Iowa-Grant/Highland wrestlers dominate D3

Iowa-Grant/Highland’s seven wrestlers all placed fourth or better to show the team’s power in Division 3 at the WIAA State Wrestling Championships held at the Kohl Center last weekend.

Elliot Biba lost the 138 lb. title to an unbeaten wrestler, finishing second, and Hunter Stevens (132), Tyson Imhoff (150), Jaxon Busse (157), Emmerson Moen (165) and Bode Brokopp (215) each finished third.

Brock Hinderman (144) took fourth.

If team scores would’ve figured into a team title, they would’ve won easily with 110 points.

SWAL team Fennimore was second with 100.6. Mineral Point was 10th with 41 and Pecatonica/Argyle 11th with 39.5.

Iowa-Grant/Highland coach Ryan Allen was happy with his teams performance saying, “We had a great weekend. I thought the boys battled hard and wrestled very well. We had a great first round and managed to get 6 into the semifinal round. That round didn't go as well as we wanted it to and Biba was the only one to make it into the finals. But then on Saturday morning, the boys really let it fly and everyone wrestled back to the third place matches. I was very proud of the effort our guys put up after losing in that semi final round.  To bounce back the way our guys did says a lot about their character and grit. Having all seven of our qualifiers place in the top 4 is quite an accomplishment and I'm super proud of our guys.  

“Hunter wrestled a good tournament at 132 and finished 3rd. I know he would have liked to finish higher but just a couple mistakes against state level wrestlers can cost you. He is a stud and I know that loss in the semi's will fuel him to work harder than ever before. He had a great season with only two losses on the year. We will need him to be a leader on our team next season.

“Elliott had a great tournament earning state runner up honors at 138. The kid he lost to in the finals is a stud and I thought Elliott  wrestled him well. I'm very proud of Elliott not only for his success on the mat but off the mat as well. He is a great leader and we will definitely miss him next year.

“Brock Hinderman had a great freshman year and capped it off nicely this weekend finishing in 4th place. He wrestled very well considering it was his first time up at state. He is a tough kid who will definitely have to take on a leadership role for us next year. I'm very proud of Brock and they way he represented IGH this year.

“Tyson Imhoff had a roller coaster of a tournament. He lost in the quarters to the number one seed in a very tight match and then battled all the way back to beat that same kid for 3rd place. Ty is a very hard worker, a great leader, and wrestles very hard. It was so great seeing him get that win for third. It just shows how much determination he has. 

“Jaxon Busse had a great tournament and ended up third place after losing in the semi's. It's not easy coming back for third place after losing a big match and he made it look easy. I'm very proud of Jaxon and how he improved so much from last year. He was a leader in the room as a sophomore and he is willing to work as hard as he can everyday to get to where he needs to be to reach his goals. He will be a big time leader for us next season.

“Emmer had a great senior campaign. He battled hard this weekend and after a semifinal loss came back to place third, which is something to be very proud of. Emmer works extremely hard and it showed this weekend. His lead by example attitude will be missed next year for sure.   

“Bode had a great tournament and ended up in third as well. He lost in the semi's but also battled back to get third in a tough bracket. He is now a two time state placer and we will need him to step up as a leader next year and in the off season. I am very proud of Bode and how he finished the year.  

“Overall we had a great year. We had a lot of ups and a few downs too.  We worked hard and showed a lot of improvement throughout the year. I am proud of every single guy on our team from JV guys to varsity guys. I am also very thankful for all the support from everyone in each of our small communities as well as all of our Highland supporters. I truly believe IGH has the best fans/parents/supporters in the entire state.  

2024 WIAA Individual State Results for Iowa-Grant/Highland

D3-132 Hunter Stevens (45-2) placed 3rd and scored 17.0 team points.

Quarterfinal - Hunter Stevens (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 45-2 won by fall over Swayne Stencil (Marathon) 47-14 (Fall 

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3:20), Semifinal - Roen Carey (Mineral Point) 32-7 won by decision over Hunter Stevens (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 45-2 (Dec 5-4), Cons. Semi - Hunter Stevens (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 45-2 won by major decision over Gunnar Wopat (Royall/Wonewoc-Cen.) 44-9 (MD 15-2), 3rd Place Match - Hunter Stevens (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 45-2 won by fall over Gabe Gerber (Ladysmith) 47-8 (Fall 1:37)

D3-138 Elliott Biba (35-1) placed 2nd and scored 19.5 team points.

Quarterfinal - Elliott Biba (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-1 won by tech fall over Dylan Dodson (Marathon) 21-6 (TF-1.5 3:16 (20-5)), Semifinal - Elliott Biba (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-1 won by fall over Reid Sawyer (New Lisbon) 34-11 (Fall 4:51), 1st Place Match - Dawson Johnson (Cumberland) 58-0 won by decision over Elliott Biba (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-1 (Dec 7-2)

D3-144 Brock Hinderman (40-10) placed 4th and scored 16.5 team points.

Champ. Round 1 - Brock Hinderman (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-10 won by tech fall over Joe Beavers (Hustisford) 36-10 (TF-1.5 4:56 (15-0)), Quarterfinal - Brock Hinderman (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-10 won by fall over Brady Gross (Coleman) 41-9 (Fall 5:10), Semifinal - Ian Crapp (Fennimore) 30-5 won by tech fall over Brock Hinderman (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-10 (TF-1.5 5:49 (17-2)), Cons. Semi - Brock Hinderman (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-10 won by major decision over Kingston Galetka (Pardeeville) 46-3 (MD 8-0), 3rd Place Match - Zach Malin (Aquinas) 30-16 won by decision over Brock Hinderman (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-10 (Dec 13-7)

D3-150 Tyson Imhoff (42-6) placed 3rd and scored 13.0 team points.

Champ. Round 1 - Tyson Imhoff (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 42-6 won by decision over Dominic Garcia (Pardeeville) 46-5 (Dec 8-2), Quarterfinal - Syler Zdanczewicz (Fennimore) 35-14 won by decision over Tyson Imhoff (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 42-6 (Dec 5-3), Cons. Round 1 - Tyson Imhoff (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 42-6 won by decision over Mitchell McGee (Glenwood City) 43-9 (Dec 5-0), Cons. Semi - Tyson Imhoff (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 42-6 won by decision over Ashton Meister (Poynette) 41-6 (Dec 4-0), 3rd Place Match - Tyson Imhoff (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 42-6 won by decision over Syler Zdanczewicz (Fennimore) 35-14 (Dec 5-2)

D3-157 Jaxon Busse (40-7) placed 3rd and scored 14.0 team points.

Quarterfinal - Jaxon Busse (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-7 won by fall over Caleb Mackey (Pardeeville) 53-6 (Fall 3:11), Semifinal - Micah Kuchta (Coleman) 45-5 won by fall over Jaxon Busse (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-7 (Fall 5:23), Cons. Semi - Jaxon Busse (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-7 won by decision over Troy Duellman (Cornell/Gilman/Lk. Holc.) 39-8 (Dec 5-0), 3rd Place Match - Jaxon Busse (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 40-7 won by decision over Tyler Sunday (Clear Lake) 45-3 (Dec 4-0)

D3-165 Emmerson Moen (39-10) placed 3rd and scored 18.0 team points.

Champ. Round 1 - Emmerson Moen (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 39-10 won by fall over Jack Owens (Cumberland) 53-17 (Fall 3:55), Quarterfinal - Emmerson Moen (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 39-10 won by decision over Carter McDaniel (Weyauwega-Fremont) 45-9 (Dec 5-0), Semifinal - Toren Vandenbush (Random Lake) 45-2 won by decision over Emmerson Moen (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 39-10 (Dec 5-2), Cons. Semi - Emmerson Moen (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 39-10 won by major decision over Cruz Palubicki (Crandon) 32-13 (MD 14-2), 3rd Place Match - Emmerson Moen (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 39-10 won by major decision over Carter McDaniel (Weyauwega-Fremont) 45-9 (MD 9-0)

D3-215 Bode Brokopp (35-12) placed 3rd and scored 12.0 team points.

Quarterfinal - Bode Brokopp (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-12 won by decision over Jackson Geitner (Poynette) 30-11 (Dec 7-1), Semifinal - Joe Schoeder (Cedar Grove-Belgium) 50-6 won by fall over Bode Brokopp (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-12 (Fall 1:28), Cons. Semi - Bode Brokopp (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-12 won by decision over Wesley Egan (Parkview/Albany) 52-6 (Dec 7-2), 3rd Place Match - Bode Brokopp (Iowa-Grant/Highland) 35-12 won by decision over Taydyn Angell (Cornell/Gilman/Lk. Holc.) 38-13 (Dec 2-0)