Lake Mills places second at districts; 4 wrestlers move on to state

Published 1:59 pm Monday, February 14, 2022

Lake Mills wrestlers continue to peak at the right time of the season, as the team placed second at the 15-team district tournament in Denver, Iowa, on Saturday.

“Our kids represented our program very well today,” said coach Alex Brandenburg. “To get second in team points at likely the toughest District in class 1A is a great accomplishment.”

Four Bulldogs punched their tickets to the state tournament this upcoming weekend in Des Moines. Freshmen Hayden Helgeson and Wyatt Hanna both captured district titles at 113 and 220 pounds, respectively. Junior Alex Beaty and freshman Lucas Oldenkamp were each runners-up to qualify. Beaty qualifies at 152 pounds, while Oldenkamp moves on at 106,

“Getting four kids to state in such a tough district is great,” said Brandenburg. “These four wrestled well today, and each has a good shot of placing in Des Moines.”

Also representing Lake Mills were seniors Brett Peterson (third at 170) and Hayden Brua (fourth at 145).

“Brett and Hayden will be missed next year on and off the mat,” Brandenburg said. “They set a great example for our underclassmen because they are very level headed and know how to both win and lose with class.”

Junior Geraldo Vazquez (fourth at 120) and sophomore Beau Kaufman (fourth at 160) each competed hard but came up short.

“Today was a good experience for these two underclassman,” Brandenburg said. “Wrestling in this environment will make them better for next year.”

First round of the state tournament will be Thursday evening, and wrestling will continue into Friday and Saturday.