By Tina L. Scott
Editor
On Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, the Merrill Varsity Boys Wrestling Team competed at the Wisconsin Rapids Regional. The top four wrestlers at each weight class and the top two teams advanced to Sectionals. “The Merrill wrestling team had a solid showing at the Wisconsin Rapids Regional, advancing nine wrestlers to Sectionals,” said Merrill Varsity Boys Wrestling Team Head Coach Brian Suchocki. “Merrill was able to outscore two teams that they placed behind last week at the Conference Tournament to finish fourth.”
Individual results are shown below, but Coach Suchocki commented that Dustin Schmirler had “a couple of impressive pins, though he fell short in the first and second place matches” and Remington Skic finished second “after a tough final loss, but he won in the semifinals with a tie-breaker victory.”
Hunter Opper “had a strong tournament, placing second, with a big win in the wrestle back for second, getting a pin,” Suchocki said. And Noah Klug “had a big win in the second place wrestle-back match, winning against WVC champion Elmer Heard (Wausau East).”
Both Broc and Brett Suchocki finished in third place, with Broc getting a “win by fall in his third-place match after losing to Seefeldt-Thao in the semifinals” and Brett “scoring 16 points for the team, including a quick win by fall in the quarterfinals.”
“We had a good number of wrestlers competing for top spots,” Coach Suchocki said. “They’ll be hoping for more success in Sectionals!”
“Our top place finishers were Remington, Hunter, and Noah [Klug] all taking secnd place!” he said. “Remington Skic’s tie-breaker win in the semifinals was impressive, and both Hunter and Noah showed strong resilience throughout the tournament. Taking second place is no small feat, especially in a competitive Regional. It’ll be exciting to see how they do in Sectionals.”
“Remington, Hunter, and Noah all showed they can compete at a high level, and that confidence will be key as they face even tougher competition,” Suchocki said. “If they continue to improve and keep that focus, they could make some serious noise.”
“Dusty, Broc, and Brett took third. All three really competed well,” he said. “Dusty came up with a big pin in the semi-final match. Broc and Brett both had big pins in their third-place matches, securing a spot at Sectionals.”
“Josh [Gustom], Carson [Brooks], and Callum [Wheeler] each took fourth. Josh and Carson came back with wins over opponents they lost to last week at Conference,” Suchocki said. “They both had to do it in the wrestle-back, which made it extremely exciting. Callum had a very balanced and strong weight class. He battled well.”
“All nine are pushing for a State berth,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough grind, but having that collective drive and team support will make a huge difference.”
“These guys all have a great work ethic. That’s a key factor! Work ethic can make all the difference, especially when it comes to those close matches or tight situations.”
“All the Merrill wrestlers competed hard,” Suchocki said. “Three of our wrestlers didn’t advance. Will [Miemietz] and Austin [Depies] took fifth place, one spot away. Austin is a senior and it’s especially tough to see it end for him. It was good Austin was able to go out with a win in his final match. He has been a great leader for us all the way through. He put in so much extra time over the years and he will be missed.”
WIAA D1 Reg BI @ Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln results for Merrill:
106 - Dustin Schmirler (30-13) placed 3rd and scored 17.0 team points.
120 - Broc Suchocki (28-14) placed 3rd and scored 14.0 team points.
126 - Brett Suchocki (24-13) placed 3rd and scored 16.0 team points.
132 - Remington Skic (31-9) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points.
144 - Callum Wheeler (30-12) placed 4th and scored 9.0 team points.
150 - Ryan Coates (6-15) place is unknown and scored 0.0 team points.
157 - William Miemietz (15-25) placed 5th and scored 8.0 team points.
165 - Hunter Opper (24-10) placed 2nd and scored 22.0 team points.
175 - Austin Depies (28-15) placed 5th and scored 9.0 team points.
190 - Carson Brooks (24-14) placed 4th and scored 9.0 team points.
215 - Noah Klug (30-9) placed 2nd and scored 18.0 team points.
285 - Joshua Gustom (21-22) placed 4th and scored 11.0 team points.
Team scores:
1. Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln 224.5
2. Hortonville 214.0
3. D.C. Everest 186.5
4. Merrill 151.0
5. Wausau West 141.0
6. Stevens Point 114.0
7. Appleton North 68.0
8. Wausau East 50.0
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here