Prairie du Chien matmen third at Devils Duals
Freshman Rhett Koenig puts the hurt on his GET/Melrose Mindoro opponent. Koenig would pin his opponent.
Senior Traeton Saint earns near fall points in his match versus GET/Melrose Mindoro. Saint would go on to win by decision.
The #8 ranked Blackhawk grapplers traveled to Wisconsin Dells to wrestle in the Dome on Saturday, Dec. 14 for the 2019 Devils Duals hosted by Adams-Friendship.
PdC received the 6th seed in the 32-team field. The Blackhawks finished third.
The field was very deep, with 10 of the 32 teams ranked in the state. In the opening round, PdC would dismantle Wautoma/Wild Rose by a score of 73-6. The Hawks had seven pins and one major decision in the match.
In the round of 16, Prairie would match-up with a solid D1 team in Marshfield. The Blackhawks would win by a score of 50-25. In the match, PDC would secure five falls and one technical fall.
In the quarterfinal round, PdC would match-up against GET/Melrose Mindoro, who happens to be ranked #2 in the state in D2. The Hawks came out with a little extra fire, as this team defeated Prairie in the sectional finals to stop the Blackhawks one dual short of team state last season.
With many important points being scored, the Blackhawks would prevail for a big win by a score of 36-30. PdC would get two falls and two major decisions in the dual.
In the semifinals, Prairie was up against the #3 ranked D1 team in the state, Burlington. Burlington would show few weaknesses en route to a 40-26 win. PdC would secure two falls and two major decisions in the dual. The loss dropped the Blackhawks into the third-place match against #12 ranked in the state, D1 Hudson. Prairie would win 48-22 to collect a third-place finish with six falls, one technical fall and a major decision.
Leading the way for the Hawks on a great day of team wrestling were Rhett Koenig, Traeton Saint and Tyler Hannah who won all of their matches on the day. Luke Kramer, Matt Rogge, Bradyn Saint and Colten Wall each had four wins on the day. Every wrestler in the lineup had at least one win. The wins move the Hawks to 10-1 on the season.
In Friday night JV action, Kurtis Evenson and Cole Updike both won championships in their brackets.
Up next is the season opening Southwest Wisconsin Conference dual at Lancaster on Thursday, Dec. 19 at 7 p.m., followed by the Wrightstown Duals on Friday, Dec. 20, with wrestling starting at 4:15.
