EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
Issac Wiegel, Sr., 120, Belmont/Platteville wrestling
Belmont/Platteville senior Isaac Wiegel is this week’s McDonald’s SWnews4U.com Athlete of the Week after scoring a later reversal in the third period to win the 120-pound Division 2 state title in dramatic fashion.
Wiegel (46-4) scored a reversal with 45 seconds left in the D2 120-pound title match and held on to defeat defending state champion Cody Holmes of Two Rivers, 4-3, to claim his first state title and second in the history of Belmont High School. It was just the third in the history of the Belmont/Platteville co-op.
Wiegel and Holmes exchanged takedowns in the second period, then Holmes scored an escape to take a 3-2 lead into the final period. Wiegel’s reversal with less than a minute left were the final points.
“In the third period, Isaac was in a bit of a tight spot, we knew if he could hold one that Holmes was getting high and we could get the reversal and that is what happened. Then we rode him out for the victory,” said Belmont/Platteville head coach Andrew Campbell. “We are very proud of Isaac for winning his state title. He definitely earned this title with all of the hard work that he put in the offseason and before school.”
Wiegel, who placed third as junior and fourth as a sophomore at the state tournament, open this year’s championship run with a 2-1 victory over Freedom’s Koy Murphy (26-19) in Friday’s quarterfinal round after getting a late takedown in the third period to advance. Wiegel then dominated Jacek Nickowski of Baldwin-Woodville with a 10-2 major decision in Friday night’s semifinals.
Wiegel finished his career with an overall record of 163-28.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Max Maylor, Sr., 160, Iowa–Grant wrestling
Maylor (45–1), who entered the Division 3 state tournament ranked first, capped a remarkable season winning the 160-pound D3 title with a 91-second pin of Saint Croix Falls senior Clay Carney (40–8), giving Iowa–Grant/Highland its first state title since Luke Nowak in 2014.
Kaylee Meyers, Sr., G, Darlington girls basketball
Meyers made 7 of 8 from the free throw line in the final two minutes and finished with a game-high 17 points in Darlington’s 57–53 WIAA Division 4 regional final victory over SWAL rival Mineral Point last Saturday night. She also poured in a game-high 22 points in Friday’s 82–38 regional semifinal victory over Wisconsin Heights.
Josie Nies, So., G, Platteville girls basketball
Nies scored hit three 3-pointers and scored all 11 of her points in the second half and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds to lead Platteville to a 50–37 WIAA Division 3 regional final victory at SWC champion Dodgeville last Saturday night. Nies and the Hillmen (20–4) will face top-seeded Marshall (23–1) in a D3 sectional semifinal tonight at Oregon High School at 7 p.m.
Brady Peat, Sr., 185, Iowa–Grant wrestling
A half hour after Maylor won his title, Peat (44–3), who also entered state ranked number one in his weight class a year after finishing runner-up last year and fifth as sophomore, won the 182-pound Division 3 title with a 6–2 victory over Athens’ Marshall Westfall. Peat’s championship also gave the Panthers multiple state champions in the same season since Cade Sarbacker and Rory Edge won state titles in 2007. Sarbacker and Edge were also champions in 2006.
Skylar White, So., G, River Ridge girls basketball
White scored a game-high 18 points and played a key role in River Ridge’s defensive effort as the Timberwolves bounced second-seeded Potosi, 54–39 in Saturday’s WIAA Division 5 regional final at Potosi High School. White also scored 17 points in Ridge’s 63–9 victory over Ithaca on Wednesday and 18 in Friday’s 52–38 regional semifinal win over Riverdale.
