The Mound Westonka White Hawks wrestlers traveled to Waconia on Thursday, January 9, and picked up two more victories in a triangular meet with Waconia and St. Peter. In the first meet of the evening, the White Hawks knocked off conference rival Waconia 35-33. The White Hawks stormed out to a big lead, winning the first five weights, but the Wildcats countered by taking next five. Senior captains Ryder Schmidt and Bryan Tierney then earned a pin and a major decision, respectively, to put the match out of reach with the White Hawks hanging on for the victory. “It was a nice win for us, especially since we have been struggling to win the battle of bonus points in the close duals. I challenged the guys to find a way to win, and they got the job done,” said head coach Todd Munsterteiger. The White Hawks then faced St. Peter in a non-conference bout, and capped off the evening with a 46-26 win. The victories raised the White Hawks conference record to 3-2 and overall record to 6-4.
The White Hawks were back in action the next night, competing in an individual tournament in Minnetonka. The White Hawks had several regulars out due to injury, illness, and match count issues, but still placed a respectable fourth out of eight teams. “It was nice to get some of the JV guys some varsity action, while also getting some of the regulars who have been out some more matches,” added assistant coach Eric Rodelius. Placing for the White Hawks were: Adrian Wear, Justin Gresenz, Noah Sweet and Cori Klocek, 7th place; Brock Munsterteiger, 6th place; Noah Byers, Cole Anderly, and Bricen Rasmussen 5th place; Jake Anderly 4th place; John Byers, Travis Peterson, and Kyle Johnson 3rd place; Drake Heath 2nd place; and champions Neil Schmalz and Luke Schmalz. Seventh grader Brock Munsterteiger and eighth grader Jake Anderly both earned their first career varsity wins. “It was a great experience to get some of my guys some varsity mat-time and wins,” commented freshman coach John Wardlow.
The White Hawks will host conference powers Hutchinson and Glencoe-Silver Lake on Thursday, January 16; first round action begins at 6:00 p.m.