The past week was a busy one for the Whippet Boys’ Wrestling Team. On Tuesday, January 20, the team traveled to Edgerton to compete against Edgerton and Beloit Turner, coming away with two dual meet victories over the Tiders and Trojans.
Thursday, January 22, the team then traveled to Janesville Craig to have a dual meet with the Cougars. Both the JV and Varsity teams wrestled very well. The JV team won 58-12 with some very nice wrestling by all competitors. The varsity came up big with some big wins from Esteban Lopez-Villanueva at 126 and Cristian Aranda at 157 pounds. Villanueva showed much improvement and was able to wrestle tough in the closing period to secure a big victory for the Whippets. Aranda showed a no give up attitude in his victory. He was losing in the second period and found himself in a scramble on the edge of the mat. He kept wrestling through positions and was able to put his opponent to his back for a big pin. This win put the dual meet out of reach for the Cougars giving the Whippets their 7th dual meet victory on the season. They extended their record to 7-3 with one dual meet left on their regular season schedule.
Saturday, January 24, the team braved the cold and traveled to Monroe to participate in the Monroe Invitational. This was an extremely competitive tournament and was made even more competitive when some teams were added after cancelations of tournaments on Friday night. The boys wrestled tough and although WHS had nobody in the finals, they did have many competing in the final round. Gabe Crane (132) and Deavion Olson (Hwt) led the way with 3rd place finishes in two very close matches in the bronze medal victory. Also coming home with a medal for the Whippets were George Christon (106) bringing home fourth place and Austin Retzlaff (215) coming home with a 5th place finish, going 4-1 on the day.
Tuesday, January 27, the team will travel to Belleville to compete in their final dual meet of the regular season.
Article and Photos Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
