Sports

Late Saturday morning, February 1, leading into early afternoon provided fans of wrestling with some great action to take in as the Whitewater Boys’ and Girls’ Wrestling teams closed out their home season with dual meets against the Panthers of Oregon.

The day started off with 20 great match ups between the two teams as weights aligned very well and all students from both teams had the opportunity to compete in front of their parents and family on parent/senior night. At the end of the JV competition the Whippets found to be on the positive side of approximately ⅔ of the matches so it was a great showing and very positive way to close out the home season.

Girls’ Wrestling Hosts First Ever Dual Meet Under the Light

Following the Boys’ JV the Girls’ Team had the opportunity to wrestle under the spotlight for the first time ever at Whitewater High School. This was a very nice experience as it had the exact same feel that fans are used to seeing when the boys compete, with the spotlight and their famous 30 seconds of walkout music that pumps them up. The girls wrestled very well with Isabelle Cantu, Aubrey Fuoco, Payton Taylor, and Marianna Kubicz all coming away with wins on the night. Aubrey had the match of the night as she was losing 3-0 in the 3rd period. She chose to go on top when it was her choice and she used lots of grit to turn her opponent to take a lead 4-3 and then turned her again this time to seal the pin. It was a very nice moment for a young lady who had just joined wrestling for the first time this year. Marianna Kubicz closed things out for the girls with a 2nd period reversal and then turned the girl to her back to secure the pin for the Whippets. Unfortunately, Oregon Girls were too much to handle and the Whippets dropped the dual meet 24-42, but it was definitely a step in the right direction for the growth of girls’ wrestling in the area having a dual meet with the same atmosphere as we are used to seeing the boys have at home.

Boys Fall to Oregon in Close Dual Meet

The boys’ team closed out the day’s events with a very good dual meet that saw them fall just short to a very strong Panther team. Oregon is a favorite to win their regional in two weeks, and the Whippets held their own. Unfortunately, in the end a couple of tough losses were too much for the Whippets to overcome, falling 36-38. Junior Soto got the team on the board first with what may have been his best wrestling match of his career as he wrestled extremely smart vs an opponent that was significantly bigger than he was. Junior was able to stay in great position on top and used perfect technique to turn his opponent over for the pin. The Whippets followed with a couple of forfeits at 106 and 113 by Cooper Housel and Juan Garrafa. This brought us to one of the featured matches of the day where Jarvis Porcaro had a very talented opponent from Oregon. Jarvis just missed out on a takedown on the edge of the mat in the first period as his foot just came off the mat; as they say sports are inches from success or failure sometimes. This really could have been a swing in the match. Jarvis ended up wrestling to the bitter end but dropped a tough decision. After a couple more tough loses for the Whippets, Connor Friend came out and went to work securing a pin to bring the Whippets back where they needed to be, needing one win to secure a victory. Another pivotal match occurred at 150 pounds where Traysen Thomason had a great opponent whom he had narrowly beaten at the mid-states 7-6. This was a match that came right to the end with Traysen falling 7-8. Avi Kalra closed out the scoring for the Whippets with a pin at 165 to bring the score to the final of 36-38.

A big thank you goes out to all parents and family members who make wrestling possible for their sons and daughters. Also, a congratulations goes out to the seniors as they competed on the Whippet home wrestling mat for the final time on Saturday. It was a nice career for all of them, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds in the tournaments series as well as their future selves.

The Lady Whippets are next in action on Tuesday night, February 4, when they travel to Beloit Turner for a quad starting at 5:30. Both teams then close out the regular season on Wednesday night at Janesville Craig. Friday night sees the JV team traveling to East Troy to compete in the JV Conference Tournament followed by the boys’ and girls’ teams traveling to East Troy on Saturday morning for the RVC Conference Tournament. Wrestling begins on Saturday at 9:15.

Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

Following a tough loss the night before, the boys’ varsity wrestling team traveled to Monroe for an individual tournament on Saturday, January 25. The boys recovered quickly from the previous day’s disappointment. Since the tournament was individual, each wrestler had their own personal goals for the day. It was inspiring to see them test their determination in the quest for victory and overcome adversity throughout the event.

Leading the way was Jarvis Porcaro. He opened the day by winning his first match by pinning his opponent. This victory propelled him into the semifinal match against a competitor from Belmont/Platteville, where he won decisively by a major decision, 15-1. This win advanced him to the finals against a tough wrestler from Boscobel/Wauzeka-Steuben. We believe this was one of Jarvis’s best matches of the year. He displayed persistence throughout the match and secured the victory with a last-second takedown.

As mentioned earlier, each wrestler had individual goals, and most were able to achieve at least some of them. Following Jarvis in the tournament standings were Jason Porras, Traysen Thomason, and Avi Kalra. All three wrestlers won their first-round matches but lost in the second round. This loss placed them in contention for fifth place, which they fought hard to attain. 

Overall, it was a very successful tournament. The Whippets finished 9th out of 16 teams, despite competing with only 11 wrestlers. The coaches were impressed with how the team performed after a tough loss the night before. As a team, they have committed to continuous improvement throughout the season, aiming to peak at the right time.

Article and Photo Courtesy of John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

On Thursday, January 30th the Whippet Boys’ Swim Team held their final conference dual meet at home against Delavan-Darien. The Whippets closed out the regular season with a 126 to 32 win over the Comets. The boys went 21 of 28 best times and even had a few try out a new event.

Angel Kilar and Jack Hefty both swam the 200 Free for the first time this season, Angel swam an impressive 2:58.78. Jack won the event with a time of 2:00.86, with Mateo Bazeley close behind where he went a 2:02.90, dropping 8 seconds. Jack’s time put him 10th on the Whippet Top 10 List.

Andrew O’Toole gave the 200 IM a shot and had a great swim going a time of 2:48.93. Xavier Ortiz stepped up to the challenge and crushed his previous time by 20 seconds.

Sam Nickelsburg, Isaac Straight, Cruz Aranda, and Langdon Coburn all went best time in the 50 Free.

Jack Hefty dropped 4 seconds in his 100 Butterfly going a time of 1:02.66, and Myles Morse dropped 8 seconds going a time of 1:03.90.

Wyatt Esch continues to drop more time in the 100 Freestyle going a time of 1:02.50 while battling it out against teammate Andrew O’Toole who went a time of 1:02.36.

Langdon Coburn and Caleb Kluck both gave the 500 Freestyle a try for the first time. Langdon went a time of 5:47.80, and Caleb went a time of 6:54.94. Sam Nickelsburg had a massive time drop; he dropped over 42 seconds going a time of 6:38.94.

Myles Morse swam the 100 Backstroke for the first time this season going a 1:11.98.  Wyatt Esch dropped 3 seconds going a 1:14.50.

Cruz Aranda and Mateo Bazeley both swam the 100 Breaststroke for the first time. Cruz went a time of 1:10.70, which puts him 8th on the Whippet Top 10 List. Isaac Straight continues to drop time going a time of 1:29.60.

The Whippets are now headed into Championship Season. We have JV Conference up first on Tuesday, February 4th.

Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

Wrestling Results (Oregon 38.0 Whitewater 36.0) – Varsity

Oregon @ Whitewater on 02/01/2025

106: Cooper Housel (WTWR) over (OREG) (For.)

113: Juan Garrafa (WTWR) over   (OREG) (For.)

120: Sam Fahey (OREG) over Jarvis Porcaro (WTWR) (Dec 5-1)

126: Evan Fahey (OREG) over Jasen Porras (WTWR) (Fall 1:01)

132: Caden Schwartz (OREG) over Brady Friend (WTWR) (MD 16-2)

138: Cade Aaberg (OREG) over Keenan Sheffield (WTWR) (Fall 0:28)

144: Connor Friend (WTWR) over Thomas ruth (OREG) (Fall 1:49)

150: Braeden Bakken (OREG) over Traysen Thomason (WTWR) (Dec 7-6)

157: Kaleb Klitzman (OREG) over Max Babcock (WTWR) (MD 12-0)

165: Avi Kalra (WTWR) over Camden Wood (OREG) (Fall 3:47)

175: Tomas Neumann (OREG) over Richi Kalra (WTWR) (Fall 1:29)

190: Paxton Krengel (OREG) over Trevor Piper (WTWR) (Fall 1:18)

215: Austin Retzlaff (WTWR) over Riley Black (OREG) (Fall 1:32)

285: Junior Soto (WTWR) over Ari Kamin (OREG) (Fall 3:10)

You can find more details regarding this dual using the following link:
https://www.trackwrestling.com/tw/seasons/LoadBalance.jsp?pageName=DualMatches.jsp&dualId=8341743132

Information Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org

Beloit Turner defeated Whitewater 59-45 in RVC Girls’ Basketball action Friday night, January 31, at Whitewater High School.

The game was back and forth for most of the first 15 minutes, and Turner built a five-point lead at halftime. In the second half, the teams played even until Turner went on a quick 9-2 run to take a 53-42 lead. 

Calli Grosinske led all Whippet scorers with 23.

Whitewater plays at Delavan-Darien on Thursday, February 6, and then will have their last home game against Monroe on Tuesday, February 11. It will be senior night and parents’ night.

Article Submitted by Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org

The Whippet Boys’ Swim Team hosted Beloit Memorial on Tuesday, January 29th. The boys pulled off a big win on Senior Night beating Beloit Memorial 108 to 61. The night was spent celebrating our seniors and all their success in the pool as Whippets!

Senior Jack Hefty went a season best time in the 200 IM with a time of 2:24.55 and a lifetime best in the 100 Breaststroke with a time of 1:13.31; he sits 10th on the Top 10 List.

Senior Myles Morse went season best times in both of his individual events and won both events on the night. In the 200 Freestyle he went a time of 2:08.17 and in the 500 Freestyle he recorded a time of 5:38.94.

Senior Miles Nickelsburg went a lifetime best in both of his events. Miles won the 50 Freestyle with a time of 26.62 and put up a great swim in the 500 Freestyle where he dropped 16 seconds to go a time of 5:51.05

Senior Andrew O’Toole went a lifetime best in the 50 Freestyle going a time of 27.07. Andrew also continues to swim a strong 100 Backstroke and recorded a time of 1:24.17.

Senior Isaac Straight dropped 2 seconds in his 50 Freestyle going a time of 37.19 and dropped 6 seconds in his 100 Breaststroke going a time of 1:32.35.

Other highlights from the night included Cruz Aranda going 2/2 in best times in the 100 Fly going a time of 58.98 putting him 6th on the Whippet Top 10 List. Langdon Coburn also had a stellar 100 Fly going a time of 59.26 where he now sits 7th on the Whippet Top 10 List! Wyatt Esch and Xavier Ortiz tried out new events for the first time and both absolutely crushed them! Caleb Kluck dropped 7 seconds and Sam Nickelsburg dropped 13 seconds in the 200 Freestyle. David Enns dropped 3 seconds in the 100 FR going a time of 1:03.98.

The Whippets close out their regular season on Thursday, January 30th at home against Delavan-Darien. Swimming starts at 5:30 pm; come cheer on the Whippets at their last home meet!

Article and Photos Courtesy of Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

On Saturday, January 25th the Whippet Boys’ Swim Team traveled to Jefferson to compete in the EagleJay Invite. The boys took 2nd overall and had some really good swims!

Top 16 Finishes Include:

• 200 Medley Relay
  • Relay A (6th – 2:04.59) Miles Nickelsburg, David Enns, Myles Morse, Caleb Kluck
  • Relay B (10th – 2:17.09) Wyatt Esch, Isaac Straight, Sam Nickelsburg, Xavier Ortiz
• 200 Freestyle:
  • Cruz Aranda – 1st (1:55.75)
  • Miles Nickelsburg – 6th (2:15.29)
• 200 IM:
  • Myles Morse – 5th (2:34.64)
• 50 Freestyle
  • Mateo Bazeley – 2nd (24.29) Now 10th on the Whippet Top 10 List tied with his brother Devin; Jack Hefty – 3rd (24.69) Caleb Kluck – 13th (27.28) Wyatt Esch – 14th (27.32)
  • David Enns – 15th (27.92)
• 100 Butterfly
  • Langdon Coburn – 4th (1:00.06) Now 7th on the Whippet Top 10 List
  • Sam Nickelsburg – 9th (1:10.67)
• 100 Freestyle
  • Cruz Aranda – 1st (51.69) Now 6th on the Whippet Top 10 List
  • Mateo Bazeley – 2nd (54.53)
• 500 Freestyle
  • Myles Morse – 1st (5:42.67)
• 200 Freestyle Relay
  • Relay A (1st – 1:38.23) Jack Hefty, Langdon Coburn, Mateo Bazeley, Cruz Aranda
  • Relay B (8th – 2:02.71) Xavier Ortiz, David Enns, Angel Kilar, Sam Nickelsburg
• 100 Backstroke
  • Langdon Coburn – 4th (1:06.04) Miles Nickelsburg – 7th (1:10.67) Wyatt Esch – 12th (1:17.68)
  • Xavier Ortiz – 14th (1:30.01)
• 100 Breaststroke
  • Jack Hefty – 5th (1:14.84) David Enns – 10th (1:22.90)
  • Isaac Straight – 16th (1:38.45)
• 400 Freestyle Relay
  • Relay A (1st – 3:43.85) Cruz Aranda, Mateo Bazeley, Langdon Coburn, Jack Hefty
  • Relay B (4th – 4:05.91) Myles Morse, Caleb Kluck, Wyatt Esch, Miles Nickelsburg

The boys were back in action on Tuesday, January 28th at home against Beloit Memorial for senior night.

Article and Photo Submitted by Sarah Reynolds
Whitewater High School Head Swim Coach
ReynoldsSM07@uww.edu

The Whitewater Girls’ Basketball Team fell to Evansville 48-36 on Thursday, January 23, in a game played at Whitewater High School.

Whitewater took an early 12-8 lead, but Evansville went on a 15-0 run to close the first half. The second half was evenly matched as Evansville never led by more than 15, but Whitewater never got within eight points.

Emery Kachel led the Whippet scorers with 10, followed by Zoe Kohl with 9.

Article Courtesy of Mike Dowden
Whitewater High School Head Girls’ Basketball Coach
dowmi01@wwusd.org