PdC Wrestling places third in Division Two for a second straight year and four wrestlers become place winners at the 41st annual Bi-State Classic in La Crosse
The Blackhawks pose for a photo on the stage at the La Crosse Center after accepting their team award for placing top three in their division. The Hawks scored 153.5 points, 2.5 points more than Lodi, to earn third place in Division Two. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Blake Thiry stares down Port Washington’s Garett Kawczynski as the two wrestlers do battle in the championship match at 215 pounds. Kawczynski would defeat Thiry by a score of 6-5. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Prairie du Chien junior Bryce Lenzendorf had the unfortunate luck of having the second ranked wrestler in the country in his bracket. Lenzendorf is pictured here facing off against Mequon Homestead’s Charlie Millard (a University of Minnesota recruit) in the quarterfinal round, with Millard winning by fall in 0:57. Millard would eventually go on to win his second consecutive Bi-State Championship. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
Senior Drake Ingham looks to the referee as he tries to pin Hudson’s Malachi Hoff at 132 pounds. Ingham would have to settle for a 12-0 win instead. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
PdC senior Jeremiah Avery fights to control the wrist of Lewiston-Altura/Rushford-Peterson’s Camdyn Anderson in their quarterfinal match at 165 pounds. Despite an injury that occurred halfway through the match, Avery was able to power through the pain to earn a 11-3 victory over Anderson. (Derick Kelly/Courier Press)
By Derick Kelly
The Prairie du Chien wrestling team traveled to La Crosse on Friday, Dec. 29 and Saturday, Dec. 30 to compete in the 41st annual Bi-State Classic at the La Crosse Center and came back with a third place finish in Division Two for a second consecutive year.
The Hawks scored 153.5 points to place third in Division Two (2.5 points ahead of fourth place Lodi) out of 28 teams in the division. The 153.5 points also placed the Hawks into a tie with Mequon Homestead for 11th place overall out of 72 teams.
Leading the way for the Hawks was junior Blake Thiry who placed second at 215 pounds. Thiry advanced to the championship match for the first time in his high school career thanks to wins over Holmen’s Mason Helgerson (Fall 1:17), Mauston/Necedah’s Jaren Hansen (Fall 0:46), G-E-T/Melrose-Mindoro’s Braydon Lockington (Dec 4-0), Richland Center’s Teige Perkins (Dec 7-1), and La Crosse Aquinas’ Brady Lehnerr (Fall 1:06).
Awaiting Thiry in the finals was Port Washington’s Garett Kawczynski, a 20-0 sophomore who placed third at 220 pounds in Division One at the WIAA State Tournament last season and is currently ranked 30th nationally at 215 pounds by SBLive.com.
Kawczynski showed why he is worthy of that ranking by jumping out to a 5-0 lead on Thiry in the second period. Thiry managed to make the score 5-4 with 38 seconds left in the match before an escape by Kawczynski five seconds later made it 6-4. A stalling penalty against Kawczynski with one second left made the score 6-5 but there was unfortunately not enough time left for Thiry to go for a takedown for the win.
Thiry is the sixth Prairie du Chien wrestler to placed second at the tournament, joining Rhett Koenig (last year at 138 pounds), Traeton Saint (160 pounds in 2019), Casey Bode (145 pounds in 2005), Mike Lenzendorf (275 pounds in 2003), and Callistus (Kelly) Schissel (185 pounds in 1986).
Thiry placed third at 195 pounds in 2021 and tenth at 182 pounds last year. He joins Jon Nelson (1984-86), Mike Lenzendorf (2002-04), Zach Elliott (2004-06), Alex Stormoen (2004-06), Jon Quamme (2004-06), Taylor Elliott (2010-13), Clayton Beers (2012, 2014-15), Traeton Saint (2016-17, 2019), Rhett Koenig (2019, 2021-22), and Luke Kramer (2019, 2021-22) as the only wrestlers in program history to be a place winner three or more times at the Bi-State Classic with Taylor Elliott currently being the Hawks only four time placer though Truck Hannah did place each of the four years he competed at the tournament albeit at two different schools (three times for Viroqua, and once for PdC).
Also placing for the Hawks at this year’s meet were Jeremiah Avery (sixth at 165 pounds, Drake Ingham (ninth at 132 pounds), and Bryce Lenzendorf (ninth at 157 pounds).
The Hawks faced some incredibly tough competition over the two days as nine of the 14 PdC wrestlers who competed during the meet lost to either the eventual champion or the runner-up at their respective weight class:
120 pounds - Brady Baumgartner lost in the second match of the championship round to Hudson’s Liam Neitzel by fall in 0:46 - Neitzel was the defending 106 pound champion and lost in the 120 pound final 1-0 to Hasting, Minn’s Blake Beissel.
126 pounds - Mason Hird lost in the second match of the championship round to Hutchinson/Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, Minn’s Logan Schwanz by fall in 3:51 - Schwanz lost in the 126 pound final 16-9 to Hasting, Minn’s Trey Beissel.
144 pounds - Jackson Perkins lost in the second match of the championship round to Caledonia/Houston. Minn’s Owen Denstad by major decision 19-7 - Denstad won the championship.
150 pounds - Drew Hird lost in the second match of the championship round to Evansville’s Danny Heiser by fall in 1:33 - Heiser won the championship after winning at 132 pounds last year.
157 pounds - Bryce Lenzendorf lost in the Championship Quarterfinal match to Mequon Homestead’s Charlie Millard by fall in 0:57 - Millard won the championship after winning at 160 pounds last season. He is also currently ranked second in the country and is committed to wrestle at Minnesota next season.
165 pounds - Jeremiah Avery lost in the Championship Semifinal match to Mineral Point’s Kade Rule by medical forfeit - Rule lost 1-0 in the 165 pound final to Marshfield’s Caleb Dennee.
190 pounds - Jack MacEachern lost in the first match of the championship round to Hudson’s Ethan Winkelman by fall in 0:20 - Winkelman lost 3-2 in the 190 pound final to Luxemburg-Casco’s Trace Schoenebeck.
285 pounds - Jack Simmons lost in the third match of the championship round to Amery’s Koy Hopke by fall in 0:40 - Hopke won the championship. He is also ranked second in the country and is also committed to wrestle at Minnesota next season.
The Hawks will now turn their attention to The Clash National High School Wrestling Dual Tournament at the La Crosse Center on Friday, Jan. 5 and Jan. 6. Prairie will wrestle in the a.m. session on Friday starting at 9 a.m. Their wrestle time on Saturday will be determined by how they do in their first match on Friday. Should the Hawks win their first match on Friday, they will then wrestle in Saturday’s afternoon session and if they lose, they wrestle in the morning session on Saturday.
