It turned out to be a case of good news, bad news for the Bonduel wrestling team in its Central Wisconsin Conference meet in Weyauwega.
The Bears opened the three-team meet Dec. 15 with a 28-18 win over Manawa but ended up on the short end of an 82-0 score against Weyauwega-Fremont, one of the top Division 3 programs in the state this season.
Bonduel 28, Manawa 18
Bonduel never trailed in the match, as the Wolves forfeited at 132 and 138 pounds to give the Bears an early 12-0 lead.
Each team won two of the four contested matches.
Bonduel’s wins came from Thomas VanderZanden, who pinned Mason Hoffland in 3:36 at 157, and Jayden Popp, who picked up a 15-4 win over Jaydon Krueger at 190.
CWC dual matches, along with a conference tournament at the end of the regular season, help determine the overall conference champion.
“They’re very important,” coach Bennett Gunderson said of the dual matches. “We see these guys at duals, and we see a lot of them at sectionals. If nothing else, it’s good to get some film on them. Obviously, we want to win them. If we can’t, we watch film, get better and see them down the road.”
Weyauwega-Fremont 82, Bonduel 0
Whether the Warhawks can repeat as CWC champions and make a return trip to the WIAA State Team Wrestling Championships remains to be seen, but the Warhawks showed why they’re considered a favorite to win the CWC and compete for a state team title.
The Warhawks won all seven of the contested matches – six of them by pin – and also took advantage of seven Bonduel forfeits.
“We knew they were going to be tough, one of the better teams in the state,” Gunderson said. “It’s one of the programs you strive to be. Unfortunately, we had a couple different matches that didn’t go our way that we were hoping would go our way, but that’s the type of film we want to watch to get a little better.”
Gunderson believes his team will put the loss to the Warhawks in the past and turn its attention to the rest of the season.
“I think resilience is the perfect word for this group of kids,” he said. “We’re early in the season and dealing with some injuries already and have a hard time filling all the weight classes, but they show up every day ready to work. At the end of the day, that’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
The Bears compete in a conference that also includes Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Menominee Nation, Almond-Bancroft, Amherst, Pittsville, Rosholt, Shiocton and Tri-County.
“We’re about .500 as a team,” Gunderson said. “It’s hard to win every dual when you’re missing five (of 14) weight classes. If we can’t win as a team, I just want to see them succeed as individuals. We’re looking forward to some good wrestling, and hopefully it’ll pay off down the road.”
