2 and has one conference

14 THE SUN FEBRUARY 19, 2020 www.osceolasun.com AND OUTDOORS Chieftain wrestlers compete in tough Regional meet in Somerset

BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

The Osceola Chieftain wrestling squad fi nished in third place overall in a very tough Regional tournament in Somerset. Baldwin-Woodville earned the top spot by accumulating 217 points. Amery was in second place, just six points behind the Blackhawks. The Chieftains fi nished third followed by St. Croix Central with Bloomer/Colfax rounding out the top fi ve of the seven teams in the tournament.

“Our Regional could’ve easily been the toughest one in our Sectional and I believe the toughest one I’ve ever coached in,” Osceola coach Nate Demulling said. “We fi nished third as a team, which the boys should be proud of. We have four wrestlers advancing to the Sectional tournament which will be in Osceola.”

Osceola’s four advancing wrestlers all placed second with Thomas Oswald (113 pounds), Lucas Sedivy (120), Aaron Schmidt (145) and Nick Carlson (195) all earning the right keep their season going and now have a chance to punch their ticket to the State tournament in Madison.

Oswald (36-4 overall record) will face off against Logan Traut from Northwestern (32-7); Sedivy (23-11) will wrestle Cole Nelson from Ellsworth (21-6); Schmidt 19-12 will be tested by Zeke Sigmund of Medford (35-4); and Carlson (32-8) will wrestle Bryce Burns from Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro (39-3) in the fi rst round of action.

Oswald had perhaps the most thrilling championship match at the Somerset Regional. In the contest for fi rst place Oswald was paired up against Luke Blanchard of Bloomer/Colfax. After three periods the score was tied forcing sudden victory overtime where Blanchard got the win. Oswald then came back to earn his trip to Sectionals with an 8-5 decision over Tyler Fink of Baldwin-Woodville. “My second place

JO JASPERSON | THE SUN Osceola’s Thomas Oswald notched his 100th career win and a trip to Sectionals as well with a win over Tyler Fink of Baldwin-Woodville. Osceola placed third at the Regional meet and has four wrestlers advancing to Sectionals this Saturday in Osceola. JO JASPERSON | THE SUN

match had two possible outcomes, lose and have my season end, or win and continue to compete for a State run,” Oswald said. “I knew that this match was the deciding factor of my season, so there was defi nitely some pressure. However, I didn’t let the pressure get to my head and I was able to come back from my loss in the fi nals and qualify for Sectionals.”

It was a special day for Oswald, a junior, at Regionals as he earned the 100th win of his career. “Speaking of 100 win holders, Thomas Oswald joined that club last Saturday as he earned his 100th and qualifi ed for Sectionals at the same time,” Demulling noted. “Tommy had a gritty performance and wrestled not at 100%, as so many wrestlers do. He was ill during the week and almost wasn’t able to wrestle Saturday. That made the win extra special.”

Osceola had three wrestlers, Drew Willeman (126), Jacob Sedivy (138) and Tyler Johnson (285) just missing advancing to Sectionals by virtue of their third place

SEE WRESTLING, PAGE 23

Girls win in overtime thriller

BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

For the second week in a row the Osceola Chieftain girls basketball team beat a team that was above them in the standings while playing on the road. Osceola defeated Baldwin-Woodville by two points a couple weeks ago and turned the trick again last week by defeating the Ellsworth Panthers in Ellsworth, in a game that wasn’t decided until an overtime session. The Chieftains ended their week with a loss to a tough New Richmond squad that has lost just once in the Middle Border conference this season and is 16-3 overall.

“We had the hot hand right out of the gate,” Osceola coach Mike Haase said about the Osceola win in Ellsworth. “We jumped out to a 24-4, then a 27-7 lead. That is when Ellsworth’s Autumn Earney turned on the switch. She fi nished the fi rst half with 19 points and tallied 36 for the night.”

The Chieftains shot the ball well all night and ended the game shooting 47% from the fl oor. With the scored tied at 52 Osceola turned the ball over and the Panthers made them pay, converting an offensive rebound into a

JO JASPERSON | THE SUN Chieftain Ellie Gillespie fi ghts for position for a rebound against New Richmond’s Audrey Feuerer. Osceola split a pair of MBC games last week.

bucket with one minute to play. The Chieftains struck back.

“Kaili Bradway brought the ball up the court quickly and found a wide open Ellie Gillespie in the corner where she knocked down a huge 3-pointer to give us a 55-54 lead,” Haase explained.

Earney then got the lead back for Ellsworth converting a pair of free throws. Chieftain Emily Fox tied the game on a charity toss with 12 seconds to play, sending the game into overtime. In overtime Osceola’s Mallory Johnson and Hattie Fox combined to score all nine of the Chieftain points. The Chieftain defense dug in and held Ellsworth to fi ve in overtime to secure another big road win.

“This game was a rollercoaster from having

Boys drop a pair of close decisions on the court

BY RON JASPERSON SPORTS WRITER

It is no secret that the Osceola Chieftain boys basketball team could use a few more wins. Last week Osceola came close in a pair of contests, fi rst at Barron against the Bears and then at home against the St. Croix Central Panthers. The Chieftains had their chances in both games but could not get the key stop on defense when needed or could not convert in their offensive set with a chance to tie or take the lead.

New Richmond and Prescott currently share the top spot in the Middle Border conference race with 10-1 records. St. Croix Central and Somerset are tied for third place in the MBC with 7-4 marks.

The game in Barron was close throughout. The Bears held a slim two point advantage at intermission and added another two points to their victory margin after the break. The fi nal score had the Bears on top 44-40.

“Last Monday night in Barron ended a pretty tough stretch for us and

JO JASPERSON | THE SUN Senior Josh Mork gets a good look inside against the St. Croix Central Panthers. Osceola dropped a pair of close games last week but remain focused on the upcoming games.