Sports

Marc Kinziger had a good feeling going into Saturday’s Brawl in the Falls that his wrestling team would do well.

The night before, the Oconto Falls wrestlers downed Bay Port, 44-26, to get the guys ready for their annual tournament.

The Panthers didn’t disappoint Kinziger, their tri-head coach, as six guys had first-place finishes and three others took runner-up. The strong showing helped Oconto Falls win the 10-team invitational.

“It started last night; we had a very good match with Bay Port,” Kinziger said. “We didn’t want that one to not get in, because it was the first one coming back (from holiday break). We went to the Bi-State Classic, and we ran into some really good competition, and (our wrestlers) were wondering about it. But when they came out last night and what they did kind of reflected, ‘Hey, you’re going out against the best of the best in the upper Midwest.’ And then you come back to home; they could see how much better they were.”

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Tigerton 58, Lena 55

The Wildcats came up just short in a nonconference battle with the Tigers on Saturday, Jan. 5.

Madysen Herald poured in 31 points to lead Lena on the offensive end. Alayna Peterson added seven points.

Brianna Spratlin, Jordyn Dolata and Herald all grabbed seven rebounds while Peterson had six boards, seven assists and five steals. Kennedy Marquardt and Herald each had four steals while Meckenna Portier blocked five shots.

Luxemburg-Casco 55, Oconto Falls 40

The Spartans outscored the Panthers by 17 in the second half to claim a North Eastern Conference win on Thursday, Jan. 3.

Alexis Euclide led Oconto Falls with 12 points on the night. Morgan Helmle added 11 points.

Kaelyn Allen pulled down seven rebounds while Sammy Shallow had five.

Suring 58, Lena 33

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Menominee (Mich) 71, Gillett 62

The Tigers could not hold a three-point halftime lead in an eventual loss to Menominee (Michigan) in the championship game of the Gillett Holiday Tournament on Friday (Dec. 28).

Aubrey DeBauch totaled 27 points, 19 rebounds and six assists to lead Gillett. She was named to the all-tournament team for her efforts during Thursday’s and Friday’s games.

Karissa Schaal added 20 points and stole five passes, while Sydney Young finished with seven points and three steals. Brianna DeBauch had eight rebounds and five assists.

Gillett 56, Oconto 42

The Tigers opened the Gillett Holiday Tournament by taking down the Blue Devils on Thursday (Dec. 27).

Aubrey DeBauch led Gillett with 19 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Karissa Schaal added 13 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The holiday break was a time for some local basketball teams to play in tournaments, but it also gave teams a few days to step back and assess where they were before heading into the new year.

While no local teams sat atop their conference standings, many teams have enjoyed solid starts to the season.

Both the Gillett and Oconto Falls girls teams are in the top half of their respective conferences.

A season ago, Oconto Falls finished with just a 7-16 overall record and 5-13 mark in the North Eastern Conference. The experienced Panthers (5-3, 4-3 North Eastern Conference) are on pace for a much better record this winter behind a strong defense.

The Oconto River Rivalry was stocked full of points, but one cold stretch on offense was what determined the outcome of the game.

After closing to within two points after trailing by double digits, Oconto Falls went scoreless in the final five-plus minutes of the game in a 68-62 nonconference loss to Oconto on Friday at Oconto Falls High School.

A 3-pointer from senior Joe Schoen — the 12th and final triple for Oconto Falls (3-5) on the night — left the hosts with a 64-62 deficit. The Panthers had several good looks from deep in the closing minutes but could not convert.

Oconto Falls coach Kirk Hirst kept urging the team to get the ball inside, but Oconto’s zone made the 3-point shot too appealing.

Athlete: Trevor Pankratz

Sport: Wrestling

School: Oconto Falls High School

Year: Senior

Just over a month into the season, the top wrestling teams and individuals are starting to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. Senior captain Trevor Pankratz is among several individual wrestlers at Oconto Falls High School that are off to strong starts this season.

Pankratz owns a 14-3 record to this point of the season, mostly wrestling at the 170-pound weight class.

At the E.H. Stech Invitational on Dec. 14 and 15, he finished with a 4-1 record in the 170 class. He pinned his first opponent before winning a decision. After a decision loss, he bounced back with a couple of close decision wins to claim third place.

Q: When did your interest in wrestling begin?

A: When I was in third grade.

Q: What’s your favorite part about a wrestling match or the wrestling season?

WRESTLING

Oconto Falls 43, Marinette 22

The Panthers claimed all but five matches in a dual win over the Marines on Thursday (Dec. 20).

Jager Eisch (113), Trevor Schindel (138), Clayton Whiting (152) and Aidan Stary (182) all won by pin for Oconto Falls. Trevor Pankratz (160) won by major decision.

Jacob Kaminski (195) and Bodee Woods (145) each earned tight decision wins. Collin Schindel (138) won a decision by sudden victory and Jaden Ganter (106) won by forfeit.

Lena/STAA splits duals at triangular

The Lena/STAA co-op lost to Three Lakes (30-24) but bounced back with a win over Elcho (30-27) at a triangular on Dec. 18.

James DesJarlais (138) won by pin to lead the co-op against Three Lakes. Kiko Cajigas (170), Ramiro Cortez (182) and Richard Fieck (285) all won by forfeit.

Lindenwood University and former Oconto Falls standout Nate Trepanier got his sophomore collegiate season off to a strong start by placing first at the Lindenwood Open on Saturday, Nov. 17, in Saint Charles, Missouri.

Trepanier, who won a state title as a member of the Oconto Falls wrestling team in 2016, posted a 5-0 mark on the day. He opened the day with a pin before earning a technical fall victory. He then won three straight matches by decisions before taking the championship match by a 13-3 major decision.

The Lindenwood Open featured wrestlers from all three collegiate levels, making Trepanier’s first-place finish even that more impressive.

Trepanier opened the year ranked the 12th-best wrestler in Division II. He has helped Lindenwood to a 3-0 dual record and No. 10 ranking.

WRESTLING
Oconto Falls places sixth at invitational
The Panthers turned in a number of strong finishes while earning 123 points to place sixth at the E.H. Stech Invitational over Friday and Saturday (Dec. 14-15).
Jager Eisch scored 24 of those points after taking second in the 113-pound weight class.
Collin Schindel (120), Clayton Whiting (152) and Trevor Pankratz (170) all came in third for Oconto Falls. Wyatt Borkovec (160) placed fourth.
Lemens leads co-op at invitational
Gillett/Suring’s Sam Lemens continued his strong start to the winter season by winning each of his matches to place first in the 145 weight class at the Kewaunee Invitational on Saturday (Dec. 15).
Jake Burt (285) placed third for Gillett/Suring.
Lena/STAA competes in Shawano Holiday Classic

It was apparent early on that the pressure defense played by Gillett would be a problem for Suring in a Marinette & Oconto Conference girls basketball clash at Gillett High School on Friday.
The defense forced numerous Suring turnovers and rushed shots, leading to easy baskets for Gillett on its end of the court. Behind a couple of extended runs, Gillett pulled away for a 73-34 victory.
“That’s the best the press has looked all year,” Gillett coach Justin Daul said. “They’re (Suring) a good young basketball team that’s well-coached also, so to do what we did tonight was a good feeling to kind of break out of our shell with the press. It’s been a struggle over the start of the season, but to have it go the way it did tonight, it felt good.”
Gillett set the tone early, and opened the game on a 17-0 run. Tigers’ sophomore Aubrey DeBauch tallied eight points during the run.