Area wrestler of the year nominees announced for awards show
Not only was there high school wrestling in Wisconsin this year, but nine area competitors were crowned state champions.
As a high-risk sport for the spread of COVID-19, wrestling started the year under tight guidelines from the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association that included limiting teams to one dual per week and eliminating the large weekend tournaments that are a big part of the season.
In January the WIAA Sports Medical Advisory and the Board of Control approved an increase to eight-team gatherings beginning Jan. 30.
That change opened the door for the WIAA to conduct its postseason and gave our nominees for area wrestler of the year a chance to win the ultimate prize.
The Journal Sentinel will announce the winner of the award during the fifthannual Milwaukee High School Sports Awards, a virtual event that will be held July. 8.
Here are the nominees:
Ben Bast, soph., West Bend West: The first-time qualifier state qualifier finished 20-0 on the way to winning the Division 1 106-pound final.
Jack Ganos, sr., Arrowhead: The Air Force recruit finished 18-1 after breaking through to win the 160-pound Division 1 championship after second-place finishes at 113 as a freshman and 145 as a junior.
Tyler Goebel, sr., Mukwonago: He defeated Waunakee's Sam Lorenz, the state's top-ranked competitor at 138 pounds, according to wiwrestling.com, to win the Division 1 championship and complete a 17-1 season.
Hayden Halter, sr., Waterford: A state champion as a freshman and sophomore, Halter (13-1) was the Division 1 runner up at 126 pounds.
Ben Kawczynski, sr., Oak Creek: The Division 1 285-pound champion is his school's first state champion since 1992 and second overall. He finished 15-0.
Mitchell Mesenbrink, jr., Arrowhead: The three-time state qualifier went 17-0 and won the Division 1 152pound title. He was the 138-pound champion last year.
Connor Mirasola, fr., West Bend West: The Division1 170-pound champion went 20-0, capping the season with a one-point win in the semifinals and a sudden victory in the final.
Braeden Scoles, soph., Kewaskum: Scoles (16-0) scored a pin and two technical falls at state on the way to winning the 160-pound title in Division 2. He was the 145-pound champion last year.
Joey Showalter, jr., Elkhorn: The Division 1 runner-up at 113 pounds finished 15-1.
Connor Thorpe, sr., Brookfield East: The Northern Iowa recruit finished 14-0 and won the 145-pound championship in Division 1. He is the school's first champion since 1996.
Noah Tonsor, jr., Slinger: The Division 1 113-pound champion went 23-0 to capture the school's first individual title and then helped the Owls reach the semifinals of the state team tournament.
Cade Willis, sr., Union Grove: He finished 16-1 and took third place in a strong Division 1 field at 132 pounds.