Whitnall sweeps past six dual foes

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C.T. Kruger

Whitnall's Josh Langenhohl pins New Berlin's Jake Pickler at 285 pounds in a dual meet at New Berlin on Jan. 5.

C.T. Kruger

Whitnall's Josh Langenhohl pins New Berlin's Jake Pickler at 285 pounds in a dual meet at New Berlin on Jan. 5.

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Greenfield— Whitnall enjoyed plenty of highlights in a wrestling week that included a dual-meet victory over a red-hot foe and a sweep of the Palmyra-Eagle Duals.

On Jan. 5, the Falcons recorded a dominating 45-28 triumph over New Berlin, which had finished second in the prestigious E.H. Stech Invitational and in the top half of the powerful Oshkosh Lourdes Classic already this season.

New Berlin had also been unbeaten in Woodland Conference duals and had not lost at home since last season.

"This was our best effort of the year," coach John Quinlan said. "Without a doubt, it was a total team win, a huge win. Everybody's really stepping up."

Notching pins for the Falcons were Evan Olson at 135 pounds, Matt Price at 140, John McGee at 160, Josh Langenohl at heavyweight, Ruben Garcia at 119 and Troy McGee at 130. Winning decisions were Mason Howard at 152, Nathan Barnhart at 171 and Kameron Bourgeois at 112.

Key victories included Howard's 7-5 decision over Woodland Conference champion Adam Ruiz and Bourgeois' 8-0 blanking of Heng Vang.

Quinlan also praised the wrestlers in the four heaviest weight classes, each of whom moved up a class and was at a weight disadvantage. The four split their contests, including Barnhart's 3-2 triumph over defending conference champion Nate Kirby at 171.

The Falcons improved to 4-1 in Woodland duals with the victory.

They ended their successful week by winning each of their five duals at Palmyra-Eagle on Saturday. Senior captains Bourgeois, Price and Barnhart went 5-0 on the day and every Whitnall wrestler recorded at least two victories.

Going 4-1 were Garcia, Troy McGee, James Taylor and Langenohl. Finishing 3-2 were Joe Price, Peter Moore, Ian Coleman and a combination of John McGee and Sam Howard at 171. Olson and Jeremy Brunner both went 2-3 on the day.

The sweep of the five duals boosted Whitnall to 17-7 on the season.

The Falcons won four of six meets at the Seahawk Duals in Hilton Head, S.C., during the holiday break, competing against teams from Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

"Even though we might have done better, it was a real fun trip, a positive experience that created a lot of good memories for the team," Quinlan said. "The kids were able to get into the ocean, we saw a college bowl game, and the team did some real bonding."

FYI

Here are Whitnall's wrestling results at Saturday's Palmyra-Eagle Duals:

Whitnall 51, Johnson Creek 24

Whitnall 64, Palmyra-Eagle 12

Whitnall 51, Tremper varsity reserve 18

Whitnall 58, Lake Mills 21

Whitnall 48, Westosha Central 30