Muskego Wrestling's Unique Approach Reaping Benefits

Many ingredients are needed in order to be successful in sports. Hard work, perseverance, and leadership are just a few that most coaches would rattle right off their tongue.

For Muskego’s wrestling team, perhaps one of the most important reasons for their success isn't how seriously they take themselves, but rather just the opposite.

The Warriors have had a recent history of strong athletes out on the mat. While wrestlers normally have a pre-match routine of popping on some headphones, getting in a zone and looking very stoic, Muskego’s guys like to be a little more laid back in their approach.

Sometimes it’s something so subtle only the team members get the joke, like a simple line of four guys on the bench all copying each others’ seating postures. Other times it’s obvious to the entire crowd, like their pre-match warm-ups that look more like a strange new dance craze than a way to loosen up. These kids prepare a little differently.

“It’s like, we goof around all week, why stop the day of the meet,” junior Ronald Dunlap said. “It’s us. Why change who we are?”

Added senior Tyler Quartullo, “It makes you more confident. Going into a match like that it makes you feel like you can do whatever you want pretty much instead of being all nervous and uptight, trying not to make a mistake. Just go out there and have fun.”

That attitude has proven to be immensely successful this season as the Warriors are sending and impressive five individuals to the state tournament in Madison that starts Thursday and runs through the weekend.

Austin Quartullo (103), Justin Scherkenbach (125), Tyler Quartullo (135), Dunlap (189) and Jordan Gruettner (215) all will be representing Muskego, and all have legitimate chances of being crowned state champions.

Austin Quartullo, the younger of the two, is 37-8 this season. Those are impressive numbers for a freshman.

Older brother Tyler is 41-6 and finished second in the team’s sectional this past weekend, falling to returning state champ, Janesville Craig’s Siven Furseth.

Scherkenbach and Dunlap each have lost only three matches all season and are a combined 81-6.

While all four have very realistic shots at first this weekend, the best chance goes to Gruettner. The junior is undefeated this season (36-0) and is the top wrestler in the state at the 215-pound weight class.

Perhaps it’s no coincidence that all five seem to be the ringleaders when it comes to the group’s laid-back attitude.

But all goofiness aside, the team said they know they still have work to do when they get on the mat.

“It’s not like, just because this team might be better than us or they might have a little advantage we’re going to change and get all serious for this meet, we’re just going to be ourselves," Scherkenbach said. “We know when we go out there, that’s the time when we get serious – when we step on the mat and we know we have to get our job done.”

One might wonder how all this somewhat slapstick-approach started.

Dunlap said most of it stems from an easy-going, yet serious attitude the coaches bring into practice with them. Whether that’s allowing jokes or bringing in unique guest speakers to spice things up from time to time, it seems evident their coaching style is working.

“As a coach, the wrestling season is so long and it’s such a grind that they need to do some stuff to have some fun and that kind of allows for them to stay entertained and keep having fun during the long season,” Muskego coach Sean Fortmann said.

“They’re lighthearted when they know they can be but I think the one nice thing is for the most part they know when it’s time to buckle down and get to work.”