Team effort yields second-place finish for Warhawks wrestlers in NSC meet

Germantown - All season long, Germantown wrestling coach Casey Gabrielson has asked only one thing of his sometimes uneven performing squad: to wrestle as a team.

"When we do that, we can compete with just about anyone," he said.

And that the Warhawks did Saturday, as they got individual championships from Brandon Goesch at 126 pounds, Mike Knippen at 195 and Hunter Higginbotham at 220 to earn a strong second in the North Shore Conference tournament.

"We met almost every single expectation," Gabrielson said, "and we did it as a team. The whole day, when guys weren't wrestling, they went around to other mats to support each other. It was really important in that third round, where we had to pull out a few key matches (in order to stay in second).

"They heard that support and they responded."

Regionals are Saturday

The Warhawks look to take that energy and apply it to WIAA regional action at Sussex Hamilton at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The first four finishers in each weight class advance to the sectional tournament at Arrowhead on Feb. 18.

"It's a scary regional," Gabrielson said. "We'll have our work cut out for us."

Behind their titlists, the Warhawks scored 212 points in the league test as Port Washington continued its dominance with a 295.5 showing. Whitefish Bay was third with 166.5.

Goesch (23-11 overall) had a first-round bye and then pinned Port (2:51) and Homestead (2:58) opponents for his title.

"He has won 14 out of his last 15 matches," Gabrielson said. "He has really taken it up a level."

Knippen (34-6) continued his stellar season with another strong effort. He, too, had a first-round bye and then pinned Grafton (3:34) and Homestead (1:05) foes for his crown.

"He's just in the weight room all the time," Gabrielson said. "He's really made this happen on his own. He had only one win as a freshman and weighed between 130 and 140 pounds then. Just an amazing story."

Finding the next level

The sophomore Higginbotham's learning curve just continues to rise, as after a first-round bye, he pinned Homestead (0:36) and Port (5:35) wrestlers for his championship.

"He threw the Port kid about seven or eight times," Gabrielson said. "He just started doing this last year and is really displaying some previously hidden strength."

Taking seconds for Germantown were Tyler Palzkill at 138 (2-1 on the day, 20-17), Danny Krause at 152 (2-1, 25-8); and Tyler Baran (2-1, 21-12); while thirds went to Zach Baus at 145 (3-1, 15-17) and Steve Asmondy at 182 (3-1, 14-13). Palzkill had a "great day" Gabrielson said.

"That third round was key," Gabrielson said. "It was a three-way battle for second and we just took off."