Tuesday, September 10, 2024
By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
SUAMICO – For the second week in a row, Bay Port’s Fox River Classic Conference wrestling dual came down to the final match. And for the second straight week, the Pirates came out on the short end.
With Bay Port leading 31-30 entering the last match of the night at 106, Pulaski’s Ashton Kapla recorded an 8-0 major-decision win over the Pirates’ Hunter Bertrand to help propel the Red Raiders to a 34-31 victory at Bay Port High School.
The win improved Pulaski’s conference record to a perfect 6-0, while Bay Port dropped to 4-2.
“We were confident going into the last match, but Bay Port’s kid (Hunter Bertrand) is a fighter,” said Pulaski head coach Ryan Deprey. “I have a lot of admiration for him because he competes so hard.”
On Feb. 1, 2018, the Pirates won the FRCC crown in dramatic fashion by recording a pin in the final match of the night against the Red Raiders in Pulaski, but this year, the tides were turned.
“Each year is its own story,” added Deprey, whose team still has to wrestle Ashwaubenon in the season finale. “Last year against Bay Port wasn’t a great part for us, but we just try to get better each match and we pulled out the victory. As for Ashwaubenon, they have six hammers and we can’t look past them at all. If we do, we will come out on the short end of it – they have some studs. We will take that match as seriously as we took Bay Port.”
After the Red Raiders jumped out to a quick 13-0 lead after three matches, Bay Port won the next four to take a 21-13 lead.
The last two matches of the run by the Pirates came via pin, with Colton Berna (145) and Chandler Stordeur (152) being victorious for Bay Port.
The momentum quickly shifted back to Pulaski when Jadin Lemke (160) and Lucas Gracyalny (170) recorded successive pins to put the Red Raiders back up, 25-21.
Bay Port’s Matt Grzybowski had a 2-0 lead at 160, but Lemke got the pin with 26 seconds left in the opening period.
Derek Gibbons also got a pin at 220, before the heavyweights put on an entertaining show.
The Pirates’ Max Meeuwsen escaped with a 6-4 sudden victory win in the first minute of overtime over Liam Fahey to tie the overall match up, but a point was taken away from Pulaski’s team total after Fahey was penalized for an unsportsmanlike conduct violation to give Bay Port the one-point lead entering the final match.
“We needed a few more points in the middle to upper weights,” said Bay Port head coach Brad Shefchik. “In duals like this where it ends up seven to seven in wins, there’s always a few matches that could go either way. Tonight was pretty even.”
Pulaski 34, Bay Port 31
113: Ryan Frewerd (PUL) over Unknown (BP) (forfeit).
120: Owen Heinz (PUL) over Tristan Warzynski (BP) (decision, 8-1).
126: Cole Gille (PUL) over Connor Halverson (BP) (major decision, 14-5).
132: Marcus Delfosse (BP) over Alex Stoychoff (PUL) (major decision, 11-2).
138: Austin Heim (BP) over Brady Gille (PUL) (technical fall, 20-5 – 5:39).
145: Colton Berna (BP) over Mitchell Kitzman (PUL) (fall, 2:44).
152: Chandler Stordeur (BP) over Ben Kleppek (PUL) (fall, 3:50).
160: Jadin Lemke (PUL) over Matt Grzybowski (BP) (fall, 1:34).
170: Lucas Gracyalny (PUL) over Joshua Ouellette (BP) (fall, 3:36).
182: Alex Urban (BP) over Max Burdette (PUL) (decision, 3-0).
195: Drake Anderson (BP) over Ray Niec (PUL) (major decision, 10-2).
220: Derek Gibbons (PUL) over Matt Doherty (BP) (fall, 5:03).
285: Max Meeuwsen (BP) over Liam Fahey (PUL) (sudden victory-1, 6-4).
106: Ashton Kapla (PUL) over Hunter Bertrand (BP) (major decision, 8-0).
