'Put my life into wrestling': Appleton North's Jake Stoffel is chosen as high school wrestler of the year

APPLETON – As the debate over specialization or playing multiple sports rages on, Jake Stoffel is proof that the answer isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Stoffel, a senior at Appleton North, was in sixth grade when he decided he would forgo other sports and focus on his No. 1 love — wrestling.

He set a lofty, faraway goal that he wanted to win not one, but two high school state wrestling championships before he graduated.

And he was willing to do whatever it took to make that dream come true.

“I sat down with my parents around sixth grade and they kind of gave me this little option of, ‘All right, what are we going to do here?’ And I knew right away, yep, wrestling, this is what’s going to happen. I’m going to leave all other sports and put my life into wrestling, and that’s how it’s been since sixth grade,” Stoffel said.

The singular focus and determination couldn’t have worked out better for Stoffel, who capped his final season for the Lightning with his second WIAA Division 1 state title to secure an undefeated season with a 42-0 record.

His success on the mat has earned him a scholarship to wrestle at the University of Missouri, and he’s been chosen The Post-Crescent’s high school wrestler of the year for the 2023-24 season.

“Jake has set a new standard for Appleton North wrestling,” said Scott Clough, who announced recently he was retiring after 23 years as head coach of the Lightning. “From the first day he stepped into the wrestling room at Appleton North, he made an immediate impact and continued to do so throughout his high school career.

“His wrestling IQ is so high, plus he’s ultra-competitive, dedicated, passionate, athletic and the list could go on and on. He’s everything a coach could ask for and then some.”

Stoffel's growth shows up on the mat

Stoffel got started in wrestling as a 4-year-old with a nudge from his dad, Nate, an accomplished high school wrestler and a longtime coach in the area.

“He didn’t force me to do it. Just put me in it to see if I liked it. From then on, I’ve loved it,” Stoffel said. “Having fun is the biggest thing with it. From 4 years old on to now, I’m still having fun with it. It’s been super exciting.”

Stoffel wrestled at 113 pounds as a freshman at North and finished with a 16-1 record during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season. It would be the only season he didn’t advance to state.

He was 43-3 as a sophomore and finished third at state at 132 pounds, then went 44-1 as a junior and won his first state title, this time in the 152-pound weight class.

While it’s not uncommon for wrestlers to move up in weight classes as they get older and mature, Stoffel’s growth came in many ways.

“My dad was always like, ‘You got to get in the weight room, you got to get in the weight room.’ It finally clicked that sophomore year and it just took off,” Stoffel said. “It’s just like another home to me. The weight room, eating right, all those things. It was just kind of a mix between natural growth and me just progressing in that weight room.”

If weight classes didn’t exist, Stoffel said his ideal wrestling weight would be around 185 or 190 pounds. That’s where he was as he trained last summer before cutting weight for the start of the high school season in November.

The experience he gained the last four years wrestling anywhere from 113 pounds to 190 was invaluable and made him a better wrestler.

“It really helped progressing through each weight class because being 113, you’re small, fast, you’re not really using your strength against other people,” he said. “I kind of developed this progression all the way up to 175 pounds where I can use my little guy speed when it needs to come into play and then just being stronger from the weight room, it just helps so much. Mentally I was always prepared for the next step. I was always wrestling weight classes up throughout my younger years. I was always wrestling up. All those things prepared me for the end goal of the state tournament to be in almost three weight classes a year. It was just a grind pushing myself in the weight room. It really helped me grow as a person and in my wrestling.”

Stoffel saves his best for final season

Having secured his first state title as a junior with a 5-3 victory over Caleb Dennee of Marshfield, Stoffel could reach the goal he had set years earlier of winning two state titles if he took care of business this season. He also desperately wanted to go undefeated as a senior after losing only one match the year before.

His closest match during the regular season came at the Mid-States Wrestling Classic in Whitewater in late December, when he faced Illinois state champion Matthew Jens of Grayslake Central in the championship match at 175. It was a tight match throughout, with Stoffel eventually winning 3-2 by ultimate tiebreaker.

“That’s probably my tightest and toughest high school match,” Stoffel said. “Although it was tough, I didn’t feel in danger or anything like that. I always had the mindset of being dominant and being that predator on the mat. I’m never going to be the prey. I’m always going to fight for points, be the first to score, and all those things.”

Stoffel won his fourth Fox Valley Association title in February, then cruised through regionals and sectionals to earn the No. 1 seed at 175 for the state meet at the Kohl Center in Madison.

He won his first two matches at state with quick pins, then beat Johnny Botsch of Brookfield East 4-2 in the semifinals. He put the finishing touches on his undefeated season with a 6-2 victory over Benjamin Ott of Nicolet in the championship match for his second title.

“My dream, since a little kid, it’s been to win two state titles and even more than that, but the main goal was to win the two. I accomplished that this year,” Stoffel said. “It was super fun. Was undefeated, which was my plan going into it. It was the plan last year, too, fell short by one match. But this year it’s been a ride. It was good all the way through. Had a couple tough matches with exciting state finals.

“I love the Kohl Center. It’s an amazing place. It excited me every time I go there. It was such a good year with the duals, the tournaments, everything. I set out to win another state title, be undefeated, and I accomplished that. With the high school season, it’s been a ride and finishing off with another state title really made me feel every feeling I could feel.”

Stoffel finished his career at North with a 145-5 record and is second in all-time wins for the Lightning, just five behind Ian Laatsch’s 150 victories.

While it’s likely he would have surpassed Laatsch’s record had his freshman season not been shortened due to the pandemic, Stoffel nonetheless is proud of the legacy he left on and off the mat at North as a three-time team captain.

“It means so much to me. Appleton North wrestling has been amazing. I can’t describe the words to thank all my coaches and things for pushing me every day and doing these different things,” Stoffel said. “Coach Clough, he’s the best coach out there. I say it with my full heart. You won’t get better than him. He’s the true guy. He’ll drop everything for you. He’ll do what it takes to be the best version of yourself, on and off the mat.

“I know at the end of the day, when I am however years old and pass away, people aren’t going to remember me as this great wrestler. If I win Olympics, I’m not going to be remembered as this great wrestler. It’s the person who I was, the person I made myself out to be.”

Stoffel will wrestle for the Missouri Tigers

Stoffel, who won’t turn 18 until August, will continue his wrestling career at the University of Missouri and join a Tigers program that finished 11th at the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 23.

Missouri’s program has featured a number of wrestlers from Wisconsin in recent seasons, just another reason it felt like home for Stoffel when he made his recruiting visit.

“It’s weird to say it, but as soon as I stepped in that airport I had this weird feeling. Everybody talks about like you’ll feel it, you’ll feel it when you get there. You’ll know that’s the place to be. And that first step in the airport, I had this really weird but good feeling,” Stoffel said. “I feel at home with them. It’s just like North wrestling. It’s just a family. We can all have our own goals and dreams and all achieve them together.”

Stoffel said the plan is to redshirt his first year on campus and he thinks that development year will be good for him. However, if the chance comes for him to get on the mat right away, he’s not going to back down from the challenge.

“If the opportunity arises where I can be on that lineup and my coaches, my team, my family, myself all believe that I can go out there and contend for a national title my freshman year, I’m going to full force go for it,” he said. “If I’m hitting the gas pedal and doing the right things in and out of the wrestling room and everybody believes in me and I believe in myself, that’s an option there.”

Post-Crescent All-Area Wrestling Team

First team

Brock Arndt, sr., Appleton North: 30-2 record, state runner-up at 285 in Division 1.

Lillie Banks, so., Menasha: 47-0, state champion at 132.

Blake Carton, jr., Shiocton: 45-4, state runner-up at 150 in Division 3.

Liam Crook, so., Kaukauna: 42-0, state champion at 165 in Division 1.

Andy DiPiazza, fr., Kaukauna: 46-6, state runner-up at 106 in Division 1.

Jacob Herm, jr., Neenah: 47-0, state champion at 144 in Division 1.

Vanden Hoffman, sr., Weyauwega-Fremont: 45-2, state runner-up at 285 in Division 3.

Bob Huntley, jr., Brillion: 56-4, state runner-up at 126 in Division 2.

Declan Koch, so., Neenah: 45-3, state runner-up at 138 in Division 1.

Hailie Krueger, jr., New London: 42-0, state champion at 152.

Wyatt Magolski, sr., New London: 46-4, state runner-up at 120 in Division 2.

Henry Niebauer, sr., Hortonville: 44-3, state runner-up at 150 in Division 1.

Lucas Peters, sr., Kaukauna: 50-4, state runner-up at 132 in Division 1.

Jake Stoffel, sr., Appleton North: Wrestler of the year.

Peter Tomazevic, jr., Freedom: 46-6, state runner-up at 132 in Division 2.

Hunter Vander Heiden, jr., Freedom: 47-4, state runner-up at 285 in Division 2.

Honorable mention

Allison Abel, so., Menasha; Josue Azuara, fr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Carter Birdyshaw, fr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Cash Botting, so., Hortonville; Gwen Breckheimer, sr., Chilton/Hilbert; Katherine Cook, fr., Freedom; Kolin DeGroot, so., Kaukauna; Mason Demerath, so., Shiocton; Jacob Durocher, sr., Wrightstown; Tristin Ellerman, sr., Hortonville; Sophia Galoff, sr., Brillion; Brody Hart, sr., Winneconne; Tanner Hart, sr., Kimberly; Ben Hilbert, fr., Appleton West; Jordan Jahnke, jr., Shiocton; Sam Keuler, sr., Wrightstown; Austin Kufner, so., Fox Valley Lutheran; Kylee Kurszewski, so., Neenah; Jaydon Le Noble, fr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Peyton Lee, jr., Kaukauna; Cael Leisgang, so., Seymour; Nehemiah Lendobeja, so., Kaukauna; Carter McDaniel, jr., Weyauwega-Fremont; Patrick Moore, sr., Freedom; Logan Mueller, jr., Brillion; Ayden Needham, sr., Hortonville; Aidan Peters, fr., Seymour; Ilijah Sanchez, jr., Shiocton; Izaiah Sanchez, so., Shiocton; Mackenzie Schiedermayer, so., Hortonville; Nolan Skebba, jr., Hortonville; Parker Spierings, fr., Brillion; Brady Sprangers, so., Kaukauna; Holdyn Volkman, fr., Shiocton.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Jake Stoffel is the Post-Crescent high school wrestler of the year