Senior twins Brady and Dylan Koontz had their bid to become
the first wrestlers in Stevens Point Area Senior High School (SPASH) history to
win back-to-back State Titles come up just short at the WIAA Division 1
Individual State Tournament at the Kohl
Center in Madison
Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 23-25.

Dylan, the top-ranked wrestler in Division 1 at 120 pounds, lost in the State
Semifinals and placed third, while Brady, the top-ranked wrestler at 113,
carried a 36-0 record into the State Championship Match Saturday night.

There, he scored a point late in regulation to tie the score
at 3-3 and send it to overtime, before he fell 5-4 in ultimate tiebreaker overtime to
sixth-ranked senior Dalton Shea of Milton (44-7) to finish as the State Runner-up.

“It was a tough match, a really tough opponent,” said Brady
Koontz. “I won it last year, the goal was to win it this year, but I came up
short.

“No regrets this season,” he said. “I know I worked as hard
as I could.”

“It’s not what I wanted,” said Dylan Koontz. “But after my
loss, I just had to forget about it and come back and do the best possible that
I could.”

To read the rest of the story, pick up a copy of the Portage
County Gazette at one of the many newsstands in the area, including gas
stations and grocery stores. Or subscribe at paymentwizard.com/OrderForm.aspx?FormID=1406 to have weekly copies delivered by mail.

A website login function to view full stories online will be
coming soon. Any current or new subscriber will have access.

For more information or to subscribe over the phone, call
715-343-8045. Please note, to have access to the online version, you will need
to provide an email address.