Wrestling: Bonduel’s Banker, Sokolski place at state

MADISON — Bonduel High School wrestlers Isaac Banker and Max Sokolski each reached made the podium at the 77th annual WIAA Individual Wrestling Championship Tournament, which ran Thursday through Saturday at the Kohl Center.

Banker took fourth place in the Division 3 195-pound weight class, while Sokolski took sixth in the 138 weight class.

Junior Jayson Toellner also wrestled at state for Bonduel. He finished 0-2 in the 132 weight class.

Banker finished with a 3-2 record during the tournament for his second-straight podium finish (he took third in the 182 weight class as a sophomore).

“Placing at state is always a huge accomplishment, so it definitely feels nice,” said Banker. “Even if I had bigger goals, placing still makes me very proud.”

The junior opened up state with a third-period pin of Horicon senior Dakota Reinwald on Thursday.

Banker took control of the match in the second period, getting a two-point nearfall after starting in the top position. After surrendering a point on a penalty, Banker got a three-point nearfall.

Starting in the bottom position for the third period, Banker pulled a reversal and then pinned Reinwald 15 seconds into the period.

On Friday, Banker earned a dominant 18-3 technical fall win over Lancaster senior Dustin Wolf in a quarterfinal match.

Banker was taken down early in the first period, but scored the next 13 points to seize control. He ended the first period by pulling off a reversal before a three-point nearfall.

After starting in the neutral position in the second period, Banker got a takedown and another three-point nearfall to go up 10-2.

Banker then escaped from the down position in the third period before a takedown made it 13-2. Wolf escaped, but Banker responded with another takedown and three-point nearfall to end the match.

In the semifinals, Banker was pinned by Stratford senior Trevor Dennee at the four-minute mark.

Banker bounced back on Saturday in his consolation semifinal match, pinning Mondovi senior Raith Bauer in 1:56.

Banker got a takedown in the first period to grab the lead. Banker then pulled off a reversal before securing the pin.

The win moved Banker into the third-place match against Athens senior Connor Westfall. Banker was pinned at the 4:21 mark.

“State is always a blast no matter what happens,” said Banker. “Coming down here and wrestling in front of thousands of people with my coaches and teammates — these memories will be with me for the rest of my life, so it always a very fun weekend.”

Banker finished the season with a 44-7 mark.

Sokolski posted a 2-3 record at state to finish 43-9 for the season.

On Thursday, Sokolski earned a thrilling 3-1 win in overtime over Random Lake junior Parker Scholler.

Sokolski fell behind after Scholler escaped from the bottom position in the second period. Sokolski escaped from the bottom position in the third period to tie it, but was unable to score again.

The Bonduel junior got a takedown with less than 15 seconds remaining in overtime to advance.

Sokolski lost a hard-fought match to start Friday, dropping an 8-6 decision to De Soto sophomore Aiden Brosinski.

The Bonduel wrestler kept his state tournament alive with a 5-2 win over Stratford sophomore Elijah Lucio later in the day.

Scoreless heading into the third period, Sokolski escaped from the bottom position to take the lead before getting a takedown. Lucio got two points on a reversal, but Sokolski returned the favor to seal up his win.

Sokolski lost both of his matches on Saturday to land in sixth.

Poynette freshman Gunnar Hamre pinned Sokolski in 4:29 in his first match before Sokolski dropped a 5-2 decision in the fifth-place match to Fennimore senior Aidan Nutter.

“Finishing sixth at state means everything to me,” said Sokolski, who noted the finish would only motivate him more for his senior year. “It’s an amazing achievement that many people don’t get to experience, so I’m thankful for that.”

Both of Toellner’s matches came on Friday after he received a bye into the quarterfinals.

Toellner dropped a tight 3-1 decision to Cochrane-Fountain City junior Zach Foley to start the day. In his second match, Toellner was pinned by Aquinas sophomore Joseph Penchi in the second period.

“It’s an amazing experience — it was beyond what anyone has told me or any tournament I’ve ever experienced before,” said Toellner.

“Seeing the tournament and competition and watching my teammates succeed has motivated me to improve and come back next year with the intent to get on that podium.”

Toellner finished the season with a 39-10 record.

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