By Jacob Heid

Sports Writer

The Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) wrestling team got a big win on senior night and in the final home match of the season on Jan. 26. 

The Panthers took on Wausau East on the mat, winning the dual 54-28.

The night focused on the seniors that wrestled for the final time inside the SPASH Fieldhouse, but SPASH performed well as a team overall. 

Senior Warren Soik was the first to wrestle for the Panthers, winning by fall 22 seconds into the opening bout. 

Four of the six seniors that participated in the match won on their special night. 

TJ Schierl, Kale Roth and Zach Bembenek all won by fall at their respective weight class. 

Roth explained after the win that it was a feeling of mixed emotions coming into the night. 

“It was pretty good. Pretty happy and also kind of a mixture of sadness,” Roth said. “It was a good ride.”

He picked up a win by fall at 170 and knew what to do to get the job done. 

“I was going out there with just the mentality of staying on him the whole time,” he explained. “Never let him relax, and it came out with a victory for me.”

Other wrestlers had as much success in their weight classes throughout the evening. 

After losing two of the first three, SPASH picked up the energy in the middle of the match. 

The Panthers won six in a row, putting the score at 42-12 with five wrestlers to go. 

SPASH lost three of those five but had a big enough lead to take home the win.

“We came out, we were physical, aggressive and we got to positions that we worked on this week. We also defended a lot of positions that we knew we were going to see. Overall, I was pleased with a lot of the stuff we got done.” coach Rob King said about the win.

The season has been weird scheduling-wise, but King says this win helps build the confidence needed going into the postseason. 

“It’s been crazy. We started with a conference bye, and we’ve canceled three times,” he explained. “I think we’re in a good spot right now. The big thing now at the end of the season, is we need to be healthy. We need to take care of our bodies and control weight. The guys know how to wrestle. We just have to be smart and disciplined.”

King also praised the senior class of wrestlers. 

“They’re great,” King said about the senior group. “They trust me and the coaches to help them get better. It’s not always easy for young men to be told what their weaknesses are, and that’s one thing those guys appreciate. They know we are there for them.”

SPASH sits at 1-3 in the WVC after the win.