Fox Valley Association standouts Stoffel, Herm, Crook win state wrestling titles in Division 1

MADISON - Jake Stoffel's toughest throw on the mat Saturday night just might have involved Appleton North assistant coach David Granatelli.

Stoffel gave a celebratory toss to Granatelli after winning the Division 1 title in the 175-pound weight class at the WIAA state individual wrestling championships at the Kohl Center. It was Stoffel's second consecutive championship after winning the title at 152 last season. He defeated Nicolet's Benjamin Ott, 6-2, for the win.

To win his second title was something he dreamed about as a kid.

"It feels amazing," Stoffel said. "Since I was 4 years old I started this sport and my goal since I was a little kid was to be a two-time state champ. That’s what I put in my notebook when I was little and now it’s happened. I’m going to go celebrate and it’s going to be a good time.”

Stoffel was one of three Fox Valley Association wrestlers to win titles in Division 1.

Neenah junior Jacob Herm finally broke through and secured the gold after reaching the state final the past two seasons. He won the 144-pound title after recording a pin of Stoughton's Cole Sarbacker in 3:37.

Kaukauna's Liam Crook, a rising sophomore talent, beat Marshfield's Caleb Dennee at 165 in a battle of unbeaten competitors. Crook (39-0) used a big second period to get a near fall and then hung on for a 4-1 win.

Jake Stoffel 'got it done' for Appleton North

Stoffel said his opponent, Benjamin Ott of Nicolet, almost had him on his back at one point in the match.

"He had a nice lift and turn on me," he said. "But I was able to recover and got through that."

From there, Stoffel went to his bread and butter.

"I got my No. 1 turn that I always do," he said. "And my coach always says, 'If you do your No. 1 attack on top, bottom or neutral, you can get on anybody in the world.' That's what I planned on doing and got it done."

Appleton North coach Scott Clough said Stoffel is "well deserving" of his second title.

"He just continues to get better and better," Clough said. "It was just great watching him out there doing his thing. I'm just lucky enough to be part of it. He has so many people in his corner and I'm just proud to be a part of his success."

Neenah's Jacob Herm leaves no doubt

Neenah's Herm had been so close to winning state titles the past two seasons, finishing state runner-up in D1 at 106 his freshman season and 126 last season.

This year he left no doubt on who the 144 champion would be, pummeling Stoughton's Sarbacker, getting a near fall before recording the pin in the second period.

"It's been a long time coming for him," Neenah coach Kyle Kleuskens said. "Last two years, just losing really close matches ... and those are tough and hard to get over. But I think because of those losses he's so much further ahead of where he might be if he had won those matches. So he's really, as a young man, come so far and just grown so much from the adversity he faced down here. It's so rewarding to see him get his hand raised in the finals and hand him that chart."

Herm finished his junior year at 47-0 and has a three-year record of 134-10.

"In some ways it's a relief," Herm said of winning the state title. "But my goal is to be going Division I in college and being ranked this year. So it's not the end for me here. I'm going to go back and take a week off with my family and my friends and get away from wrestling but then I'm going to come back hard with freestyle and Greco and start trying to win those national tournaments."

Laser focus drives Liam Crook to title

You won't find many young wrestlers as determined as Kaukauna's Liam Crook.

The burly 165-pound sophomore entered Saturday's title match undefeated and went toe-to-toe with another undefeated in Dennee.

Crook weathered a scoreless first period but recorded a near fall from the top position that set the tempo in his favor in the match in recording the victory.

Crook relished the win, especially after a fifth-place showing last season as a freshman at 160.

"It means something," he said. "That I’ve been working for 10 years now and it wasn’t to come up short. It means there was light at the end of the tunnel and all those dark days after I took fifth last year ... to come out to be something, you know?"

Kaukauna coach Jeff Matczak said Crook was a bit more loose this week compared to his freshman year.

"He was more quiet last year," Matczak said. "But this week he really opened up and was just having a good time.

"We wanted him to be loose, but it was almost like he wasn't taking it serious and we wanted it to play out and see how he did. But (Friday) he was phenomenal and he was really good. So we were like, 'OK, that's the recipe for him.' "

Crook has a two-year record of 84-6 and is well on his way to etching himself into the storied history of Kaukauna wrestling.

"Really proud of him," Matczak said. "He really rode hard that second period and it takes a lot of energy and a lot out of your arms to hold strong."

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Fox Valley Association wrestlers bring home three state titles