Shramek repeats as state champion

As the saying goes, defense wins championships. 

That proved to be the case for Blair-Taylor senior Jackson Shramek as the wrestler allowed just two points in three matches to win a state title for the second straight year.

Defense led to offense and a state championship in the final match of the B-T wrestler’s career.

Joe Schroeder, the third seed from Cedar Grove-Belgium, hadn’t been challenged much, winning his first match 9-0 before pinning second-seeded Bode Brokopp in the semifinal round.

Schroeder was aggressive against Shramek. He grabbed Shramek’s leg early in the first period, but the B-T wrestler escaped without allowing any points. Shramek said his defensive approach wasn’t necessarily a strategy going into the match, “I was just trying to feel him out.” 

Schroeder shot in again with about 28 seconds left in the first period. This time, it would prove to be a mistake he could not recover from.

The CCB senior who came into the match with a 50-5 record on the season got his hand on Shramek’s right knee, but that’s as close as he’d get. Shramek backed up and as Schroeder came to his feet to regroup, it was too late. The B-T senior grabbed Schroeder from underneath his right arm, picked him up, twisted and threw him to his back.

It was over. 

“I pulled him off of my leg on his shot,” Shramek said. “He was pressuring hard with his under hook and I was already kind of turned so I knew I could throw him.” 

Shramek stayed on top of Schroeder then squeezed him for a few seconds before the referee slapped the mat for a pin. 

Greg Bratina, Shramek’s coach, said he expected Schroeder to be aggressive and that played right into his wrestler’s hands.

“A lot of guys (Shramek) wrestled just really wanted to slow him down,” Bratina said. “This guy at least came at Jackson, which really opens up Jackson’s style of wrestling more. When guys do that, you can see the result.” 

Shramek, who won the 182-pound weight class a year ago, continued his dominant postseason in the state tournament again this year. He was the top seed in the 215-pound class after controlling both the regional and the sectional — which included last year’s 215-pound state runner-up, Brady Lehnherr of La Crosse Aquinas. 

Shramek said being the top seed didn’t really change his mentality, “it’s still another wrestling tournament.”

The B-T senior’s first match of the state tournament came against ninth-seeded Wesley Egan of Parkview/Albany, a rematch from the sectional round.

Shramek handed Egan his third loss of the season in the sectional by technical fall. In the state tournament, however, he didn’t waste any time. The B-T wrestler took Egan down in the first period and pinned him in 50 seconds. 

The only points Shramek gave up in the tournament came in the semifinal, though the outcome of that was never really in doubt. B-T’s wrestler took the lead over Axel Tegels of Cadott (39-10) with an escape in the second period then went ahead 3-0 with a takedown. After allowing an escape, Shramek scored another takedown to take a 5-1 lead into the third period. There, Shramek was able to keep Tegels in check for the third period, allowing just a penalty point with 31 seconds remaining. 

The B-T wrestler allowed just 11 points in nine WIAA tournament matches this year. 

“It’s his style of wrestling for the most part, especially this year,” Bratina said. “He has always been good on his feet. In the past, he would be more willing to let guys go and take them down again... obviously, the fewer chances you let them get to you, the better chance you’ve got at winning.” 

Shramek finished his season with a 42-3 record and his career with a 131-24 mark — 91-7 over the last two seasons. He went 8-5 as a freshmen and credited his improvement to working hard in the offseason. He qualified for the state tournament as a sophomore, losing in the opening round.

“He earned it...He is always doing the extra,” Bratina said. “Getting extra time in wrestling, whether it is with his brother or someone else. Just kept honing his craft and improving... He has just been a real joy to coach.”

Shramek said he plans to wrestle collegiately, but has not yet decided on where that will be. 

G/M’s Koss, third, Kaz fourth

A big swing in his first match helped pave the way for a third-place finish by Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro’s Colton Koss.

Koss was ranked seventh in his Division Two 106-pound bracket and trailed 4-2 in the second period of his first match. The sophomore answered with a reversal before allowing an escape to surrender the lead again.

The final 35 seconds proved to be crucial as Koss scored a takedown then turned Osceola’s Hunter Kromrey to his back for three nearfall points to take a 9-5 lead into the third period. Koss scored a takedown early in the third to win 11-5.

Koss lost his next match, 4-1, to eventual second-place finisher Westin Ingham of Amery. But the G/M wrestler responded. First, he pinned Collin Frey of Evansville in the first period then topped Parker Spierings, 5-2, to advance to the third-place match. 

Koss was in trouble against Landen Bogard, the third-seeded wrestler from East Troy. Bogard took Koss down and put him on his back to take a 5-0 lead in the first period. Koss scored two on a reversal at the start of the second, but Bogard got his own reversal and again put Koss on his back to take a 10-2 lead with a minute left in the second.

However, Koss got out of the pinch, then put Bogard on his back before securing a pin — and a third-place finish — with 13 seconds left in the period. 

Koss finished his sophomore season with a 53-7 record.

G/M’s Macki Kaz lost only to the top two seeds in her 138-pound bracket. 

Kaz, the fifth seed, opened the tournament by pinning Aubrey Hilton of Eau Claire North before sticking Leah Lawrence, the fourth seed from Wisconsin Lutheran. 

That put the G/M wrestler in the semifinal round against the tournament’s top seed, undefeated and eventual champion Carley Ceshker of Badger. Ceshker scored a takedown then secured a pin in 1:13, sending Kaz to the opposite side of the bracket.

The G/M wrestler responded with a 58-second pin of Natalie Poplawski of New Berlin West. That put Kaz in the third-place match against the tournament’s second seed, Hailey Berg of Bonduel. 

Kaz nearly got a pin, putting Berg on her back with 30 seconds left in the second period, but Berg got out of it and scored a reversal to take a 4-3 lead into the third. Berg scored a takedown early in the final frame then finished the match with a pin. 

Kaz finished her sophomore season with a 33-3 record. 

G/M had a third competitor as Gunnar Johnson fell to eventual fourth-place finisher Steven Kielpikowski of Denmark in the opening round of the tournament Thursday night. 

The Denmark sophomore took a 2-0 lead in the first period against the G/M junior. Kielpikowski scored three more points in the second and two in the third to go ahead 7-0 before Johnson scored a reversal, but lost 7-2. 

Johnson finished the season with a 43-12 record.