Earning the title of “champion” in any sport or activity is always an arduous task. But to repeat is much more demanding. Once you reach the top, everyone comes after you. As WEM-JWP state champion wrestler Keegan Kuball was told all season, the hunter becomes the hunted.
The Janesville Journal has the privilege of congratulating Kuball once again. He tussled and duked it out with the best wrestlers Class A had to offer in the state individual tournament on Friday and Saturday, March 1-2, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. And for the second consecutive time, he took the title of state champion, making him the first wrestler in the team’s highly esteemed history to win multiple state champion titles.
WEM-JWP sent three juniors to the state tournament this year: Carson Petry at 127, Avery Fall at 189, and Keegan Kuball at 285. Kuball was hoping to repeat as state champion, Petry looked to capitalize on his second year at the state tournament, and Fall was hoping to make the best of his first time at St. Paul.
Sadly, for Fall, his experience was short-lived. In his first matchup against Peyton Hemmesch of Paynesville, he had an injury to his arm 17 seconds into the bout and had to forfeit the match. Although he qualified for the first consolation round, he had to forfeit that match, too.
Petry’s experience was better, although he lost a close matchup in the first round. He faced Pipestone Area’s Brayden Burmeister. He earned four points with a takedown and a two-point near fall after the first period. With another escape in the second period followed by a takedown by Burmeister, Petry held a 5-1 lead going into the third period. Burmeister earned another takedown, which Petry escaped. However, Burmeister earned a penalty point, and in a twist of fate, was able to get a takedown and pinned Petry within the final 30 seconds of the thirdperiod.
Since Burmeister won his next match, Petry moved on to the first round of consolation against Adam Devlaeminck of Minneota. After getting taken down in the second period, Petry dominated in the third, getting two near falls totaling five points and escaping a reversal. He won by an 8-4 decision. He then defeated a familiar foe Masyn Hanson of Kenyon-Wanamingo with a 3-1 decision.
Petry took on West Central Area’s Owen Gruchow, and the two gave the crowd an entertaining matchup. Petry had a two-point near fall before Gruchow escaped for 4-1 in the first period. The two had six points each in the second period. Although Gruchow earned one more point than Petry in the third, the Grizzly’s performance in the first was the difference-maker in an 11-9 decision.
In the third-place matchup, Petry faced Burmeister again. This time, he lost an 8-0 major decision and took fourth place.
Kuball’s journey to the state championship began with a win by fall in 1:31 over Jonathan Rose of Fosston-Bagley. In the quarterfinals, it took Kuball a little longer to pin his opponent, Gavin Noyes of Canby. After Kuball earned a takedown, Noyes escaped. When making his choice before the second period, Noyes thought he could escape again and tie the score. But Kuball was able to pin him instead, getting the victory by fall in 3:32.
Kuball then faced Dylan Smith of Ogilvie in the semifinals. Neither one could get a point in the first period, and in the second period, Kuball escaped to make it 1-0. After getting a two-point near fall, the referee cautioned him. Smith escaped, but Kuball took the match with a 3-1 decision.
Kuball entered the championship round and faced Will Rustan, who was ranked #6 in Class A and had also won his last match by a 3-1 decision. On paper, it looked close between the two heavyweights, and for a few minutes, it was.
Kuball got the initial takedown in the first period, but Rustan escaped to make it 2-1. However, in the closing seconds of the first, Kuball was awarded a point since Rustan was penalized for stalling. In the second period, Kuball earned an escape and was again rewarded a point due to Rustan stalling. With a 5-1 lead, he didn’t have to do much to maintain his win. Another two points due to his opponent stalling a fourth time gave him all the room he needed to win the championship by a 7-2 decision.
On top of placing well in the tournament, Kuball and Petry were given All-State team honors.
The wrestling team and the fans welcomed the three state participants home to Waterville-Elysian-Morristown on Sunday, March 3. The usual fanfare of the state wrestlers riding on a firetruck to the front of the school didn’t end up happening because the Waterville Fire Department helped multiple other fire departments fight the large fire impacting the fields northeast of Waseca throughout the afternoon.
After creating a tunnel and greeting the state participants, everyone gathered in the WEM gym and celebrated each person’s achievements. Activities Director Jeff Boran was the first to congratulate them.
He used one word to describe each wrestler. For Avery Fall, he used the word “tough.” “He laid on the mat for a little while when he got injured. When they bent his arm the right way, he got up and walked off the mat. He didn’t get carted off. He shook his opponent’s hand and walked off. That’s tough. Everyone here wishes you a speedy recovery.”
The word he used for Petry is courage. Boran explained that at the end of his first match, he hit a move that usually goes in his favor. But his opponent had a defense that took advantage of that move.
“It didn’t end the way he wanted,” Boran said. “So, what did he do? He shook himself off and took advantage of his next opportunity. He fights his way back to the third-place match. That takes courage.”
The word for Kuball was “dominance.” Boran claimed that Kuball was more on the lighter end of a heavyweight at 285, and his opponent in the championship was pretty big. “He just pushed him around,” he said. “He may have not scored a lot of points, but he pushed the other guy around so much that he didn’t like being on the mat with him.”
He was one of the first to use the phrase “the hunter becomes the hunted” when it came to Kuball. “What’s better than two state tournaments?” He asked the crowd. He then looked at Kuball. “Three. You got one more in you.”
Co-head Coach Skylar Petry shared a few words, thanking the fans for coming to the celebration at the last minute and making the tournament experience for the three wrestlers memorable.
Fall may not have had the experience everyone wanted for him, but even though his opponent was ranked third in the tournament, Petry said he would never forget what he said before the matchup began. “He approached me and said, ‘This guy doesn’t even look that good.’ We knew everyone was excited about the opportunity.
“Even though it didn’t go his way, he has one more year to give it all. He has that energy that always spreads to the other guys.”
On Carson: “We had a lot of confidence going into it. There was one mistake that ended up costing him the first match. But he kept going and beat one state-ranked guy, another state-ranked guy. Seeing him wrestler as a coach and a brother, I’m super proud of him.”
Petry pointed out with Kuball that after winning the state championship last year, there’s the expectation that he wins the rest of his matches throughout the career. There was a point in this season when he took his fair share of losses and went on a losing streak. “We had a tougher schedule this year,” he said. “But it only prepared him more for the state tournament.
“For him to come out with the poise that he had is super impressive. I’m super proud of him. I hope he does well to enjoy this now and be hungry for one more next season.”
He then thanked all the parents. “All the heart and sweat they put into this is admirable. We’re thankful to have such a great support system behind us.”
Co-head Coach Adam Roesler was next. His main focus was on gratitude. “When you see everyone in the suite — the Petrys, the Kuballs, the Jameses, and the Falls — and everyone in the stands…and to see all the other wrestlers give up their Sunday to be here…we’re very grateful. We have all these alumni and former coaches who come back and support us. It feels so good to see all of you. Thank you.”
The three state participants shared what they were grateful for.
Petry: “I’m grateful that I was able to stay healthy all season long and reach the state tournament. I’m glad that Avery was seeded third in our section and placed second to make the state tournament. I’m also grateful that things turned out okay for us at the tournament and that we got a champion again.”
Kuball: “Thank you everyone that was able to make the state tournament. It really drives us to keep going. Thanks to my coaches for helping me prepare and get through the tournament. I do have one thing to say about Coach Brady [Ayers]. Before my first match, I felt a lot of pressure, and two minutes before my first match, I was puking. He was able to get me back up and going.
“During my semifinal match, I was probably the most nervous I’d ever been before a match. Coach Roesler and I walked along the hallway for 30 minutes, and he was able to just talk to me and keep me calm. Again, thank you to everyone.”
Fall: “So, I know I only got 17 seconds. It was a short time. But I’ll never forget those 17 seconds. I’m very thankful for it, just being out there. You all made it memorable and enjoyable. I can’t say how thankful I am to my coaches and everyone in the stands. Even the other guys, when their season was over, they came in and practiced with us. We had over 20 guys in the room. Having them in the room with us still makes the team feel like a family.
“…I was in basketball two years ago. To find a passion and success in a sport that I didn’t really know about three years ago, it’s something that I’m thankful for. I can’t even explain how thankful I am to have the opportunity to put in the work I do. I fractured my leg at the beginning of the year and had it taken away from me for three weeks. I’ve learned a lot more than wrestling in my experience within the sport. And one of those things is taking advantage of all the time you get. You don’t know when it will get taken away from you.”
What a fantastic season for WEM-JWP. This year will be the last for senior wrestlers Gavin Krause, Patrick Adams, and Isaac Quast. However, all the other wrestlers — including the three state participants — are already preparing to return strong next season.
