Wildcat contingent make State memories on Kohl Center mats
Pain paid dividends for three state qualifying wrestlers as sophomore Ryland Schnider, senior Ben Buehring, and senior Roman Martell made the three-day trip down to the Kohl Center to wrestle the best of the best. Martell walked away with a fifth place finish, but all three put in more work to get there than one could imagine.
“A lot of people just think it comes down to the last three weeks of the regional sectionals and state, but it's developing their craft all year, putting trust in what we start with and how we end,” Coach Matthew Cuadra said. “A lot of times the season gets to be really long and we preach all year: just trust the process.”
Buehring saw himself grow mentally before the big tournament, helping him get to state.
“My confidence grew quite a bit on the mat and I think something that helped me get there was the coaching, as they boosted my confidence,” he said.
Schneider shares similar views regarding his development before the tournament.
“Some skills I worked on in order to make it to state this year include staying mentally tough, and never giving up, even if I am losing,” he said.
Martell also worked on mental preparations.
“Grinding out tough matches and scoring points when you need them most, as well as keeping a positive mentality, to just having confidence going into every match,” he said.
Being mentally prepared was important for as this year’s contest looked decidedly different than previous year’s. It was the first time they ever seeded every kid in the state tournament as it was random based on how they finished at sectionals prior to this year. This made the tournament slightly different for every wrestler.
“Where we had someone who got a higher seed, they had a different route than someone who had a lower seed. They had to face someone better off the bat, so taking a look at that and preparing kids so they knew anything can happen,” Cuadra said.
The Wildcats also exhilarated to be back in the Kohl center after competing at Kaukauna last year.
“The atmosphere was awesome. I truly believe the state experience is the best of all high school sports period,” Cuadra said. “I might be a little biased saying that, but I’ve been to nationals and Big 10 finals for wrestling at the Kohl center, and nothing compares to this. Just the atmosphere and what you hear and everyone getting behind everyone in the state finals; it's a different animal and it’s really cool to see.”
Assistant Coach Adam Stuiber enjoyed every moment.
“My overall experience at state was euphoria. It was fun; it's always a pleasure going down there,” he said. “Always exciting, in Madison. It's state wrestling, something that you live for especially if you're a die hard wrestler or wrestling fan.”
The boys share similar thoughts as Buehring and Schnider, as this was their first trip down.
“The atmosphere is really energetic, lots of cheering,” Schnider said.
The temperature was definitely turned up, according to Buerihing.
“The competition was a lot higher and the fans were a lot more passionate,” he said. “It was a little harder to understand for me because I had never been there before, despite that Roman knew what he had to do and it was definitely an eye opener.”
Martell, who had been to state before, preferred the setting of the Kohl center to the familiar gym of Kaukauna.
“It's a much bigger arena there, obviously, and just so many more people there to watch. Just being down on the mat and looking up and seeing everybody is just bone chilling,” he said.
Stuiber was also thrilled to be back.
“Obviously the biggest thing is, for one, the tournament was back at the Kohl Center. I think the atmosphere there was more electric. It's a lot more exciting,” he said. “It was nice to have all three divisions together and being able to watch the competition and the ability levels between divisions.”
Cuadra also had a different experience this year.
“I’ve experienced it as a competitor, an assistant, and now as a head coach, getting to experience all the different stresses of making sure the kids are there on time, they’re on weight, and just babysitting. We're in charge of kids and just making sure everyones in a great place,” he said. “The best part is, I have a great support staff all the way around me. They took care of a lot of things when I didn't have time to think about them.”
Cuadra claimed that finding success from the support around him helped make the days run smoothly. For the boys, they all had different experiences at the state tournament. Buehring may not have placed, but he was still grateful for the opportunity.
“I went 0-2 right away, but otherwise it was fun and the whole atmosphere was cool. It was my first time at the Kohl, so it was definitely very exciting,” he said.
For Schneider, not placing was tough but he was thankful for the support surrounding him.
“It was really fun, I got some nerves out, and now I know what to expect for next year,” he said. “It was nice having my family there. Even if it didn't end up the way I wanted, it was still fun.”
Schneider has high expectations for next year.
“My goals for next year are to make it again and place this time,” he said.
However, Martell finally lived his dream of becoming a state placer after coming up short the past two years.
“It makes me feel really good knowing I ended my career on a pretty good note. I was hoping for better, but I’m happy with a fifth place finish; it feels so good to finally stand on the podium after two years of not making it, so I'm just proud of myself,” he said.
His coaches were also enthusiastic to see him finally succeed.
“It was a relief and very exciting. When somebody has been working so long trying to achieve a goal and he's fallen short the last two years. It was awesome to see him finally place. Achieving a goal that he has aspired to do since he was probably in kindergarten,” Stuiber said. “As an Oshkosh West coach, a fan, and as a former wrestler, it was exciting to see him finally achieve something that he’s worked really hard for a long long time.”
Cuadra also shared the enthusiasm of Martell’s successes.
“It was fantastic! To finally get a win at state was something Roman and I joked about back and forth as he didn’t have as much success as we had hoped for in the past at state,” Cuadra said. “But after he got that first win out of the way, he was ready to go. He came out there the second match and wrestled a phenomenal match. After he won that one, we knew he was a place winner; you felt all the nerves kinda drop. Finally getting up there where he belongs was a really cool experience for him to be able to go on the wall.”
This moment is something Cuadra will never forget.
“It's a unique experience to have as a head coach. I thought it was really cool to see his success and watch him grow this season,” he said. “I couldn't ask for a better guy to be my first state place winner. I'll always remember that, and have that relationship with him.”
Martell was also thankful for the support he received throughout the day.
“Having them there and having them watch behind a screen is so much different, because having them there means I can go talk to them. They’re in my corner, rooting for me,” he said. “I feel like having them there is a lot more meaningful than just having them watch from a live stream. It's a really cool feeling having such a good support network there to have your back for you.”
Martell was also thrilled to have the continuous support of his brother and coach.
“We’ve wrestled together our whole lives,” he said. “Him coming back and coaching this year is pretty cool. Having him in my corner for all my matches was pretty meaningful because he’s been such a big part of my wrestling career and it meant a lot to me. So it was a pretty cool experience for the both of us.”
These moments also became his coach’s favorite memories from the weekend.
“My favorite memory would be when Roman won a really big match in the quarterfinals, and the match that he won against the Wausau West kid,” Stuiber said. “As his placement match, seeing him and Coach Avery on the mat hugging each other and the emotions letting loose was probably the most memorable part of the state tournament. You know as a coach you want everything for your athletes, and again, Coach Avery obviously being a brother to Roman is a little bit different; it was just really cool to see that Avery could be a part of that.”
Martell leaves with a sense of career satisfaction.
“Winning my quarterfinal match and going to the semifinal match, I didn’t really expect myself to get to them, I had high hopes but I wasn’t really all that confident but when I won that match it kinda made me feel so much better about myself,” he said. “It was just a cool feeling going from losing sophomore and junior year to being a state semi-finalist, which not a lot of people can say they did.”
By Lily Fournier
March 18 2022
Volume 118 Issue VI