MADISON — Belmont/Platteville senior Isaac Wiegel is a four-year veteran of the WIAA state tournament.
    He is no stranger to the highs and lows of the state wrestling tournament.
    Saturday night he experienced the ultimate high that will last a lifetime, etching his name into the WIAA record book for all time winning a state championships in the final match of his prep career.
    Wiegel (46-4) scored a reversal with 45 seconds left in the Division 2 120-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.
    “Those long kids can be difficult to close the gap on and be offensive,” said Campbell. “Isaac did a great job staying calm after he gave up the escape in the third period to going down 1-0. He stayed focused and got the clutch takedown at the end.”
    Wiegel then dominated Jacek Nickowski of Baldwin-Woodville with a 10-2 major decision in Friday night’s semifinals.
    “He set the tone from the beginning of the match, he was very effective with his front headlocks and was very tough on top,” said Campbell. “He controlled that match from start to finish.”
    Wiegel finished his career with an overall record of 163-28.
    “It has been amazing coaching him in high school.  He has been somebody from day one who has been a great leader with all of the hard work he has put in,” added Campbell.