The blizzard outside couldn’t cool off the Waunakee wrestling team.
The Warriors rolled in their home dual over the Golden Beavers of Beaver Dam, recording eight first-period pins en route to a 63-15 victory.
Waunakee 63,
Beaver Dam 15
The contest was Waunakee’s first home dual since Dec. 7, and the Warriors were eager to put on a show in front of a home crowd on Youth Night.
“It’s a chance to get in front of your home fans. You get some of the students and kids who normally don’t travel…” said Waunakee’s Head Coach Mark Natzke. “Tonight, we’ve got the youth… All these kids who are the future, they’re out here checking things out. They get excited about it.”
Sam Lorenz kicked things off for the Warriors at 132, recording the first pin of the match in 1:08 to put Waunakee up 6-0. Braysen Ellis followed that up with another pin at 138, and Waunakee was off and rolling.
After Beaver Dam scored their first team points of the night at 145, Kyle Wilcox got the Warriors back on track with a 3-2 win at 152.
From there, Kaden Hooker and Colton Grindle earned pins at 160 and 170, respectively, followed by a pair of forfeits in Waunakee’s favor at 182 and 195. When Jack Schweitzer pinned his opponent after only 55 seconds at 220, the Warriors’ lead stood at a commanding 45-3.
Beaver Dam didn’t surrender, taking two of the next three matches; Jayden Freie’s 51-second pin at 106 was the lone Waunakee win.
Finishing off the night were Kolby Heinz at 120 and Nick Schweitzer at 126. Both pinned their opponents in the first period, with Schweitzer recording the fastest pin of the night at 28 seconds to cap the match.
“If you’re better than somebody – and we’ve got a lot of kids that are good, high-quality wrestlers – you go out there and you go after it,” said Natzke of the team’s mentality against Beaver Dam. “You be aggressive.”
The Warriors now have a week between competitions; they’ll return home next Friday against DeForest for Senior Night. Start time at the Waunakee High School Fieldhouse is scheduled for 7 p.m.