Wrestlers shine at Marty Loy Classic

• Zach Lohman battles an opponent at the Marty Loy Classic

Hudson junior Zach Lohman battles an opponent at the Marty Loy Classic in Fond du Lac last Saturday. Lohman finished sixth at 113 pounds to help the Raiders to a fourth place team finish. Submitted photo

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The Raider wrestling team posted a 58-12 Big Rivers Conference victory over Menomonie last Thursday before finishing fourth at the 25-team Marty Loy Classic Saturday in Fond du Lac.

The Raiders will host Stevens Point this Thursday, Dec. 22, before preparing for the Bi-State Classic Dec. 29-30 in La Crosse.

The Raiders made seven pins on their way to last Thursday’s 58-12 win at Menomonie, but Hudson coach Chris Hansen said the Raiders had to work hard for every point.

“I am very pleased with how the kids wrestled,” he said. “Just like last year, Menomonie wrestled hard and although we seemed to come out on the winning end of most matches, the kids were challenged at virtually every weight.”

Elliot Motu got things started with a pin at 220 pounds and after a pair of Mustang wins, Zach Lohman and Nick Nelson posted back-to-back pins at 113 and 120 pounds, respectively, for the first two of nine straight Raider victories.

After Tim Feia earned a 7-6 decision at 126 pounds and C.J. Steiner posted a 15-3 major decision at 132, Nic Johnson at 138, Austin Koski at 145 and Tanner Owens at 152, all won with pins before Kolya Hawksford won a 7-1 decision at 160 pounds and Dima Hawksford earned a pin at 170.

Derek Schindler lost a hard-fought 4-3 decision to Menomonie’s Eric Peissig at 182 pounds before Drew Krahenbuhl ended the night with a first period pin at 195.

Hansen called the match between Schindler and Peissig the best of the night.

“Peissig was a state qualifier and Derek wrestled him right to the final second,” he said. “These two guys will likely have several more matches this season and we are comfortable with the ground we are gaining.

Saturday at the Marty Loy Classic, Kolya Hawksford took second at 160 pounds, Dima Hawksford was second at 170, Owens was third at 152 pounds, and Schindler placed fourth at 182 pounds as the Raiders finished fourth out of 25 teams from across the state.

Wausau West finished first with 242.5 points followed by Port Washington with 166, Muskego with 161.5 and Hudson with 152.

“Fourth place overall is two spots higher than last season, with basically the same 25 teams in the field,” Hansen noted. “This tournament is very tough. The highest we have ever placed is third so we were right in there.”

Kolya Hawksford defeated ninth-ranked Jared Schaaf of Sauk Prairie, 4-1, in the 160 pound semifinals before losing to top-ranked Jackson Fox of Wrightstown in the finals, while Dima Hawksford beat fourth-ranked Levi Nayes of Bloomer-Colfax, 13-6, in the 170 pound semifinals before losing to Ryan Jazdzewski of Burlington in the finals.

Owens lost to tenth-ranked Brandt Gavin of Burlington before defeating Corey Brown of Deforest, 1-0, in the third place match, and Schindler faced off against Peissig of Menomonie for the second time in three days in the 182 pound semifinals and lost in double overtime, 4-3.

Lohman finished sixth at 113 pounds and Mathias Tobin was sixth at 285 pounds while Koski placed seventh at 145 pounds, Nelson was eighth at 120 pounds, and Steiner finished eighth at 132 pound to give the Raiders nine place winners, the most they’ve ever had at the Marty Loy Classic. Hudson had seven place winners a year ago.

“Two kids I am most pleased with from Saturday are Mathias Tobin and Zach Lohman,” Hansen said. “Both boys kept getting better with each match.”

Tags: sports, wrestling, raiders, prep