SPASH’s Schierl suffers first loss of season in State Championship
Looking to finish off an unbeaten season with a State Title,
Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) senior Fritz Schierl fell in the
State Championship at 160 pounds at the WIAA Division 1 Individual State
Wrestling Tournament at the Kohl
Center in Madison Saturday, Feb.
27.
Second-ranked Schierl won his first three matches at state
to carry a 43-0 record into the State Championship against top-ranked junior
Jackson Hemauer of DeForest (48-2) Saturday night, where he dropped a 6-3
decision to finish as the State Runner-up.
“He wrestled his match, and I started slow,” Schierl said.
“I didn’t really go out there and wrestle my match; I just kind of fell back
throughout the match.
“It was frustrating, but I can’t do anything about it now,”
he said.
“We got away from what we wanted to do,” said first-year
SPASH wrestling head coach Rob King. “We unfortunately didn’t come up with the
first takedown and got behind a little bit and just got away from the
discipline that kept us successful all season.
“But it shouldn’t take anything away from Fritz, it was just
an awesome, awesome senior year for him,” he said. “Unfortunately, he was just
a couple points short tonight.”
After placing fourth at state at 138 pounds as a sophomore
and going 2-2 at state at 152 last year, Schierl opened this year’s State
Tournament with an 18-5 win by major decision over 11th-ranked freshman and
eventual fifth-place finisher Parker Keckeisen of Nicolet (34-9) Thursday, Feb.
25.
That sent Schierl to the State Quarterfinals Thursday night,
where he pinned seventh-ranked senior Jose Rodriguez of Kenosha Indian Trail
(47-7) in
to the State Semifinals Friday night.
“Those first two matches were important,” said Schierl. “It
felt good to get those under my belt and focus on my semifinal match.”
The win set up a rematch with third-ranked senior and 2015
Division 1 152 State Champion Brock Benitz of Wisconsin Rapids (40-3), who Schierl pinned
in
the Wisconsin Valley Conference Meet Feb. 6.
In the State Semifinals, the score remained tied at 0-0
midway through the second period, when Benitz had an escape to take a 1-0 lead.
With under 10 seconds to go in the period, Schierl scored on
a takedown to grab a 2-1 lead, and then had an escape early in the third period
to go up 3-1, and went on to a 3-1 victory to advance to the State Championship
Saturday night.
“Whenever I’m down in a match, like especially this summer
in Fargo (at the USA Wrestling Cadet/Junior National Championships), I was down
in probably five of my matches, I just kept my composure, and I knew I could
come back,” said Schierl. “And you never count a Point wrestler out, having all
the Greco in the area, the Koontzes both do the Greco team with me, so we can
throw and we can come back late in matches.
“But I just wrestled my match,” he said. “And I ended up winning
and making the finals.”
Waiting for Schierl in the State Championship Match was
Hemauer, who beat Schierl 3-2 in the second round at 152 last year before he
fell to Benitz 6-0 in last year’s State Championship to finish as the State
Runner-up.
Schierl looked to strike first Saturday night and was nearly
behind Hemauer for a takedown, but Hemauer was able to grab a hold of Schierl’s
right leg, and after they both went to the mat, Hemauer got behind him for a
takedown to go up 2-0 with
left in the first period.
“It was a really good scramble and I thought I was going to
get it, but he ended up on top,” said Schierl. “It was a setback, but I knew I
needed to come back.
“But that first takedown was important for him,” he said.
It remained 2-0 into the second period, when Schierl started
at the bottom and got an escape 10 seconds into the period to make it 2-1.
However, with the clock ticking down on the second period,
Hemauer scored a takedown with 13 seconds left to take a 4-1 lead.
Hemauer chose the bottom position for the third period and
got an escape with
left to make it 5-1, while Schierl was unable to work a throw on Hemauer before
he recorded a takedown with 21 seconds remaining to close within 5-3.
Schierl allowed an escape to make it 6-3, but Hemauer went
in for a takedown before Schierl could and was able to hold on to Schierl’s leg
the rest of the way to run out the clock, as he won 6-3 to claim the State
Title and end Schierl’s season at 43-1.
“I wish we would’ve fought (the first takedown) off a little
harder, in a disciplined position, rather than going to the funk,” said King.
“But Fritzy’s good there, that’s his match and if he feels comfortable,
obviously he’s going to go for something.
“I don’t question anything that Fritz does on the mat,” he
said. “He’s stellar and it’s unfortunate that he never got to taste a State
Championship, because he certainly put in the work to deserve one.”
“It was an amazing experience,” said Schierl. “The March of Champions and just being out there wrestling in the finals, I’ll remember it for a
long time.
“Obviously it didn’t go the way I wanted it to go,” he said.
“But now I need to focus on college and this summer, and I have new goals, and
it’s time to start working toward them.”
Schierl said he wouldn’t have wanted to wrestle anywhere else
but at SPASH, where he finished with a record of 166-22 over the last four
years, and will continue his career next fall as a walk-on for the wrestling
team at NCAA Division 1 The Ohio State University.
“He battled through a lot of injuries and some sicknesses at
bad times in the past, but he was healthy this year, and Fritz just in and out
of the room, puts in the work,” said King. “You don’t find kids these days that
have the work ethic and the drive and the passion that Fritzy does.
“That’s why he’s headed to wrestle at Ohio State,”
he said. “They see something, and they’re getting a pretty good kid.”
“I’m glad I get that opportunity, and my career doesn’t end
here,” said Schierl. “I’m looking to do big things in freestyle and Greco and folkstyle
at Ohio State, and I’m grateful for the
opportunity I have to go there.
“And I just want to thank all of my family and supporters, a
lot of people have helped me throughout my high school career and just my wrestling
career to this point,” he said. “I really couldn’t have done it without all of
the people supporting me and giving me help, and I love all of them.”