggressive with his shots.”
“Allison also dominated her competition,” he said. “She has opened up her level of technique. Allison has put in a lot of time and it’s paying off. All three wins were very decisive, and she has a lot of confidence.”
“Remington had two very exciting victories on his way to the title,” Suchocki said. “In the semi-finals and finals, Remington came from behind to get the win. In his final match, Remington was down 3-2 and took down his opponent with two seconds left to seal the win. He was able to get two near fall, as well, to win 6-3.”
“Brett did a nice job getting into the finals,” Coach Suchocki said. “His intensity and ability to stay in his matches always gives him a chance.”
“Noah had a solid day of wrestling,” he said. “Right now Noah is competing well. In the finals, Noah had a very competitive finals match against a state place finisher.”
“Callum had a really nice semi-final match. He stayed composed the entire match and battled through adversity,” Suchocki said. “It was great to see. You can see his confidence growing.”
Merrill also had two third-place finishers: Austin Depies in the 190 and Mikal Plautz in the 285.
“Austin has been tasked with moving up a weight class to help the team,” Suchocki said. “He has been doing a great job giving up weight but staying very competitive. Austin had a nice day and always continues to work and improve.”
“Mikal wrestled well and ended competing against the number one seed for his third-place match,” he said. “Mikal stayed solid and capitalized on opportunities to get the pin.”
In addition, Gemma Malone, Brady Hunter, Jace Olson, and Josh Gustom all wrestled hard and did some good things, Suchocki said.
Varsity wrestlers will compete at the Hodag Dome in Rhinelander on Thursday, Dec. 21.
NOTE: Merrill also had three champions at the Stratford JV tournament on Dec. 16: Jayden Graap, Will Miemietz, and Ben Gruett.
1 Merrill 205.0
2 Whitewater 155.0
3 Verona 142.5
4 Fennimore 126.5
5 Parkview/Albany 124.0
6 Pecatonica/Argyle 123.5
7 Big Foot/Williams Bay 108.0
7 Mount Horeb 108.0
9 Brodhead/Juda 104.5
10 Poynette 89.0
11 Madison Memorial 80.0
12 Johnson Creek 58.0
13 Palmyra-Eagle 39.0
14 Arrowhead 32.0
15 Madison West 30.0
16 Rio/Camb.-Fries./Fall Riv./Randolph 24.0
17 Belmont/Platteville 22.0
The Merrill Varsity Wrestling team won their dual against Wausau East on Dec. 14, 2023. The match-up, held at Merrill High School was also parent’s night for the Merrill Varsity Team.
“It was great to open up at home with a pin for parent’s night,” said Brian Suchocki, Merrill Varsity Wrestling Head Coach.
“Dusty got us rolling with a tech fall, meaning he outscored his opponent by 15 points,” he said. “Allison, Jayden, and Brett all picked up forfeits for us. Remington Skic also picked up a technical fall.”
“The pins from Callum, Austin, Noah, and Mikal helped separate us from Wausau,” Suchocki said. “I was impressed with their aggressiveness. Mikal stayed very composed and wrestled within himself and eventually had an opportunity to get the pin. Noah and Austin dominated start to finish. Callum had a scrappy opponent but handled the different scrambles well. In the second period he took over and got the pin. Hunter had a nice victory.”
“It was good to see Hunter pull the match out against a Senior that has been Varsity all four years,” he said. “Wausau East is well coached by Matt Natzke, so it was good to get the win.”
“We had a great crowd for parent’s night,” Suchocki said. “Our student section was front and center. That was awesome! Many alumni and family were in attendance. We appreciate all the fans in attendance. We wanted to give a special shout out to Todd, our beloved bus driver, coming to show his support.”
Box Score
Wausau East 24 @ Merrill 55
On Dec. 7, 2023, the Merrill wrestlers traveled to Wausau West for a dual. While Brett Suchocki, Yandel Carillo Vidal, Callum Wheeler, Austin Depies, Noah Klug, and Remington Skic all won their matches, it wasn’t quite enough to bring home the win.
Box Score
Merrill 31 @ Wausau West 43
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