Grizzlies finish best season ever with Section 2A Runner-Up finish
Front row, left to right: Luke Cahill, Avery Fall, Maddox Moreno, Carson Petry, Lucas Morsching, Keegan Kuball, Brady Murphy, Carter Hoehn, and Ashlynn Wendt. Back row, left to right: Charles Adams, Ava Quast, Reed Sammon, Zach Quast, Lawrence Pietz, Jacksten Knish, Isaac Miller, David Mielke, Avery Breyer, Brenden Masso, Trey Richards, Anaelyse Skidmore, Anne Adams, and Ryleigh Donner.
The best season in the history of WEM/JWP Grizzly wrestling came to an end Saturday, Feb. 15 with a Section 2A Runner-Up finish.
The Grizzlies finished their dual meet season with a 17-8 record after advancing to the Section finals. They were defeated by Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial, 40-25, in their first-ever Section Championship since the two schools combined in 2008-2009.
“To come within 15 points of a State Tournament berth is bittersweet. The sting of falling just short may linger, but what they’ve accomplished is nothing short of remarkable. Their growth as wrestlers and as young men is a testament to their dedication and resilience,” Co-Head Coach Adam Roesler said. “While the immediate emotions may be tough, in time, they’ll recognize what they achieved-not just in wins and rankings, but in the kind of competitors and individuals they’ve become.”
Seniors on this year’s team are Carson Petry, Carson James, Lucas Morsching, Luke Cahill, Maddox Moreno, Carter Hoehn, Avery Fall, and Keegan Kuball.
The Grizzlies have had their share of individuals who have advanced to State, but never has a team advanced this far.
In 2013 the Grizzlies were competing in Section 1AA when they made it to the semifinals before losing to eventual State Champion Kasson-Mantorville. This team featured current WEM/JWP coaches Skyler Petry, Brady and Colin Ayers.
For many of the past 16 years the Grizzlies have been in Class AA. Roesler felt if they had been in Class A during those season they may have had a chance to advance further and possibly into a Section Championship.
“We may have had some teams that could have matched what we did this year but being in AA (Section 1&2) and the depth of those sections from 09-10 to 18-19 kept us from some of the highlight matches,” Roesler said.
“For this group of seniors and juniors, the journey has been years in the...
To see more on this story pick up the February 20, 2025 print edition of the LifeEnterprise.
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