Go to link below for complete FVA Fond du Lac Wrestling schedule – stats & standings
http://www.fvasports.net/schedule/team_instance/2361958?subseason=352944
WT CLASS NAME YR
152 COLIN ATHANASIOU 12
182 AUSTIN BAATZ 10
GAVIN BASELEY 9
AVERY BORST 11
160 BEN BUYTENDORP 10
CAMERON CASETTA 12
106 ETHAN DIEDERICH 9
QUINTEN FLASCH 10
ZAYD HATAHET-DONOVAN 10
FLETCHER HAUS 9
ANTHONY HENDRIX 12
182 ADAM HOPPER 10
285 DONTE JOHNSON 12
145 LAVONN JOHNSON 11
CHASE KRUG 12
TRISTAN MACDONALD 10
MOHAMED MEDHIOUB 11
285 LUKE MUELLER 10
138 LOGAN NAKER 10
ANDREW NEHLS 10
120 HENRY PAYNE 11
JACOB PETRIE 10
138 MARK PUTZER 11
AUSTIN RETZLEFF 11
126 SAM SCHMIDT 10
220 GARRET SPHATT 11
PAYTON TORGERSEN 11
JONATHAN USELMANN 9
132 JONATHAN VANNA 9
152 CARSON WASIELESKI 10
195 COLTON WASIELESKI 11
Head Coach: Joe Rens
Asst Coach: Aaron Lakey
Asst Coach: Justin Birschbach
Asst Coach: Tim Evers
Fox Valley Association: Senior heavyweight Donte Johnson was named Wrestler of the Year and was the lone Fond du Lac wrestler to earn all-FVA first team honors. Johnson, who finished the year 39-3 and took third at the state meet, captured the heavyweight title at the conference and was one of four Cardinals to receive all-FVA recognition.
Colin Athasiou (152) and Colton Wasieleski (195) each earned second-team honors, while Chase Krug (220) landed on the honorable mention list.
All-Fox Valley Association
First Team
106: Mason Campshure, fr., Kaukauna; 113: Eric Barnett, soph., Hortonville; 120; Brandon Micksch, soph., Kaukauna; 126: Jacob Barnett, sr., Hortonville; 132: Trent Leon, sr., Kaukauna; 138: Ian Laatsch, soph., Appleton North; 145: Colin Schuler, jr., Hortonville; 152: Zach Lee, jr., Kaukauna; 160: Elliott Luker, jr., Hortonville; 170: Bryson Alsteen, soph., Kaukauna; 182: Beau Yineman, jr., Neenah; 195: Alex Mischka, jr., Kimberly; 220: Mason Van Asten, sr., Kaukauna; 285: Donte Johnson, Sr., Fond du Lac; Connor Zirpel, sr., Kimberly.
Wrestler of the Year: Donte Johnson, Fond du Lac
Coach of the Year: Jeff Matczak, Kaukauna
Second Team
106: Cade Schmitz, fr., Oshkosh North; 113: John Diener, soph., Kaukauna; 120; Thomas Urben, jr., Oshkosh North; 126: Hunter Bruecker, jr., Kimberly; 132: Drosiano Louvaris, sr., Kimberly; 138: Nathan Lichtuss, sr., Hortonville; 145: Jacob Canner, sr., Kaukauna; 152: Colin Athanaasiou, Sr., Fond du Lac; 160: Edgar Heredia, soph., Oshkosh West; 170: Reed Yoder, sr., Oshkosh West; 182: Brock Danielski, jr., Appleton North; 195: Colton Wasieleski, Jr., Fond du Lac; 220: Griffin Kintopf, sr., Oshkosh West; 285: Keaton Kluever, jr., Kaukauna.
Honorable Mention
106: Anthony Hefter, soph., Neenah; 113: Matt Hall, sr., Neenah; 120: Tyler Locke, soph., Appleton East; 126: Mikael Kolosso, jr., Kaukauna; 132: Isaac Betthel, sr., Neenah; 138: Zach Scharenbrock, jr., Appleton East; 145: Brytton Goymerac, jr., Appleton North; 152: Myles Laurent, jr., Kimberly; Dalton Holmes, jr., Oshkosh North; 160: Weston Verhoff, sr., Appleton North; 170: Ihab Khatib, jr., Appleton North; 182: Grady Sullivan, sr., Oshkosh West; 195: Jon Heilman, sr., Kaukauna; 220: Chase Krug, Sr., Fond du Lac; 285: Zach Fischer, jr., Appleton North.
Fond du Lac’s Donte Johnson named All-Area Wrestler of Year
FOND DU LAC – Donte Johnson was pretty clear that his prep wrestling career didn’t end the way he wanted.
The Fond du Lac senior had hoped to walk off the mat for the final time as a state champion. It didn’t work out that way.
That doesn’t mean Johnson is full of regret. Quite the opposite.
“Everybody’s goal is to walk into the Kohl Center and come back with a state championship. Unfortunatel,y that didn’t happen,” Johnson said. “I got enough out of what I did for the past four years. I enjoyed it, I loved it. It made me a better athlete, a better person, a better student. Overall I feel like I won in the end.”
En route to a third-place finish in the 285-pound weight class at the WIAA Division 1 individual state wrestling meet, Johnson compiled a 39-3 record during the 2016-17 season. He won a Fox Valley Association heavyweight title, a Division 1 sectional crown and was named the FVA Wrestler of the Year. He even became the winningest heavyweight in the Fond du Lac wrestling program’s 50-plus year history, with 136 career victories.
Add 2016-17 Action Reporter Media All-Area Wrestler of the Year to Johnson’s impressive resume.
Johnson beat out the Lomira trio of Tyler Garriety, Chase Parr and Collin Feucht — all third-place finishers at the D2 individual state meet — for the honor. Entering his senior season on the Fond du Lac wrestling team, Johnson’s primary goal was to win a state title. He was oh-so-close to doing just that.
Johnson suffered only three losses all year — one to eventual D1 state champ Keaton Kluever of Kaukauna during the regular season and another to D1 fifth-place finisher Quinn Meinerz of Hartford in a regional championship match.
Easily the most painful defeat for Johnson came in his WIAA Division 1 state semifinal match against defending state champ Blaze Beltran of Pewaukee. Beltran picked up a 3-1 sudden victory in overtime, which ended Johnson’s state championship hopes.
But even so, Johnson took the loss like a champion would.
“I’m happy with where I finished,” Johnson said. “I’m satisfied to who I lost to, he’s a good wrestler. He was the defending state champ, my future roommate (at the University of Minnesota Duluth) and a guy I’m going to play (football) next to for the next four or five years. I wouldn’t want to lose to anybody else besides him. I’m happy it went that way rather than a different way. Obviously I’d want to win but everything works out for a reason.”
But Johnson’s senior campaign certainly had its fair share of impressive victories as well.
At state, Johnson defeated Sauk Prairie’s Konnor McNeal by pin (2:37) in his preliminary match and then won by 5-1 decision against Ashwaubenon’s Daniel Cole in the quarterfinals.
After his disappointing loss to Beltran, Johnson responded by defeating Meinerz by 6-2 decision in the consolation semifinals before dominating Cole by 12-3 major decision in the third-place match.
Prior to the postseason, Johnson defeated Kluever by 3-1 sudden victory for the conference title at the Fox Valley Association meet and pinned Division 2 state runner-up Cody Jacobson of Ripon for the Oshkosh On The Water Classic crown in December — to name a couple of his more notable regular-season wins.
In Fond du Lac wrestling coach Joe Rens’ opinion, Johnson was the best heavyweight in the state, even if he didn’t stand on top of the state tournament podium in February.
“It just didn’t work out on that day,” Rens said. “Any other day, he’d be a state champ. But all the marbles fall into that one weekend.”
Although the end result wasn’t the ideal finish for Johnson, it was a phenomenal senior year that followed sophomore and junior seasons that were pretty great as well.
As a sophomore, Johnson went 40-8 and qualified for his first individual state meet, while last year as a junior, he went 36-5 and took fourth place at state. But Johnson’s senior campaign was the culmination of it all and unquestionably his best season.
His determination to always get better was the reason why.
“That motivation and that drive and that thought of knowing this is my last year and to leave it all out on the mat,” Johnson explained. “Obviously the people that I’m surrounded by — my coaches, I had great wrestling partners and even my football coaches, they were on board. The whole school, the whole community was on board. I wanted to do whatever I could to not let them down. That was always my motive and my drive. That pushed me through the season and made me better than last year.”
No argument from Rens.
“He works his butt off. He doesn’t miss a day of weights,” Rens said of Johnson. “He was the first guy in the wrestling room after the football season was over, where some of the other guys were taking a couple days off because of the long football season. I’ve only been around a few kids like him, where he was so physically tough, but mentally tough, too. Nothing worried him.
“He’s a unique kid. He really made wrestling fun because he didn’t take it too darn serious, but yet when it was go-time, he turned it on.”
As his time in high school winds down and he gets into his final track and field season before heading to the University of Minnesota Duluth to play football in the fall, Johnson took note of the fact that his wrestling career didn’t follow the standard path.
Starting in the sport as a freshman, Johnson was many years behind some grapplers who’d been on the mat since they could walk. But even so, Johnson worked his way into becoming one of the best wrestlers in the state. That’s his message and the legacy he believes he leaves behind at Fond du Lac and specifically for the wrestling program.
“It’s not too late to do anything,” Johnson said. “A lot of guys wrestle their whole life. … I didn’t start wrestling until freshman year. That’s a message to let people know that it’s never too late to do anything. Did I think I was going to place at state my freshman year and be one of the top wrestlers in the state? No, not at all. Hard work and dedication and the people around me helped me.”
Rens acknowledged that Johnson is indeed correct — hard work can and often does lead to success. But he also pointed out that there’s something about his senior heavyweight that many athletes simply don’t have.
“It’s something I really can’t describe in words,” Rens said. “If I could put into words, write it down, give it to every kid and say ‘If you do this, you can end up third place at the state tournament or possibly in the finals,’ other kids would be doing it. But it’s something that Donte has that you can’t always match.”
At-large: Colton Wasieleski, Junior, 22-10, Fond du Lac (195)
Honorable mention: Fond du Lac: Colin Athanasiou, Chase Krug.
Fond du Lac’s Donte Johnson ends career strong
MADISON – Fond du Lac senior heavyweight Donte Johnson wanted to end his prep wrestling career with a state championship.
He’ll settle for a third-place finish.
Johnson bounced back from a heartbreaking loss in the semifinals on Friday night to take third place at 285 pounds at the WIAA Division 1 individual state meet on Saturday afternoon at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Johnson defeated Ashwaubenon’s Daniel Cole by 12-3 major decision in the third-place match. Earlier in the day, he knocked off Hartford’s Quinn Meinerz by 6-2 decision in the consolation semifinals to reach the third-place match.
RELATED: Championship Saturday wrestling results from Madison
On Friday night in the semifinals, Johnson fell to top-ranked Blaze Beltran of Pewaukee by 3-1 sudden victory.
“It was bitter at first,” Johnson said of his semifinal loss. “But if I had to lose to anybody, it would be to Blaze. That’s my man right there. We’re going to room together and play (foot)ball together (at the University of Minnesota Duluth). I wouldn’t want to lose to anybody else but him at this tournament. You don’t want to lose, but it’s done and over with and I had fun doing it.”
Re-focusing mentally can sometimes prove to be a tough task for any athlete that suffers a disappointing loss, but that wasn’t an issue for the happy-go-lucky Johnson, who put Friday night’s defeat behind him and wrestled two great matches on Saturday.
“I was just being my old self,” Johnson said. “I knew it wasn’t over yet. I knew I had two more matches. I wasn’t going to quit just because I lost.”
In the third-place match against Cole, Johnson dominated from start to finish and capped off his wrestling career in style. “I went out there with that motor,” he said. “I just wanted to go out there and compete and that’s what I did. I had everybody back at Fond du Lac supporting me and I didn’t want to let them down, so I gave it everything I had. It ended how I wanted it to.”
Go to link below for complete 2017 WIAA State Wrestling Tournament brackets
http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/predefinedtournaments/WIAAIndSeries.jsp?year=2017
The Most Dramatic 2017 WIAA Division 1 semifinal
The most dramatic semifinal loss was suffered by Donte Johnson in the Division 1 heavyweight bracket.
Johnson went toe-to-toe with defending state champion Blaze Beltran of Pewaukee, sending the match into overtime tied at 1. But off a restart in the extra session, Beltran was able to get Johnson to the mat for a takedown and claim the 3-1 win.
Donte Johnson wrestles Quinn Meinerz of Hartford Union 10 am Saturday – the winner of this match will wrestle the winner of the Dan Cole of Ashwaubenon vs EJ Mastrocola of Waterford match for 3rd Place Saturday afternoon.
Colton Wasieleski & Donte Johnson prepare for individual WIAA state meet
When the high school wrestling season began back in November, the No. 1 goal for many wrestlers was centered around an event taking place one weekend in late February.
The WIAA individual state wrestling meet.
Beginning Thursday afternoon at the Kohl Center in Madison, the individual state wrestling meet will showcase the very best prep wrestlers in Wisconsin across three divisions.
Sixteen wrestlers from the area will be making the trek down to Madison and all have pretty similar aspirations — to perform their best on the state’s biggest stage.
Division 1
Fond du Lac, the area’s lone Division 1 school, will be represented by two wrestlers at state this weekend — Colton Wasieleski and Donte Johnson.
Wasieleski is making his first trip to state, while Johnson is heading there for a third time after finishing fourth at 285 pounds last season.
Johnson, one of the top-ranked heavyweights in Division 1, is treating the state meet like he would any other tournament but does have some pretty high expectations for himself.
“I’m just treating it like any other match, like I would in the beginning of the season, middle of the season and now the end of the season,” Johnson said. “I just want to go out there and wrestle my hardest no matter who I’m going against. Everybody down there is good. They’re down there for a reason, so you can’t take anybody you have to wrestle for granted.”
Meanwhile, Wasieleski is pretty excited about competing in his first state meet, but knows he has to be ready to go come Thursday evening.
“I think I’ll be able to come down there with a good mindset,” Wasieleski said. “I’ll be able to get out right off the bat and get going.”
Preliminary Matches, Thursday
Division 1
195: Colton Wasieleski, Fond du Lac, Jr., 22-9 vs. Jack Trautman III, Waterford, Jr., 23-2
285: Donte Johnson, Fond du Lac, Sr., 35-2 vs. Konnor McNeal, Sauk Prairie, Sr., 36-10
Go to link below for complete 2017 WIAA Individual State Tournment brackets
http://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/predefinedtournaments/WIAAIndSeries.jsp?year=2017
Fond du Lac wrestling qualifies two wrestlers for state
SLINGER – The Fond du Lac wrestling team will have two competitors at next weekend’s WIAA Division 1 individual state wrestling meet.
Donte Johnson (285 pounds) won a Division 1 sectional title on Saturday afternoon at Slinger to earn his spot in Madison, while Colton Wasieleski (195) finished second to also clinch a berth.
Johnson defeated Hartford’s Quinn Meinerz by a 5-2 decision in the championship match to win the title. Earlier in the day, Johnson pinned Port Washington’s Cody Lewis and Beaver Dam’s Ricky Ruel to put himself in the first-place match.
Meanwhile, Wasieleski defeated Oshkosh North’s Ben Salzman by a 21-5 tech fall in the second-place match to clinch his trip to state. The Fond du Lac junior won his first two matches by pin, but fell in the championship match to West Bend West’s Joe Leonhardt.
The top two finishers in each weight class at Division 1 sectionals qualify for state.
Chase Krug (220) just missed out on state, finishing third, while Colin Athanasiou (152) was fourth. Logan Naker (138), Austin Baatz (170) and Adam Hopper (182) each lost their first match.
Fond du Lac finished seventh as a team with 61.5 points. Slinger was first with 171.5 points.
WIAA Division 1 Region 2 Individual Results
126 Results
6th Place – Jon Vanna of Fond Du Lac
132 Results
5th Place Match
Payton Torgersen (Fond Du Lac) 3-8, Jr. over Danny Driessen (Hartford Union) 11-16, Fr. (Fall 2:56).
138 Results
3rd Place Match
Logan Naker (Fond Du Lac) 11-19, So. over Tyler Wagar (Slinger) 9-15, Jr. (Dec 6-5).
145 Results
5th Place – Anthony Hendrix of Fond Du Lac
152 Results
3rd Place Match
Colin Athanasiou (Fond Du Lac) 23-10, Sr. over Erik Ohman (Plymouth) 17-6, Sr. (Fall 0:40).
160 Results
6th Place – Carson Wasieleski of Fond Du Lac
170 Results
4th Place Wrestleback
Austin Baatz (Fond Du Lac) 12-20, So. over Evan Schmitz (Hartford Union) 11-18, Sr. (Fall 0:17).
182 Results
4th Place – Adam Hopper of Fond Du Lac
195 Results
1st Place Match
Colton Wasieleski (Fond Du Lac) 19-8, Jr. over Jesse Schwarten (Plymouth) 17-8, Jr. (Fall 2:37).
220 Results
1st Place Match
Wyatt Wells (Beaver Dam) 43-0, Sr. over Chase Krug (Fond Du Lac) 10-5, Sr. (Fall 1:42).
2nd Place Wrestleback
Griffin Kintopf (Oshkosh West) 20-17, Sr. over Chase Krug (Fond Du Lac) 10-5, Sr. (SV-1 5-3).
285 Results
1st Place Match
Quinn Meinerz (Hartford Union) 35-2, Sr. over Donte Johnson (Fond Du Lac) 32-2, Sr. (Dec 3-1).
2nd Place Wrestleback
Donte Johnson (Fond Du Lac) 32-2, Sr. over Casey Osterberg (Slinger) 24-15, Sr. (RULE).
WIAA Division 1 Region 2 Team Results
Slinger 250
Oshkosh West 178
Beaver Dam 168.5
Oshkosh North 160
Fond Du Lac 138
Hartford Union 110.5
Plymouth 89
Cambria-Friesland/Fall River/Pardeeville/Randolph/Rio 41
Senior Spotlight | Donte Johnson looks to go out on top
FOND DU LAC – Watching Donte Johnson on the wrestling mat, it’s nearly impossible to fathom the fact that only four years ago the sport wasn’t even a part of his life.
Johnson, in his senior season on the Fond du Lac wrestling team, has had a lightning-quick rise through the ranks since his grappling career began as a high school freshman.
He’s qualified for the past two WIAA Division 1 individual state wrestling meets as a heavyweight — finishing in fourth place last February as a junior — and compiled a combined 76-13 record along the way.
Not bad for a kid who joined wrestling as a way to become a better football player.
“I played basketball all throughout middle school and got to high school and my football coaches told me ‘You’re not playing basketball, you’re going out for wrestling. It will make you a better athlete,’” Johnson said. “So I took their advice and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
You can say that again.
Although it was a struggle to start, as Johnson finished with a sub-.500 record as a freshman and often considered quitting wrestling, he stuck it out and soon started to see the results of his hard work.
“I didn’t know anything about wrestling my freshman year. As a matter of fact, I didn’t like it my freshman year,” he said. “I don’t know how many times I quit, but I came running back because I knew the positives that came out of it. That just got me through it. I was a brand-new wrestler and I just worked hard every day and I started to see the results.”
Fond du Lac wrestling coach Joe Rens knew immediately that Johnson had the potential to develop into a standout on the mat. Even though he didn’t have the necessary skills as freshman, Rens saw the brute strength and intensity Johnson possessed.
“He was raw (as a freshman),” Rens said. “I remember the second day (of practice), he broke a kid’s arm just because he was trying things so hard and everything is 100 percent with him. He’s a big, strong kid. But he broke the kid’s arm. We all said ‘He’s going to be a tough one to rein in.’ Little by little, we did that. He’s a very coachable kid, he listens to anybody. Because he’s so strong and with his work ethic, he’ll outwork anybody. He’ll wrestle a kid that could be better technique-wise, but because he’s so physical, kids can’t keep up with that.”
After the shaky start to his wrestling career, Johnson came into his own as a sophomore — qualifying for his first state meet and putting up a 40-8 record. He followed that up by taking fourth at state a year ago, losing by 3-0 decision to Wausau West’s Brady Lenz in the third-place match, and finished 36-5.
As a heavyweight, Johnson is able to wrestle at up to 285 pounds, but instead competes at about 255. Although that means he’s often at a weight disadvantage, it allows for his athleticism and quickness to shine.
“For me being a heavyweight, what accounts for my success is my athleticism,” he said. “The fact that I can move faster than others just because I’m lighter than most of the heavyweights I wrestle, and my aggressiveness and motor — that I keep going for the whole entire time I’m out on the mat.”
Rens agreed, while also pointing out a few other characteristics that make Johnson the wrestler he is.
“He’s aggressive as anybody I’ve ever seen and had in the room before,” Rens said. “He ranks up there in the top three of the hardest workers I’ve been around as a high school kid. The other difference that sets him apart is his mental thought process. Through the years I’ve been coaching, that is the most difficult thing for a high school kid to develop — to believe in what you can do and do it really aggressively. That’s what he does by far above anybody. I wish I had that as a high school competitor. You can’t necessarily teach that. You can help it along, but it’s something that you can’t teach. He’s tough as nails.”
This season, Johnson is out to a perfect 28-0 start and has his eyes set on a Division 1 heavyweight state title. Although he was proud of his podium finish at state last year, it only whetted his appetite for improvement this winter.
“My motto is if you’re not first, you’re last,” Johnson said. “Fourth (place) to some people is a huge achievement and it is to me, but first is always the goal — in anything you do. I look back at last year, knowing I can do better and that’s what motivates me for this year.”
It would also be a fairytale ending to Johnson’s wrestling career. As a tremendous defensive lineman on the football field for Fond du Lac, Johnson was named the Valley Football Association South Defensive Player of the Year this past fall and recently gave a verbal commitment to play the sport at the University of Minnesota Duluth, an NCAA Division II school, this upcoming season.
As Duluth doesn’t have wrestling as part of its athletic department, this season will likely be the last time Johnson competitively wrestles. That in mind, he knows much the sport meant in his growth as an athlete and football player.
“There were other schools that were interested in me for football and wrestling, but when I got to Duluth, I fell in love with the place,” he said. “I was willing to give up wrestling because I fell in love with the place. Football is my No. 1 sport and that kind of overrode wrestling. But that being said, I wouldn’t be where I’m at in football without wrestling, so I’m always going to have that sweet spot for wrestling in my heart.”
When Johnson does depart the Cardinals in about a month, Rens will be able to take a step back and look at how far he came as a wrestler in four short years and what that has meant for the program.
“You really can’t put it into words where he started as a freshman,” Rens said. “We’ve helped him along, but it’s really what he’s done just with his work ethic. He was the first guy after the football season in the room. Most guys were taking a couple days off. But he was in the room. He’s a one-of-a-kind kid. … Donte’s meant a ton to us. He’s been a great role model.”
Fond du Lac’s Donte Johnson wins FVA championship
OSHKOSH – Donte Johnson won a conference championship as the Fond du Lac wrestling team finished in sixth place at Saturday’s Fox Valley Association meet, hosted by Oshkosh North.
Johnson (285 pounds) went 3-0 on the day, earning pins in his first two matches, before winning by sudden victory (3-1) over Kaukauna’s Keaton Kluever in the championship match.
Colin Athanasiou (152) and Colton Wasieleski (195) were both second for the Cardinals, while Chase Krug (220) was third.
Adam Hopper (182) placed fourth.
Fond du Lac finished with 112 points as a team on Saturday. Kaukauna won the FVA title with a score of 270.5 points, easily besting Hortonville (177).
Following Saturday’s meet, Johnson was voted the Fox Valley Association Wrestler of the Year.
Fond du Lac’s Donte Johnson Fox Valley Association “Wrestler of the Year”
Fond du Lac participated in the FVA Conference Tournament and you can retrieve the results using the following link.
You will also find tournament results by weight class and custom results at this same site.
Kaukauna 71 Fond du Lac 6
The Cardinals were no match for the Ghosts as they fell in a Fox Valley Association dual meet.
Colton Wasieleski (195) earned Fond du Lac’s lone win on Thursday, pinning John Heilman in 3:27.
Fond du Lac’s Donte Johnson (285) suffered his first defeat of the season, falling by ultimate tie-breaker (3-2) to Keaton Kluever.
106: Mason Campshure (KAU) win by forfeit. 113: John Diener (KAU) pinned Johnathan Uselmann, 1:41. 120: Mikael Kolosso (KAU) pinned Henry Payne, 1:28.126: Brandon Micksch (KAU) pinned Jon Vanna, 3:30. 132: Trent Leon (KAU) pinned Henry Huehes, 1:44. 138: Trevor Paris (KAU) major dec. over Logan Naker, 11-2. 145: Zach Lee (KAU) pinned Peyton Torgerson, 0:49. 152: Jacob Canner (KAU) pinned Carson Wasieleski, 0:40. 160: Bryson Alsteen (KAU) pinned Cameron Casetta, 1:41.170: Alec Hartman (KAU) pinned Austin Baatz, 3:15. 182: Sebastian Egan (KAU) pinned Adam Hopper, 2:29. 195: Colton Wasieleski (FDL) pinned John Heilman, 3:27.220: Mason VanAsten (KAU) major dec. over Chase Krug, 8-0. 285: Keaton Kluever (KAU) ultimate tie breaker over Donte Johnson, 3-2. Starting weight: 132.
Fond du Lac wrestling tops Appleton East 54 – 25
FOND DU LAC – Victories against Fox Valley Association competition have been hard to come by this season for the Fond du Lac wrestling team.
The Cardinals will take one anyway they can get it.
Fond du Lac benefited from six Appleton East forfeits as the Cardinals defeated the Patriots 54-25 in a Fox Valley Association dual meet Thursday night at Fond du Lac.
“It’s huge for morale,” Fond du Lac coach Joe Rens said of the win. “We needed this. Right now is the grind of the season. Guys are tweaked and banged up. Garret Sphatt was out of the lineup, Anthony Hendrix was out of the lineup. … Guys are nursing some injuries, so it’s big.”
Although Appleton East’s forfeits gave the Cardinals 36 points, which proved to be the difference in Thursday’s dual, Fond du Lac did earn a few wins on the mat.
Colton Wasieleski (195 pounds) began the night with a pin of Ben Paulsen in 52 seconds, putting the Cardinals up 6-0 right off the bat.
Fond du Lac’s Chase Krug (220), Donte Johnson (285) and Ethan Diederich (106) then received victories via forfeit.
Lexi Schroeder picked up a pin for Appleton East at 113 pounds before Henry Paye (120) earned another forfeit win for Fond du Lac.
Tyler Locke (126), Calen Nash (132), Zach Scharenbock (138) and Trentyn Waring (145) put Appleton East back into the dual with four straight victories, but Fond du Lac’s Colin Athanasiou (152) responded by pinning Ryan Stocker in 3:06.
Fondy’s Cameron Casetta (160) then pinned Kyle Immel in 1:59 before Austin Baatz (170) and Adam Hopper (182) won by forfeit to close out the Cardinals’ victory.
Rens pointed out Casetta’s performance, noting that the senior wasn’t originally slated to wrestle on Thursday but stepped in and picked up a big victory.
“He’s not our 160-pounder, but the guys said ‘Hey, it’s our last (home) dual, he’s a senior, let’s wrestle Cameron,'” Rens said. “I’ve got to be honest, I wasn’t for it. But we did. We wrestled Cameron and he got a big win for us. I commend him and then Ben Buytendorp for giving that position up. But Buytendorp is a nice kid.”
106: Ethan Diederich (FDL) win by forfeit. 113: Lexi Schroeder (AE) pinned Johnathan Uselmann, 3:18. 120: Henry Paye (FDL) win by forfeit. 126: Tyler Locke (AE) pinned Sam Schmidt, 1:59. 132: Calen Nash (AE) pinned Henry Heuhes, 3:53. 138: Zach Scharenbock (AE) major dec. over Peyton Torgersen, 10-2. 145: Trentyn Waring (AE) dec. over Logan Naker, 8-5. 152: Colin Athanasiou (FDL) pinned Ryan Stocker, 3:06. 160: Cameron Casetta (FDL) pinned Kyle Immel, 1:59. 170: Austin Baatz (FDL) win by forfeit. 182: Adam Hopper (FDL) win by forfeit. 195: Colton Wasieleski (FDL) pinned Ben Paulsen, 0:52. 220: Chase Krug (FDL) win by forfeit. 285: Donte Johnson (FDL) win by forfeit. Starting weight: 195.
Fond du Lac 61 Appleton West 8
The Cardinals dominated the Terrors in a Fox Valley Association dual meet.
Ethan Diederich (106), Henry Heuhes (132), Colin Athanasiou (152), Ben Buyendorp (160), Austin Baatz (170) and Adam Hopper (182) all won by pin, while Henry Payne (120) and Anthony Hendrix (138) also picked up victories. Fond du Lac benefitted from three forfeits as well.
106: Ethan Diederich (FDL) pinned Chase Wendt, 2:11.
113: Double forfeit.
120: Henry Payne (FDL) major dec. over Tristan Poehls, 15-6.
126: Taite Baier (AW) tech fall over Jon Vanna, 25-9.
132: Henry Huehes (FDL) pinned Luke Truman, 0:54.
138: Anthony Hendrix (FDL) dec. over Caleb Hamus, 5-4.
145: James Meyer (AW) dec. over Logan Naker, 4-0.
152: Colin Athanasiou (FDL) pinned Richard Giese, 1:01.
160: Ben Buyendorp (FDL) pinned Robert Hendrix, 0:50.
170: Austin Baatz (FDL) pinned Johnathan James-Schellinger, 4:41.
182: Adam Hopper (FDL) pinned Eli Peapenburg, 2:25.
195: Colton Wasieleski (FDL) win by forfeit.
220: Garret Sphatt (FDL) win by forfeit.
285: Donte Johnson (FDL) win by forfeit.
Green Bay United Scramble:
Fond du Lac finished seventh at Saturday’s Green Bay United Scramble, with 132 points.
Fond du Lac’s Colin Athanasiou (152), Garret Sphatt (220) and Donte Johnson (285) all finished first.
Donte Johnson had five pins on Saturday.
Austin Baatz (170) was fourth
Fondy’s Donte Johnson captures OTW title
OSHKOSH – It wasn’t hard to see that Donte Johnson was going to use everything in his wrestling arsenal against Ripon’s Cody Jacobson.
At one point, the Fond du Lac heavyweight – all 265 pounds or so – resorted to making a leaping attempt at grabbing a headlock.
“That’s what happens when you’re a 5-11 heavyweight and you have to wrestle against 6-5 guys,” Johnson said with a smile.
Johnson’s all-out effort carried him to a victory on Friday in a matchup of unbeaten, state-ranked heavyweights as the Cardinals senior captured the title in a loaded bracket at the two-day On The Water Classic which concluded Friday at the Kolff Sports Center on the UW-Oshkosh campus.
Although the leaping headlock didn’t actually work for Johnson, the Fond du Lac heavyweight was able to stick the larger Jacobson. He took Jacobson down and right to his back with about 15 seconds left in the match and was able to maneuver for a pin with one second left on the clock.
“I got him in a body lock and from there it was just mental toughness and hard work, I guess,” said Johnson, the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in Division 1 by Wisconsin Wrestling Online. “It was a tight one. We had to get it at some point, it just happened to be the last 10 seconds of the match.”
Go to link below for Division 1 rankings
http://www.wiwrestling.com/division-1-wi-wrestling-rankings
The two highly touted wrestlers – Jacobson is ranked No. 1 in Division 2 – were both cautious at the start of the bout and battled to a scoreless first period.
Johnson would take a 2-1 lead at the start of the second, but with both wrestlers back on their feet neither seemed willing to make a big mistake.
“I was trying to work some things,” Johnson said. “He’s a really good wrestler. I had to be sure before I did something otherwise I was going to be in big trouble.”
After conquering a heavyweight division where the top five finishers entered the tournament with a combined five losses, Johnson was certainly riding high and looking forward to the rest of the season.
“It feels awesome,” Johnson said. “Of course, it’s a big confidence boost. I came in fourth last year so it’s a big jump and I’m really proud of it.”
Coleman claimed the title with 333 points, while Lomira finished with 267½. Hortonville was third with 252 points, followed by Oconto Falls (249½) and Random Lake (245). The Lions’ previous best finish at the tournament had been eighth place.
In addition to Johnson’s title, Fond du Lac had a trio of placewinners at the tournament. Garrett Sphatt finished 6-2 to place seventh at 220 pounds, while Colton Wasieleski finished eighth at 195 pounds. Anthony Hedrix added a 12th place at 132 pounds for the Cardinals.
Neenah 69 Fond du Lac 6
The Cardinals were no match for the Rockets as they fell in a Fox Valley Association dual meet.
Donte Johnson (285 pounds) earned Fond du Lac’s only win, doing so by forfeit.
106: Anthony Hefter (NEE) tech fall over Ethan Diederich, 16-1. 113: Matthew Hall (NEE) win by forfeit. 120: Briar Hass (NEE) pinned Henry Payne, 1:41. 126: Brandon Beauchamp (NEE) pinned Sam Schmidt, 0:12. 132: Julian Donnelly (NEE) pinned Jon Vanna, 1:12. 138: Isaac Bethel (NEE) pinned Mark Putzer, 0:40. 145: Seth Geiger (NEE) dec. over Logan Naker, 6-4. 152: Montana Jones (NEE) pinned Carson Wasieleski 1:01. 160: Delontae Mills (NEE) pinned Ben Buyendorp, 4:39. 170: Francis Turoski (NEE) pinned Austin Baatz, 4:39. 182: Logan Lehrer (NEE) pinned Adam Hopper, 2:26. 195: Beau Yineman (NEE) pinned Colton Wasieleski, 1:30. 220: Marshall Kools (NEE) dec. over Garret Sphatt, 10-7. 285: Donte Johnson (FDL) win by forfeit.Starting weight: 126.
Hortonville 63 Fond du Lac 18
The Cardinals were no match for the Polar Bears as they fell in a Fox Valley Association dual meet. Adam Hopper (195), Colton Wasieleski (220) and Donte Johnson (285) earned Fond du Lac’s victories on Thursday, all doing so by pin.
106: Austin Wasmund (HOR) pinned Ethan Diederich, 0:45. 113: Eric Barnett (HOR) win by forfeit. 120: Bryce Gerner (HOR) pinned Henry Payne, 1:05. 126: Noah Heimmermann (HOR) pinned Sam Schmidt, 1:21. 132: Jacob Barnett (HOR) pinned Jon Vanna, 0:06. 138: Joe Cleereman (HOR) pinned Mark Putzer, 0:01. 145: Nathan Lichtfuss (HOR) tech fall over Lavonn Johnson, 15-0. 152: Colin Schuler (HOR) pinned Carson Wasieleski, 0:53. 160: Kirkland Hills (HOR) major dec. over Ben Buyendorp, 10-1. 170: Elliott Luker (HOR) win by forfeit. 182: Griffen Cartwright (HOR) pinned Austin Baatz, 0:01. 195: Adam Hopper (FDL) pinned Nate Bohman, 0:47. 220: Colton Wasieleski (FDL) pinned Brady Buchman, 0:57. 285: Donte Johnson (FDL) pinned Jacob Marty, 0:45. Starting weight: 145.
Logan Naker, Fond du Lac wrestling edge Oshkosh North
FOND DU LAC – Logan Naker knew he needed a pin.
Going into his match at 138 pounds, the final one of the night, Naker had a chance to give the Fond du Lac wrestling team a much-needed dual meet victory. He didn’t disappoint.
Naker pinned Oshkosh North’s Travon Lee in the final match of a Fox Valley Association dual meet on Thursday night as Fond du Lac came from behind to edge the Spartans, 39-37. “I walked in saying I’m going to pin him to win and I just came in like a bull,” Naker said. “I have injuries, but I didn’t feel them. I took him down and pinned him.”
Trailing 37-33, Naker’s pin gave Fond du Lac six points and the win. But it was far from a one-man show on Thursday for the Cardinals.
Austin Baatz (170), Adam Hopper (182), Garret Sphatt (220) and Jon Vanna (132) all scored victories by pin, and Donte Johnson (285) won by forfeit. Lavonn Johnson (145) won by decision, 10-5.
After losing to Oshkosh West last week in a FVA dual meet, Thursday’s victory was a great response by Fond du Lac. “This means a ton,” Fond du Lac coach Joe Rens said of the win. “The guys were like ‘We finally got a win.’ I knew they could do it. We’ve just got to get our guys down at the weights and fill the weights. We’ve got some tough kids and I know we can do it. You know how you get a win and you build off that? They needed that win so they know they can win. Tonight was a great win for us.”
“It was pretty big,” Sphatt added. “Wins are hard to come by especially when we’ve got so many forfeits. We hope we can fill those spots by the end of the season, but it was really big for us to come off that loss last week.”
Down early, a key stretch for the Cardinals came when Baatz, Hopper, Sphatt and Donte Johnson gave Fond du Lac 24 points with three pins and a forfeit within the span of five matches. “I didn’t know if we could get pins at some of those weights, I was confident we could get wins,” Rens said. “When we give up two weight classes (to forfeit), that’s 12 points, so you’ve got to pin and they did.”
Fond du Lac is back on the mat on Saturday when it heads to a tournament hosted by Adams-Friendship.
106: Cade Schmitz (ON) pinned Ethan Diederich, 1:17. 113: Carly Ochoa (ON) win by forfeit. 120: Thomas Urben (ON) pinned Henry Paye, 2:51. 126: Rey Brewer (ON) pinned Sam Schmidt, 1:56. 132: Jon Vanna (FDL) pinned Wyatt Baughman, 4:36. 138: Logan Naker (FDL) pinned Travon Lee, 1:43. 145: Lavonn Johnson (FDL) dec. over Nolan Ange, 10-5. 152: Dalton Holmes (ON) major dec. over Colin Athanasiou, 10-2. 160: Deion Owens (ON) dec. over Carson Wasieleski, 12-9. 170: Austin Baatz (FDL) pinned Jacob Derenne, 3:59. 182: Adam Hopper (FDL) pinned Ethan Welsh, 0:43. 195: Ben Salzman (ON) win by forfeit. 220: Garret Sphatt (FDL) pinned Jake Besaw, 3:42. 285: Donte Johnson (FDL) win by forfeit. Starting weight: 145.
Oshkosh West 49 Fond du Lac 24
The Cardinals picked up a few wins in the middle weight classes, but fell to the Wildcats in a Fox Valley Association dual meet.
Logan Naker (138), Lavonn Johnson (145) and Collin Athanasiou (160) all earned victories for Fond du Lac, as did Garrett Sphatt (220) and Donte Johnson (285) in the heavy weights.
Lavonn Johnson and Sphatt both had pins.
106: Drew Beat (OW) dec. Ethan Diederich, 5-2. 113: Spencer Ellison (OW) won by forfeit. 120: Josh Coopman (OW) pinned Henry Pate, 1:19. 126: Eli Coopman (OW) pinned Sam Schmidt, :47. 132: Reese Thompson (OW) pinned Joe Vanna, 3:55. 138: Logan Naker (FDL) dec. Connor Collins, 8-2. 145: Lavonn Johnson (FDL) pinned Michael Faye, 4:38. 152: Brennon Mellgren (OW) dec. Carson Wasielewski, 1:24. 160: Collin Athanasiou (FDL) dec. Edgar Heredia, 11-4. 170; Reed Yoder (OW) pinned Ben Buytendorp, 3:13. 182: Grady Sullivan (OW) pinned Austin Baatz, 3:13. 195: Edson Salazar (OW) dec. Adam Hopper, 5-4. 220: Garrett Sphatt (FDL) pinned Griffin Kintopf, 4:18. 285: Donte Johnson (FDL) won by forfeit.