Wrestling: Three Bears lock up spots at state

Updated: 10:30 a.m., 2/24

SHAWANO — Bonduel High School wrestlers Jayson Toellner, Max Sokolski and Isaac Banker all qualified for the state tournament by placing in the top three of their respective weight classes while competing at the Division 3 Bonduel sectional, which was hosted by Shawano Community High School on Saturday.

Toellner, a junior, won the 132-pound weight class, while Sokolski and Banker, also juniors, head back to state after second-place finishes in the 138 and 195 classes, respectively.

Toellner started the day with a first-period pin before securing a 2-1 decision win in the semifinal.

The junior then pinned his first-place match opponent in the second period.

“It’s achieving a goal I’ve had since freshman year, and it just feels amazing to finally go,” said Toellner, of qualifying for state.

Sokolski and Banker each wrestled five matches on the day, fending off elimination several times.

Sokolski began his day with a 5-1 decision win but was then pinned in his next match.

Sokolski claimed a 16-1 technical fall win to stay alive, and then he earned a first-period pin in the third-place match to lock up a spot at state. The junior capped his day with a 14-9 decision win to jump up to second place.

Like Toellner, Banker pinned his first opponent in the first period. He then suffered a 7-0 decision loss in the semifinal, forcing him into the elimination bracket.

Banker responded with a third-period pin before a 16-0 technical fall victory in the third-place match. The junior ended the day with a 6-2 decision win in the second-place match.

“Qualifying for state for a third time is huge for me,” said Banker, who plans to approach state one match at a time, like he has in the past. “Every year, there is something different that just feels special about making it to state, and that stands true again.”

The qualifying trio will now get ready to try and make a deep run at the 77th annual WIAA Individual Wrestling Championship Tournament, which runs Thursday through Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Banker has made it to state in all three years of his high school career, while Sokolski joined Banker at state a season ago. While Toellner is making his first appearance, he has a couple of great examples to go to for guidance.

“I’m going to rely on them to keep me calm and cheer me on and use their experience in state to avoid making mistakes from the stress of the tournament,” said Toellner.

With his top finish at sectionals, Toellner was awarded a bye into the second round at state. Toellner, sporting a 39-8 record on the season, will face Kenosha Christian Life sophomore Harley Rivera (27-10) or Cochrane-Fountain City junior Zach Foley (35-10) on Friday.

Sokolski won his opening match at state as a sophomore before being eliminated after back-to-back losses.

“I’ve already experienced all of it, but last year I came up short of my goals,” said Sokolski. “This year, I’m not going to let that happen.”

Sokolski (41-6) will wrestle Random Lake junior Parker Scholler (27-15) on Thursday, with the winner advancing to take on De Soto sophomore Aiden Brosinski (37-4) on Friday.

Banker opened the 2019 state tournament with a win before suffering a loss. He responded with three straight wins to claim third place in the 182-pound weight class.

This time around, Banker (41-5) will take on Horicon senior Dakota Reinwald (38-12) on Thursday. Should Banker win that match, he would take on Lancaster senior Dustin Wolf (41-6) on Friday.

Bonduel’s Tristan Tomashek (182), Tyson Bogacz (126) and Alex Garside (220) also wrestled at Saturday’s sectional.

Tomashek just missed out on qualifying for state with a fourth-place finish. He pinned his first and third opponents but was pinned during his second and fourth matches of the day.

Bogacz started his day with a late third-period pin, then dropped a 4-3 decision before being pinned in his third match.

Garside lost a wild 17-13 decision in his lone match of the day.

Menominee Indian’s Asenex Turney (285) also competed in the sectional.

Turney was pinned in the second period of his only match of the day.

State qualifiers

Bonduel: Jayson Toellner (132), Max Sokolski (138), Isaac Banker (195).

Menominee Indian: None.

ONLINE

Full results from the sectional can be found at trackwrestling.com

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