Janesville Parkers Cayden Brandenburg sizes up Marshfields Owen Griesbach during a Division 1 third-place match at 175 pounds Saturday at the Kohl Center in Madison. Griesbach won the match in a 7-5 decision, which was just Brandenburgs second loss of his senior wrestling season.
A few more seconds or a few more inches here or there can sometimes make a world of difference in wrestling.
That was the case this weekend for Janesville Parkers Cayden Brandenburg, who finished fourth in the Division 1 175-pound bracket at the WIAA individual state wrestling meet Saturday in Madison after compiling a 51-2 record on the season.
His two losses came at the state tournament.
Brandenburg suffered a 3-2 defeat against Ben Ott of Nicolet on Friday night, then dropped a 7-5 decision to Marshfields Owen Griesbach in the third-place match Saturday.
It just sucks to not go to the finals two years in a row by one takedown, Vikings coach Shane Fleming said. Its heartbreaking. Hes put in so much time and effort since he was 5 or 6 years old.
In both instances, the match couldve gone Brandenburgs way if a few moments within them had gone his way.
Janesville Parker's Cayden Brandenburg sizes up Nicolet's Ben Ott during a Division 1 individual wrestling semifinal Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison.
Against Griesbach, Brandenburg was working for points along the edge of the mat as the third period was winding down. The action left the circle, so they reset in the middle of the mat and Brandenburg ran out of time, Fleming said.
In the semifinal the night before, Ott tried a throw that missed, and Brandenburg landed on top of him but out of bounds.
That was the match right there, Fleming said.
Despite the bittersweet end, Fleming relished the chance to watch Brandenburg work up close.
He knows what hes doing, so you just try not to mess him up when youre coaching him, he said.
Parkers season also exceeded Flemings expectations and included a second state qualifier, freshman Brayden Garey at 113 pounds. Gareys qualification and the Vikings reaching the team sectional after the regional meet shifted the expectations for everyone within the Parker program.
Its fun listening to kids talk in the stands right now about what theyre planning to do next year, how high the goals are now, Fleming said. Winnings contagious, and I think they like it.
Janesville Parker senior Cayden Brandenburg receives his medal during the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Saturday.
Andrews second in 145-pound girls bracket
Sydney Andrews of Beloit Turner reached her brackets championship match but fell to eighth-seeded Harlow Skenandore of Pulaski.
Making the medal stand
Beloit Turners Sydney Andrews competes with Pulaskis Harlow Skenandore in the girls championship match at 145 pounds during the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center in Madison on Saturday. Andrews lost a 5-1 decision in the championship match but still made the podium as the second-place finisher in her bracket.
Skenandore won a 5-1 decision with a takedown in the first and a three-point near fall in the second. Andrews struggled from the bottom position in the third period and didnt get her escape point until just 10 seconds remained in the match.
Andrews was among six other area medalists (top six finishers in a bracket) at the state meet, two each from Milton, Brodhead/Juda and Orfordville Parkview/Albany.
Clara Jauch of Milton locks in a hold against Kylie Klum of Westby in their 100-pound fifth-place match Saturday at the WIAA state individual wrestling meet at the Kohl Center in Madison. Jauch won the match in a 7-3 decision after Klum won their bout in the first round of the tournament back on Thursday afternoon.
The Red Hawks other medalists were in the girls brackets. Clara Jauch finished fifth at 100 pounds, and Makenzie Usher took sixth at 114.
Marcus McIntyre won his fifth-place match in the 138-pound bracket in Division 2 for the Cardinals, and teammate Joe Lohmar took sixth in the 150-pound bracket.
Wes Egan won the fifth-place match at 215 pounds in Division 3 for the Vikings, while teammate Sam Schwengels was the sixth-place finisher at 190 pounds.
