Nicolet's Fehlhaber fulfills vow to a friend, advances to state wrestling tourney

Glendale - There was more at work Saturday in the WIAA sectional meet at Arrowhead for the Nicolet wrestling team than merely just qualifying people for the state tournament.

Though for an ever-striving program like that of the Knights, that is a priority.

And though everyone was happy for senior Wilhelm Fehlhaber when he won his wrestleback at 160 pounds and earned his first state berth, Fehlhaber wanted to make sure everyone understood who that effort was really for.

He noted the athletic young man sitting on a chair, with a pink cast on his leg. It was Nicolet team leader, senior 220-pounder Jon McKay, a state qualifier last season and a major threat for a state medal this season until he broke his leg in practice three weeks ago.

"Jon and I started doing off-season workouts this past season and we became two of the most driven people we knew," Fehlhaber said, "but when he got hurt, we knew we had to carry him on our backs, not him carry us on his as he had been all season. We were going to carry him to state if we had to."

Heartbreak in overtime

And Fehlhaber nearly had help in that endeavor, when fellow senior Keondre Walton-Cooper lost a thrilling 9-7 overtime decision to area rival Nick Levings of Whitefish Bay in the 182-pound wrestleback.

His coach Gus Kaufmann understood that feeling, having lost a wrestleback himself in his senior year.

"He was so down afterwards," said Kaufmann of Walton-Cooper. "He had put a lot of effort and dedication into it and he came up just a little short. It wasn't for a lack of opportunity. He had everything out in front of him.

"… It's just like we tell the kids, don't walk out with any regrets don't let a single day go by (without doing something that will help you in the end)."

Fehlhaber (24-12) will take on Wisconsin Rapids' Jake Rafflik (34-2) in a WIAA State Individual Tournament first-round match at 3 p.m. Thursday at the Kohl Center in Madison.

Team places ninth

Fehlhaber's efforts led the Knights to a ninth-place showing in the sectional with 28 points as Arrowhead won with 148.5.

He pinned a Homestead opponent (1:29) and defeated a Germantown foe (11-7 decision) before falling to old rival Rashadeem Gray of Bay (36-11) by a 7-3 count in the final.

That loss put him in a wrestleback with Arrowhead's Zach Barbee (19-18). But Fehlhaber got a critical third period takedown that helped him pull out a 7-5 decision.

Afterward, Fehlhaber invoked a little bit of Kaufmann's philosophy.

"This has been such a long battle," he said. "I just couldn't let myself lose. I've had a lot of ups and downs (with wrestling). My only motivation was 'This is it, this might be my last match. Leave no regrets.' "

It was welcome news to Kaufmann.

"It took three years, but finally he said this year, 'Show me how,' " Kaufmann said. "He figured out how to wrestle hard all the way through (a match) and he gave it his all every match. That he hung in as well as he did against a guy as talented as Rash (Gray) tells me a lot about his character."

Walton-Cooper had a lot of character, too. He lost a tough 3-2 semifinal decision to a Menomonee Falls' wrestler but then bounced back to beat Wauwatosa's Devine Burt (6-2) in the consolation match setting up the wrestleback with Levings.

He got the early lead on Levings before the score was tied late and the overtime forced.

"Those are hard, meaningful losses," Kaufmann said. "You try to take them in stride and move on from them."

Kaufmann was proud of everyone's efforts on the day at the sectional, including heavyweight Nate Patton (18-19), who finished fourth after making great strides throughout the course of the season.

Other Knights at the sectional included Jack Kalloch at 106 (19-16), Bryan Dineen at 138 (16-22), Jordan Fischer at 145 (18-15), Lamonte Brown at 152 (12-17), Mohamed Dawod at 195 (3-1) and Jalen Holliman at 220 (7-14).