Pirates hope this is the start of something big

It wasn’t the performance they were looking for, but the Port Washington High School wrestling team took a big step this season.

The Pirates advanced to the team state tournament for the first time since 2020 and fourth in program history.

Coleman’s team quickly ushered them out of it last Friday at the La Crosse Center with a 50-23 win.

“We had to wrestle perfect for it to be close and we didn’t so it wasn’t,” coach Angelo LaRosa said.

“They’re obviously really good and one of the most storied programs in the state. We just have to get better and have some work to do if we want to compete with programs like that.”

Port got pins from Austin Knapp at 150 pounds, Carter Melichar at 157 and two-time state champion Garett Kawczynski, who tied Alex Dieringer’s school record for most wins in history.

Knapp (21-15) pinned Chase Gruber (36-12) in 1 minute, 3 seconds.

“Austin Knapp pinned a state qualifier. He had a really big pin,” LaRosa said.

Melichar (35-8), a state qualifier, pinned Austin Wendt (20-10) in 3:33.

Kawczynski (38-0), who will wrestle for Army at West Point next season, pinned Christian Coli-Promotor (11-15) in 1:04.

Junior Jackson Hatfield won a 15-0 technical fall.

It was a neat experience to go to state, LaRosa said.

“It’s always cool, super fun for the kids and the families,” he said. “It’s really cool making it there and wrestling on that stage.”

It’s even better at the La Crosse Center, which used technology to build excitement. This is the first year team state has been there after a long run at the Field House in Madison.

“They know how to run good tournaments. They put on a pretty good production with the lasers,” LaRosa said.

Coleman went on to beat Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau/Melrose-Mindoro, 33-23, in the semifinal before losing the title match to Evansville, 39-29.

Port advanced to state by beating Grafton, edging Kewaskum by a point and then blowing out Pewaukee in a Division 2 sectional final.

The Pirates lose Kawczynski, state qualifier Ashton Steinert and Sam Green, who has been hurt much of the season and wrestled up a weight or two, to graduation. Four individual state qualifiers return, including fourth-place medalist Graysen Koepke, Carter and Grant Melichar and Chase Barber.

Fourth-place medalist Cora Stewart will also be back, although girls will have their own team tournament next season.

While qualifying for team state was one goal, it was not the final one for a proud program with a strong history, and the Pirates want more.

“Looking into their eyes, no one’s really satisfied with just making it,” LaRosa said. “I don’t think everyone reached their goal. Only one person did (Kawczynski), and we didn’t reach the team goal.”

One of the keys going forward will be consistency and raising the bar.

“We just collectively can’t have such peaks and valleys. We need to bring everyone up higher. The really good teams, their lowest point is a .500 wrestler,” LaRosa said.
“Everyone just needs to put in the work now that they’ve been there before.”

The team, he said, has the ability to get back and make a deep run, especially given younger wrestlers he sees that will soon reach high school.

“We have an awesome group of kids. We had a meeting today and five of those guys were going to practice at Askren Academy at 4 o’clock,” he said on Monday.

“I think it’s just going to be the standard. We have so many good youth wrestlers coming up. It’s really exciting. I feel like this is just the start of big things to come.”

LaRosa isn’t the only one who sees a bright horizon for the Pirates.

“I honestly believe we have set the roots for a lot of future success,” Kawczynski said.

“It’s like growing bamboo. You plant the seeds and wait for three, four years and you must water it and fertilize it with no sign of growth. Then once the roots have set in, will shoot up 100 feet in a matter of weeks. That’s how I look at the team. It took a couple years of watering but I think we’re starting to sprout.”