MADISON — Platteville senior Lucas Fugate and Belmont junior Isaac Wiegel closed out their seasons with third-place finishes at the WIAA individual state wrestling tournament Saturday the Kohl Center.
The teammates took identical paths, bouncing back from semifinal losses Friday night by winning back-to-back consolation matches on Saturday to finish third in their respective weight classes, Fugate at 182 pounds and Wiegel at 113.
Fugate (44–6), who missed the first half of his junior season and almost all of his sophomore year with injuries, put it all together to reach the WIAA Division 2 tournament for the first time at 182 pounds.
The chiseled senior pinned Campbellsport sophomore Matt Koelbl 58 seconds into the third period in Friday morning’s quarterfinal round. He then suffered a 9–2 loss to eventual runner-up senior Bryce Herlache (33–4) of Wrightstown, who entered the state tournament ranked #1 at 182, in Friday night’s semifinals.
Fugate bounced back with a narrow 9–8 decision over Oconto Falls senior Matt Winkler (40–10) in Saturday morning’s consolation semifinals, then pinned Koelbl (38–12) again at 3:34 in the Division 2 182-pound third-place match.
Wiegel (45–4), a three-time state qualifier, opened his third trip to the Kohl Center with a 1:04 pin of Baldwin–Woodville sophomore Jacek Nickowski. Wiegel then suffered a heartbreaking 7–5 loss to top-ranked Bryce Bosman (46–3) in Friday’s semifinals. Wiegel led the entire match, but Bosman was able to get a tackdown and two-point nearfall in the closing seconds to pull off the two-point win. The Luxemburg–Casco sophomore went on to win the 113-pound title.
Wiegel came back to blank Edgerton freshman Cole Bavery (41–6) 5–0 in Saturday’s morning’s consolation match, then defeated Ripon senior Zachary Beck (43–7) 7–5 in the 113-pound third-place match.
“I am very proud of both Isaac and Luke on there third place finishes,” said Belmont/Platteville head coach Andrew Campbell. “I know they both went in with goals of winning the tournament and it was heartbreaking for both of them when they came up sort in the semifinals. But the way that they both bounced back and wrestled the way they did to come back and get third, it says a lot about the types of kids they are. They both put in a ton of work and it showed at the tournament.”
WIAA Division 2 State Championships
(from Feb. 23–25 @ Kohl Center, Madison)
Top 10 team scores — 1.Luxemburg–Casco 104, 2.Ellsworth 102, 3.River Valley 93.5, 4.Oconto Falls 65, 5.Two Rivers 64, 6.Lomira 52, 7.Evansville/Albany 49, 8.Melrose–Mindoro/G.E.T. 43, 9.Spencer/Columbus Catholic 38, 10.Denmark 37...12.Belmont/Platteville 20.
Belmont/Platteville state qualifiers
113 — Isaac Wiegel (45-4) placed 3rd and scored 14.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Isaac Wiegel (Belmont/Platteville) 45-4 won by fall over Jacek Nickowski (Baldwin-Woodville) 37-6 (Fall 1:04)
Semifinal - Bryce Bosman (Luxemburg-Casco) 46-3 won by decision over Isaac Wiegel (Belmont/Platteville) 45-4 (Dec 7-5)
Cons. Semi - Isaac Wiegel (Belmont/Platteville) 45-4 won by decision over Cole Bavery (Edgerton) 41-6 (Dec 5-0)
3rd Place Match - Isaac Wiegel (Belmont/Platteville) 45-4 won by decision over Zachary Beck (Ripon) 43-7 (Dec 7-5)
182 — Lucas Fugate (44-6) placed 3rd and scored 16.00 team points.
Quarterfinal - Lucas Fugate (Belmont/Platteville) 44-6 won by fall over Matt Koelbl (Campbellsport) 38-12 (Fall 4:58)
Semifinal - Bryce Herlache (Wrightstown) 33-4 won by decision over Lucas Fugate (Belmont/Platteville) 44-6 (Dec 9-2)
Cons. Semi - Lucas Fugate (Belmont/Platteville) 44-6 won by decision over Mac Winkler (Oconto Falls) 40-10 (Dec 9-8)
3rd Place Match - Lucas Fugate (Belmont/Platteville) 44-6 won by fall over Matt Koelbl (Campbellsport) 38-12 (Fall 3:34)
