Expectations are high for the Oconto Falls High School wrestling team after losing no wrestlers to graduation from last year’s squad.
“All the parts are kind of in place and we gain a couple nice freshmen, so we’re really excited,” Oconto Falls tri-head coach Marc Kinziger said.
Kinziger anticipates a great season after seeing the wrestlers develop in two summer camps, participating in Wisconsin Dells against teams from Minnesota, Illinois and Iowa, and the other at Luxemburg-Casco.
“The boys got a lot of good wrestling this summer and they looked good and wrestled well,” Kinziger said. “So in June, it already looked pretty promising.”
The Panthers underclassmen last year endured a learning curve and continued to grow.
“Wrestling is one thing, most of them have wrestled all of their lives, but wrestling a year at the varsity level is so much different,” Kinziger said. “It’s night and day for JV, and it’s even a lot different from what they had experienced in middle school, just the intensity of what you need to do.”
Kinziger said the Panthers didn’t quit despite logging some losses last year.
“When they made it to the end of the year, like no other year I’ve seen before, the commitment of the offseason training last year was just a huge increase of what we normally see,” Kinziger said.
The Panthers had five sectional qualifiers last year, seniors Dewey Krueger, Brett Ash, Jake Yatso and Sam Konitzer along with sophomore Nate Trepanier. The five will be in the middle weights 132-160 this year.
“On the day of sectionals, I expected any one of them to make it to state,” Kinziger said. “So certainly my expectations for those guys, and I know theirs are, to be a place-winner at Madison on an individual level. I know each one of them has that at least as their goal.”
Krueger was the sole Panther who made a WIAA Division 2 state championship appearance, placing second at 145, and finishing with a 41-3 overall record. He will elevate to the 152 class this season.
Ash and Trepanier each placed fourth last year at sectionals. Ash (35-5 last year) will compete at 138 and Trepanier (31-11) will be at 145. Konitzer (15-9) will drop down to 132 this season. Yatso (22-10) will round out the group at 160.
Oconto Falls has some experience this season at the higher weight classes with Kyle Wolf (6-5 last season) and Mac Winkler (18-18). Heavyweight Kaleb Westcott (6-16) has shown Kinziger enormous improvement since last season.
The Panthers also return some starters at the lower weights. Sophomore Evan Konitzer, 106, finished with a 24-15 record.
The coaches will rely on three freshman this year. Noah Stary will be a fill-in at 120, and Dan Ausloos and Seth Matz will battle for the starting nod at 220.
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