Krattiger taking undefeated record to state
Waterford junior better prepared
WEST ALLIS - Jared Krattiger is hoping this time around the ending is different.
The Waterford junior easily won the 182-pound championship Saturday afternoon at the WIAA Division 1 individual wrestling sectional at West Allis Central to qualify for the state tournament with an undefeated record for the third consecutive year.
Krattiger pinned all three of his opponents in the first period to improve to 46-0 and qualify for the tournament, scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison.
In the final, Krattiger pinned West Allis Hale senior Dylan Allen (37-10) in 40 seconds. Krattiger was one of five sectional champions and seven qualifiers overall for Waterford, which is having one of the best seasons in school history.
Krattiger is one of the reasons, and he didn’t disappoint at the sectional. He left no doubt who the best wrestler was in the gymnasium.
“It feels good going (into state) undefeated,” said Krattiger. “I’ve been wrestling better, smoother, looser this year.”
This campaign has been better than a freshman season that produced a 39-0 record and a sophomore season in which he compiled a 46-0 record. He lost in the state quarterfinals each season, but he feels this year he is more prepared.
“This was a more dominating season,” Krattiger said. “I’ve had some pretty tough matches this year. I think I can win (a state title) this year. I have faith in it. I do believe it’s my time. I just have to go wrestle and have some fun.”
Joining him on the trek to Madison will be four other sectional champions: freshman Cody Welker (42-7 at 113), senior Austin Thomas (20-5 at 145), senior Tanner Cadman (38-7 at 170) and junior Jack Trautman (23-2 at 195).
Waterford also saw junior Sam Winski (42-7 at 120) and senior EJ Mastrocola (39-10 at 285) finish second and qualify.
“We’ve been getting gradually better all year,” said Krattiger. “We’ve been wrestling well as a team.”
West Allis Hale qualified four wrestlers for state while four teams sent three wrestlers each.
Waukesha West senior Shane Gantz (38-1) won the biggest final when he defeated West Allis Hale junior Peyton Mocco (42-3) by a 7-5 decision to win the 152 title. Both advanced to state.
Gantz entered the match ranked No. 6 in Division 1 at 152 by wiwreslting.com. Mocco held the No. 1 ranking.
Gantz had little trouble scoring on offense as he took Mocco down three times, the last of which came with 32 seconds left to seal the victory.
“I taped him before the final and I saw he left his hands up a little bit and I thought I saw an opening,” said Gantz, a sixthplace finisher at 152 a year ago. “I just went and shot under there. This is a good win heading into state. I’m just trying to get that state championship.”
Whitnall/Greendale senior Nathan Hensley (44-2) punched a return ticket to state by defeating Mukwonago junior Aaron Schulist (31-3) by a 10-6 decision in the 126 final. Hensley qualified as a sophomore at 106 and finished third but was out the majority of the season last year with an injury.
Hensley, who attends Greendale, had lost to Schulist, a two-time state finalist, two years ago by a 9-5 decision in the sectional final and last week by an 8-1 decision in the regional final.
It was quite a turnaround for Hensley, who was able to secure four takedowns while giving up only one in the match to post his first victory over Schulist. Hensley scored two takedowns in the final 59 seconds to pull out his first sectional title.
“I was just able to finish this time,” Hensley said of his shots. “This means a lot to me winning a sectional title as a senior.”
The most unlikely state qualifier was Waukesha North junior Drew Malicki (37-10 at 160).
Malicki finished fifth at the Brookfield Central Regional and failed to advance to the sectional. But an injury to another wrestler during the week opened a spot for Malicki and he finished second to qualify for state.
Malicki actually made it to the final, where he lost to Brookfield East senior Saif Ibraheem (27-6) by a 13-10 decision. In the second-place match, Malicki defeated Mukwonago junior Hunter Bourdo (22-17) by a pin in 2 minutes to advance.