Janesville Craig Clinches 2002 Big Eight Conference Wrestling Title. Madison Memorial, Despite A Key Injury, Battles The Cougars To The End. Memorial Aims To Build Off Loss

Saturday, January 19, 2002
Rob Hernandez Wisconsin State Journal
JANESVILLE

For Madison Memorial, it was another strange chapter to a frustrating three weeks at the end of the Big Eight Conference dual wrestling season Friday night.

First came the loss to Middleton. Then there was last week's tie at Janesville Parker. And now this, a 31-23 loss to Janesville Craig that allowed the Cougars (7-0 conference) to clinch the Big Eight dual title and left the Spartans scratching their heads for the third week in a row.

"They're irritated, but -- as you can see -- they're competing," said Memorial assistant coach Brent Huggins, who filled in for Rich Legler after the head coach's wife, who is 7 months pregnant, went into early labor and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

"They're not going to quit. And we'll have to use this as a building block."

At 4-1-1 entering the dual, the Spartans' chances of catching Craig were slim. But they didn't get any better when Memorial -- holding a 15-6 lead after six matches -- was forced to default at 189 pounds after Peter Holmgren hit his head on the mat 41 seconds into a scoreless bout with Craig's Ben Kessler, who earned six team points for the victory.

"He didn't want to leave," Memorial junior 125-pounder Tony Ayala said of his senior teammate.

That's how much this dual meant to the Spartans, who withstood the injury setback that followed a 5-3 overtime victory from Arik Grundahl at 171 and got back in the match.

After the default, Craig got a 3-2 victory from Brandon Dillner at heavyweight and a pin from Al Huschka with less than 30 seconds left at 103 to take a 21-15 lead. R.J. Brachman made it a 21-20 dual with a victory via technical fall for Memorial at 112, but Braden Radunzel gave the Cougars a seven-point cushion with a second-period pin at 119.

Ayala made Craig earn the victory when he won a 6-3 showdown with Jeff Davis at 125. Mike Vazquez recorded an 11-3 win over Doug Miller in the final match at 130, but not without some anxious minutes in the first period after Miller landed on the side of his head at the end of an awkward exchange.

"They outwrestled us," Craig coach Bill O'Leary said. "They did things they needed to do in order to beat us in close matches. The good news is I had enough kids at the end to come through and win. And they did. Good teams find a way to win. We're a good team. We found a way to win."

103: Huschka, JC, pinned Bernfeldt, 5:31.

112: Brachman, MM, won by technical fall over Galassini, 17-2 (2:35).

119: Radunzel, JC, pinned Worhle, 3:24.

125: Ayala, MM, def. Davis, 6-3.

130: Vazquez, JC, def. Miller, 11-3.

*135: Evashevski, MM, pinned Olver, 3:25.

140: Gutoski, JC, def. Spaith, 7-1.

145: Grady, MM, def. Johnson, 1-0.

152: Vogt, JC, def. Gardener, 9-5.

160: Mack, MM, def. Everhart, 5-2.

171: Grundahl, MM, def. Stewart, 5-3 (OT).

189: Kessler, JC, won by injury default over Holmgren, 2:31.

Hwt: Dillner, JC, def. Smith, 3-2.

* -- starting weight.