Finally able to pin down that elusive gold medal
MADISON – The wait is over. That was the theme of the day on so many fronts for area wrestlers on the final day of the WIAA state wrestling tournament. The area produced nine state champions spread over Divisions 1 and 2 on Saturday at the Kohl Center, but it was the long-awaited titles by a number of area competitors that made the day.
Waterford senior Jared Krattiger, snake-bit by this or that during his previous trips to state, won his first championship, the Division 1 182pound final. The finish was also sweet for Nicolet junior Parker Keckeisen and St. John’s Northwestern/Brookfield Academy sophomore Aidan Medora, two state runner-ups in 2017 who finished at the top of the medal stand this year.
And speaking of waits, there was also a long-awaited match that had the arena buzzing all weekend. West Allis Hale’s Peyton Mocco and Stoughton’s Ty Dow finally met in the 160-pound final, a match that Mocco won with surprising ease.
The Missouri recruit capped his prep career with an 11-2 major decision that gave him his second straight state title.
“Both years I was trying to prove a point,” said Mocco, who last year became Hale's first champion since 1962. “I’d lost to the guy previously in the year and I was going to go out there and avenge that loss.”
The Mocco-Dow final pitted two defending champions, but from the start of the match Mocco shined. A takedown and near fall in the first period set the tone.
By the time the match was done, Mocco had two near falls against Dow, a senior who finished 52-2.
“It was a little nerve-wracking throughout the day," Mocco said. "But once I got back here and got my warmups started I was just in the zone and ready to go out there and wrestle as hard as I could."
Mocco was part of another theme of the day: repeat champions. The other area members of that club were Arrowhead sophomore Keegan O’Toole, who added a Division 1 132pound title to his resume after winning at 120 last year, and Mukwonago senior Aric Bohn, who defended his 220 title.
Both guys had a relatively easy time. Bohn pinned Marquette senior Andrew Salemme at 2 minutes 20 seconds. Earlier O’Toole scored a 16-3 major decision of D.C. Everest’s Thomas Severson.
Krattiger, Medora and Keckeisen also cruised.
Keckeisen battled knee injuries all season but finished 31-0 after a 23-8 tech fall over Holmen junior Kalyn Jahn.
"I've come a long way," said Keckeisen, who is Nicolet's first champion. "I'm more mature. I relaxed a little bit. I'd been there last year so I knew what to expect."
Medora, the Division 2 runner-up at 126 last season, beat Wrightstown’s Ben Durocher, 17-8, by major decision in the Division 2 132 final. Medora finished 34-0 and is the first WIAA state wrestling champion in Brookfield Academy history.
And then there was Krattiger. His runs at state have been nightmarish.
He arrived at state undefeated the past three seasons. As a freshman and sophomore, he reached the quarterfinals. Last year he advanced to the semifinal, where he suffered a gutwrenching one-point loss aided by a controversial stalling call he received.
Saturday he overcame some nerves to make the most of his final high school tournament.
"I'm like I'm a new me. I worked so hard," Krattiger said. "I'm healthy. My shoulders are fine, so I'm like no one can stop me. That's how I felt."