Thielke to meet Sueflohn again in state wrestling title match

Veteran observers and in-the-know fans have clamored for round three ever since their sectional match on a snowy Feb. 21 afternoon in Hartford.

And now the state wrestling world will see if the one-point upset Jake Sueflohn of Arrowhead pulled on  returning state champion Jesse Thielke of Germantown that day was merely a fluke or a sign of things a bit more seismic in nature.

The pair advanced to the Saturday 6 p.m. WIAA State Individual Tournament finals at the Kohl Center in Madison with decisive wins Friday night in the 125-pound semis. Thielke (42-1) recorded his third technical fall in as many state matches with a 20-5 rout of Mason Geary of DeForest (37-13) while Sueflohn (38-4) overpowered Matt Bruley of Oshkosh North (41-5), 5-0.

Thielke, who won the 112-pound title last season with an undefeated record, defeated Sueflohn 6-4 in regional competition before suffering the loss in the sectional final where the longer Sueflohn used a reach advantage to block many of the attacks Thielke attempted. It was the first high school-level loss for Thielke in two seasons.

The finals, as usual, are expected to be a sellout.