Bay View Middle School wins state title

By Rich Palzewic

Sports Editor

HOWARD – If middle school talent is any indication, the Bay Port High School wrestling team should be set up for future success.

Bay View Middle School recently won its first Wisconsin Wrestling Federation (WWF) Middle School Team State title in Marshfield after beating Menomonie in the finals, 66-15.

Bay View went 5-0 on the day to capture the title.

“We had a great day of wrestling,” said ninth-year head coach Ryan Shefchik, whose cousin, Brad Shefchik, is the Bay Port wrestling coach. “There were two separate pools – one with five teams and the other with four. We wrestled every team in our pool, and after we won our side of the bracket, we wrestled the winner from the other pool. We had great depth and wrestled 20 kids at the state meet.”

Before capturing the title with the rout over Menomonie, Bay View defeated Wisconsin Rapids (33-29), Marshfield (46-27), Middleton (72-3) and Mukwonago (61-18).

This was the third season the WWF held a middle school state championship.

“We have a great high school coaching staff and an outstanding wrestling club,” said Shefchik. “We have a ton of kids in the youth program – that helps. By the time we get the kids on the middle school team, most have experience with competing, but we also bring in lots of new kids. This gets them ready for high school where they do lots more team stuff.”

Shefchik said Bay Port’s Max Meeuwsen, who is a two-time, WIAA Division 1 state champ, is good motivation for his wrestlers.

“Max didn’t start wrestling until his sophomore year,” Shefchik said. “He proves you don’t have to be wrestling your whole life to be successful. Senior Chandler Stordeur was also a state qualifier at Bay Port, and he didn’t start wrestling until the seventh grade. You can jump in any time and work hard. All the things you do throughout the year help – participate in other sports and be active.”

Shefchik said there are no qualifications to participate in the state championships, but generally, only teams that feel they can compete at a high level travel to the meet.

“We were seeded No. 5 this year,” he said. “There were two divisions – if you were in Division 1, it was based on whether your high school is Division 1. Division 2 and 3 high schools were placed in Division 2 for the championships. We had nine teams competing in our division.”

Seeding was based on how team members did the prior year at the individual state tournament.

“If you had five or six wrestlers do well the prior year and place at individual state, you earned more seeding points,” said Shefchik. “It’s not exactly the best format and a little hard to get a true seeding, but it worked out. In my opinion, the best four teams in the state were in the same pool this year.”

Shefchik said there are no guarantees in sports, but this year’s success should help Bay Port for years to come.

“With the things we have in place at Bay View and the high school and the attitude of the wrestlers and families, we are poised for lots of success in the future,” he said. “If everyone sticks with it, there’s lots of potential.”

Owen Wathke (5-0), Ethan Farley (4-0) and Carter Kallies (3-0) went undefeated on the day, while Caden Verhasselt (4-1), Tevyn Montgomery (4-1), Alois Schlumpf (4-1), Ayden Bruckner (4-1), Noah Kriescher (3-1), Calix Klimek (3-1) and Nicholas Shomaker (2-1) suffered one loss.

Will Nast (3-2), Hunter Neddo (3-2), Colton Zipp (3-2), Isaac Powell (1-0), Dylan Heier (1-0), Donovan Harris (1-4), Waylon Wilson (1-0), Noah Holtz (1-0), Trevor Finger (0-2) and James Rose (0-1) also participated.

Wathke, Bruckner, Kriescher and Klimek served as the team captains this season.

Farley, a second-year wrestler, pinned everyone he wrestled at the state meet.

Shefchik said against Rapids in Round 2, Kallies delivered a must-win for Bay View in the toughest dual of the day.

“That was the biggest moment of the day,” Shefchik said of Kallies’ victory. “We entered the final match trailing by two points.”