Prep wrestling season underway in Tri-County Area

Separate girls tournaments are now just a normal part of the high school wrestling schedule and the first one for the 2025-26 season (and probably will be for a while) is the annual Beef River Brawl in Mondovi, which took place last week Friday, Dec. 5 and involved wrestlers from 15 teams, including Tri-County Area teams Mondovi/Eleva-Strum (MES) and Osseo-Fairchild/Augusta/Fall Creek (OFAFC) Tri-County Wrestling Co-op.

MES finished a closed second to the La Crosse co-op team 145-140 in the team standings while OFAFC finished eighth with 67 points. The Dragons' Kinley Nelson went 4-1 with 3 pins, on the night placing 2nd. at 126 pounds, Layne Armstrong-Baglien went 4-1 with 4 pins placing 2nd bat 152. Macey Pierre went 3-2 with 2 pins placing 5th at 145. Viola MacDonald went 2-3 with 2 pins placing 6th at 126. MacDonald is a returning letter-winner from last season.

The young female wrestlers on this year's Dragon squad spent their time watching the now graduated two-time state qualifier Aaliyah Zamora set a standard for excellence that OFAFC head coach Dan Schulte hopes they can match.

"Kinley Nelson-was a first year wrestler last year as an 8th grader and she was showing great promise of what she can do at the high school level," Schulte said. "Layne Armstrong-Baglien also a freshman has grown watching Aaliyah Zamora over the years and will look to make an impact as a freshman."

MES will be led by last year's state runner-up sophomore Layla Riser and she started her high school competitive season off well with a first place finish at the Beef River Brawl going 5-0 at 145 pounds. There are four other returning starters for MES. Sophia Peterson went 1-4 for 8th at 126, Kyli Zahara went 3-2 for 5th at 120, Vienna King took 3rd, going 3-2 at 152, Mareesa Rehnerg took 2nd, going 3-2 at 107, Emma Pearl went 4-1, taking 3rd at 126 and Macy Tiegs went 4-1 for 2nd at 185.

MES competed in the Melrose-Mindoro Girls Tournament the very next day. Emma Pearl went 2-2, Sophia went 0-2, Mareesa took 5th, Vienna took 4th, Kyli took 3rd, Macy took 2nd, and Layla took 1st.

With more girls participating in the sport not just tournaments but full dual meets are also taking place. OFAFC actually began their season Thursday, Dec. 4 with a quadrangular girls' meet at Stanley-Boyd, the first ever duals for the OFAFC Girls wrestling team. The Dragons went 2-2 in the duals. Macey Pierre led the way with a 4-0 record and 2 pins, Viola MacDonald went 3-1 with 2 pins, Kinley Nelson went 3-1 with 2 pins, and Layne Armstrong-Baglien went 1-3.

The next day the OFAFC boys team started its season in a triangular meet at Flambeau. The Dragons lost two close duals to both the host Falcons and Cornell/Gilman. Kouper Salter went 2-0 with a pin, Sam Coach went 2-0, Henry Cash went 1-1 and Brett Knuth went 1-1 with a pin.

Sam Coach, Easton Hansen, Noah Krueger, Henry Cash are all returning letter-winners for the Dragons. Schulte believes Salter can make an impact his freshman season.

"Kouper Salter should make an impact as an incoming freshman. He has wrestled for many years and are looking forward to seeing what he can do at the varsity level." Schulte said.

Schulte hopes his returning letterwinners will also have the same impact for the Dragons this season.

"Henry Cash looks to improve after missing out on sectionals by one place last year," Schulte sadi. "Noah Krueger is quite a bit stronger this year and we look forward to watching him wrestle this year. Sam Coach and Easton Hansen both have grown this year and are looking a lot stronger after building muscle for the football season and look for that to translate to the wrestling mat."

The Beef River Brawl continued to Saturday, Dec. 6 with a multi-dual meet involving boys' teams, including Mondovi/Eleva-Strum. MES finished 3-0 in the meet. They took on Independence/Gilmanton in the first round and took a victory 59-11. Setting the tone with pins were Nicholas Wright (157), Bill Jardine (165), AJ Loscheider (190), Carter Zahara (106), and Barrett Fedie (113). Taking forfeits were Tyson Greiner (138), Ian Berger (175), Aiden Isaacson (285), and Korbyn Johnvin (120). Ethan Odegard (215) earned his 100th career victory with a technical fall. In the second dual of the day, MES would face Elk Mound/Chippewa Falls McDonell. MES would win this dual 66-12. Pacing the squad with pins were Greiner, Brody Brantner, Wright, Jardine, Berger, Loscheider, Odegard, and Zahara. Getting wins via forfeit were Tharyn Tande, Isaacson, and Fedie. In the third dual of the day, the grapplers hit the mat against Unity and secure the team championship with a 42-25 win. Greiner, Brantner, Berger, Isaacson, and Zahara each picked up pins. Fedie and Johnvin each took a forfeit.

Seven starters are back for MES led by state medalist Aiden Isaacson.

OFAFC's next match is this Saturday's Barron Invitational which begins at 9 a.m. The MES girls competed in the Old Abe Girls Invitational Meet this Friday at Eau Claire Memorial High School beginning at 4:30 p.m. The boys' teams wrestles in a triangular with Blair-Taylor and Eau Claire Memorial at B-T on Thursday 6 p.m. and in a big invitational meet in Eau Claire, the Husky Invitational, at the new Sonnentag Center this Saturday.