Honey badger don’t care and neither does the mongoose.
The Bluejay grapplers are looking to the mongoose as an example for their state performances after advancing three with sectional championships.
“Everybody else avoids the king cobra, but the mongoose seeks out the king cobra because he can,” MHS coach Scott Arneson said of the team’s current model. “We believe in mongoose-style wrestling; seeking out the best competition and getting after it. The state tournament is going to be a high-level tournament, but it’s no different from what we’ve been doing all year.”
Devon Schultz (120, 39-8), Scott T. Arneson (132, 45-1) and Mason Reinhardt (170, 45-1) all racked up titles in Saturday’s Eau Claire North Sectional in commanding fashion. Schultz turned in 7-0 and 8-0 decisions before evening his reacord on the year at 2-2 with SPASH’s Chance Bailey in a 7-3 win. Arneson turned in 20-4 and 17-2 tech falls before posting a 16-6 major in the finals. Reinhardt posted a 21-4 tech fall, a 1:16 pin and a 12-1 major.
“All three of them took care of their own destiny,” Arneson said. “You need to win three to advance but they won all three, so they didn’t have to do the wrestle-back thing, which is nice.
“Devon had lost two in a row to the Point kid, so this was a cool thing for Devon. Scottie and Mason are not holding back anything. Some kids tighten up at the end of the season, but they’re both going full throttle. They’ve got a shot at bringing home some hardware, as well as being a state champ.”
All three will need mongoose mentality with their brackets. Former champ and runner-up junior Josh Bird (42-1, Burlington) is a possible third-round Arneson match-up. Reinhardt could see a two-time champ, Hartford junior Beau Breske (47-0), if they reach the finals. Breske gave Reinhardt his only loss of the season by a 4-2 tally at the Zelinski Duals in Whitnall in January. Schultz could see 37-0 Milton senior Nolan Shea – a champ at 106 two years ago – in the second round.
Senior Hunter Welch (138, 20-9) placed fourth after winning by 15-0 tech fall, then losing 7-6 and 6-4 in OT. Senior Seth Collins (195, 16-18) and juniors Aidan Ball (113, 31-15) and Christian Kleinschmidt (285, 24-16) all lost first-round matches.
Team standings–Hudson 156, Stevens Point 115.5, Menomonie 105, Merrill 71, Eau Claire North 67, D. C. Everest 53.5, New Richmond 52, Marshfield 35, Wausau West 34, Rhinelander 28, River Falls 26, Eau Claire Memorial 20, Superior 12, Wausau East 10, Chippewa Falls 6, Antigo 0.