The road to the state tournament is paved with grit, sweat, and split-second reversals. For the #3-seeded WEJW Grizzlies, the Section 2A Team tournament was a journey of soaring highs and heartbreaking finality, ending just one dual win shy of a trip to the big stage for the second consecutive season.
The tournament began on Thursday, Feb. 12, in the JWP auditorium. Under the watchful eyes of a packed house, the Grizzlies hosted the #6-seeded Triton Cobras in a match many spectators thought could go either way.
The Grizzlies quickly proved the doubters wrong. After an early loss by Knish, WEJW proceeded to overwhelm their adversaries on the mat. The highlight of the early rounds was a battle of attrition by Masso at 121, who secured a thrilling 17-12 decision after a flurry of reversals and a near-pin victory at the buzzer.
From there, the momentum soon became a tidal wave the Cobras couldn’t escape. Richards flattened his opponent in 35 seconds, only to be outdone by Gruber, who roared after a 29-second pinfall. Murphy and James added pins of their own, while Root and Adams dominated their respective matches.
The volume peaked during Huber’s 189-pound match, a heavyweight duel of equal skill that ended in an explosive pin. Anderson closed the night with a display of pure endurance at 285 pounds, warding off his opponent’s pressure to secure an 8-5 decision and a commanding 60-9 team victory over Triton to advance to the semifinal round of Team Sections.
On Saturday, February 14 the Grizzlies faced a “bulldog of a different breed” in the #2-seeded GMLOS. While GMLOS had struggled in their quarterfinal against St. Clair/Loyola, they came ready to go blow-for-blow against WEJW.
Knish started the Grizzlies strong with an arm-bar pin, and O. Root followed with a 17-4 technical decision. However, the Bulldogs barked back, taking matches from Smith and Masso to knot the dual at 10 points. Richards provided a massive boost, surviving a near-fall to secure a stunning reversal pin.
The middle weights were a seesaw of results for both squads. Murphy latched onto his opponent like a meddlesome tick throughout his match only to secure a second-round pin to put the Grizzlies up 22-10. After a forfeit win by James and a tough loss by Quast, B. Root engaged in a 16-12 battle that ultimately went to GMLOS, marking a slim 24-19 advantage for WEJW.
With the team score tightening, Adams showed immense resilience, turning a 4-3 deficit into a decisive pinfall late in the final round. Huber then overwhelmed his opponent with a leg lock for another pin, stretching the lead to 40-19. Despite late pinfall losses by Sheehy and Pietz, the Grizzlies secured the 40-31 team victory, punching their ticket to the Section 2A Finals.
The championship round against top-seeded Kenyon-Wanamingo (KW) was held under the intense spotlight of the finals. KW, coming off a 51-12 crushing of Westfield, proved why they were the favorites.
The Knights started with relentless intensity, securing six straight victories including five pinfalls and a 17-2 TF to claim a substantial 35-0 lead. Murphy finally broke the drought with a much-needed pinfall followed by a gutsy 6-4 decision fueled by a takedown and a late reversal by James. While Huber and Sheehy added back-to-back pins late, the outcome of this dual was already decided as KW claimed the Section 2A Championship 52-21.
Though the Grizzlies took home the runner-up medals, the disappointment was visible as several wrestlers—with tears in their eyes—vented frustrations about their performance on the mat. Coach Roesler shared the sentiment following the defeat, but understood the chance at redemption was just beyond the corner for these wrestlers, “We fell one dual win short of the state tournament for the second season in a row, but I’m proud of how our guys battled on the mat. We will have a short-term memory and get back to work in preparation for Individuals next week. “
WEJW will have little time to dwell on the loss as Individual Sections approach on February 21. Though they do not punch their ticket as a collective team, the Grizzlies look to send a contingent of successful wrestlers to the individual state tournament.
