On Saturday, February 12, the Whitewater Wrestling Team achieved one of their goals that they set out to accomplish after last season, win a Regional Wrestling Championship. After the dust settled in a great tournament held at Jefferson High School, the Whippets brought home their first Regional Championship since 2017 by outdistancing Delavan-Darien. As a team, the Whippets wrestled very well and proved it was a team effort, as everyone did their part. If a teammate had a hiccup, others were there to step up and make up for it. Of the 14 competitors, 13 finished in the top four, with our sole 5th place finisher, Sebastian Cuellar, wrestling his heart out to finish his day with a pin in the 5th place match. He had a tough first round loss to the young man who ended up coming in 2nd place for the weight class.
Individually, the Whippets had 3 champions in Jarvis Porcaro, Marcus DePorter, and Mason DePorter. Each of these champs had big wins on the day to help push the points more into Whitewater’s favor.
Coming in runner up and also earning a trip to Individual Sectionals on Saturday were Traysen Thomason, Aaron Porras, Carter Friend, and Leo Ortiz. Each of these gentlemen lost tough ones in the championship round, but were able to hold onto their position as a qualifier.
Just missing out on qualifying and finishing in 3rd place were CJ Tomomitsu, Connor Friend, Cooper Hammond, and Hector Arnodo. CJ, Connor, and Cooper each had an opportunity to wrestle for true second but came up just short, so they are alternates for Saturday in case of injury to a wrestler that finished ahead of them.
Last but definitely not least, as they brought in great team points, were Jason Villegas and Jesus Barajas. Jason wrestled outstanding all day and continued to show the great improvement he has all season long, dropping a good match to his opponent for 3rd. Barajas also wrestled well on the day, knowing he had an uphill battle, as he was bumped up a weight to help the team win a title. He did not back down in the 3rd place match, but came up short.
The coaching staff is extremely proud of the accomplishments of this team. As an underclassman said afterward, “Yes, we get to spend another week competing with these seniors. I love this team!”
The team is in action on Tuesday night, February 15, when they travel to participate in the Team Sectional at River Valley High School in Spring Green. Their first dual is at 6:00, and then the championship dual will be at 8:00. The winner on Tuesday night in the two duals qualifies for Team State.
Article Submitted by John Schimming
Whitewater High School Head Wrestling Coach
jschimming@wwusd.org
Photo Courtesy of Bob Mischka
