Merrill Varsity Boys take fourth in Hodag Wrestling tournament

The Merrill Boys Varsity Wrestling Team traveled to Rhinelander on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, to compete against 24 other teams in the Hodag Scramble Wrestling Tournament, and the Merrill Boys performed well, with the Bluejays’ team taking fourth place. “As a team, we were well balanced, and every wrestler on the team had at least two wins,” said Merrill Boys Varsity Wrestling Team Head Coach Brian Suchocki. “We had eight wrestlers in the top five and nine in the top seven. We are improving every week.”
“Noah led the way for us,” he said. “Noah is really wrestling well right now. He is more consistent and does a nice job in all phases of wrestling. Noah dominated his way to the final and then finished it off with a big win against 18-0 Jordan Perkins of Wautoma. It was a tight match, but Noah pulled it out. We are very excited to see him continue to compete every week.”
“Dusty and Remington also made the finals,” Suchocki said. “Both have been wrestling well all season.”
“Dusty was aggressive throughout the day,” he said. “In the finals, he had a tough time getting anything going but still had a very good tournament.”
“Remington had a tough match early that he pulled out in the quarter final,” Suchocki said. “Then in the semis, he took control before dropping his finals match. Remington is doing a good job with his set-ups, and he will continue to refine his overall wrestling.”
“Carson and Callum both finished fourth on the day,” he said. “Carson had a lot of close matches that he turned into pins. It was good to see him get some mat time.”
“Carson lost a lot of mat time the past season due to injury,” Suchocki said, “so getting these matches is definitely helping his progress. Finding a way to get to his offense will be important.”
“Callum had one of the toughest brackets in the tournament,” he said. “He dominated his way to the top four before dropping two matches. As he continues to get in these big matches, the more he will develop this season.”
“Austin, Brett, and Broc all took fifth,” Suchocki said. “Austin continues to battle this season. Austin had many great matches throughout the day. He capitalized on some positions we had been working on.”
“Brett came back after being out for a few matches and had a good day wrestling,” he said. “Brett was very aggressive and did a nice job battling back to get a pin in his final match.”
“Broc is continuing his development. He is getting more takedowns and controlling his opponents well.”
“Josh came up with a nice pin to take seventh place,” Suchocki said. “Josh is starting to put some things together.”
“Will, Ryan, and Preston each won two matches,” he said. “You can see the progress with all three. All three practice hard.”
“Overall, we had a solid performance.”
“Our next competition is at Whitewater for Mid-States,” Suchocki said. “That is a huge Christmas tournament that will provide some tough competition. It will be a good test for us and let us know where we stand going into the second half of the season.”

Hodag Scramble 2024 individual results for Merrill:
113 - Dustin Schmirler (10-2) placed 2nd and scored 25.0 team points.
120 - Broc Suchocki (9-3) placed 5th and scored 14.0 team points.
132 - Brett Suchocki (4-2) placed 5th and scored 16.5 team points.
138 - Remington Skic (11-1) placed 2nd and scored 25.0 team points.
144 - Callum Wheeler (8-4) placed 4th and scored 18.0 team points.
150 - Ryan Coates (2-4) placed 19th and scored 3.5 team points.
157 - Will Miemietz (4-8) placed 12th and scored 4.0 team points.
175 - Austin Depies (9-3) placed 5th and scored 16.0 team points.
190 - Carson Brooks (3-3) placed 4th and scored 16.0 team points.
190 - Preston Schuelke (4-7) placed 15th.
215 - Noah Klug (11-1) placed 1st and scored 31.0 team points.
285 - Josh Gustum (7-5) placed 7th and scored 9.0 team points.

Team Scores:
1. Marathon 207.52
2. DC Everest 200.53
3. Hayward 192.04
4. Merrill 178.05
5. Wittenberg-Birnamwood 172.56
6. Crandon 134.07
7. Lena 130.58
8. Northwestern 129.09
9. Eau Claire North 107.010
10. Kingsford HS 95.011
11. Rhinelander 80.012
12. Wautoma 77.013
13. Spencer/Columbus Cath. 70.514
14. Phillips 69.015
15. North Central 64.016
16. Tomahawk 63.017
17. Ashland 60.018
18. Amherst 59.019
19. Gladstone HS 53.020
20. Florence 51.021
21. Crivitz/Wausaukee 38.522
22. Rosholt 37.023
23. Iron Mountain HS 23.524
24. Chequamegon 22.025
25. Elcho 4.0