Heck, it was a battle just to get there. After being delayed for hours in the midst of Thursday's snowstorm at Newark-Liberty International Airport, parents and fans gave up seats on their flight to allow the team to travel. The Wildcats are looking to make the most of their opportunity.
"Why would they want to go if we weren't out there," said 'Cats coach John Gardner. "Some of them drove to [Philadelphia] and were able to fly out. We have about 10-12 fans out here, which is nice."
After Day 1, Gardner's squad stood in seventh place among the 26-team field. Five wrestlers, Dom Gallo (3-0 at 120), Mike Derin (2-0 132), Jason Gaccione (2-0 at 145), Kyle Stoll (2-0 at 195) and Bobby McDonnell (2-0 at 220) all went unbeaten on the first day.
Gallo (9-0) is off to great start this season after winning titles at the Colt Classic and Mustang Classic. The junior, a District 3 champion and fourth in Region 1 last season, won by major decision in his opener, followed by two decision victories.
"He's been pretty good," Gardner said. "The kid he wrestled in the last round [Nathan Sands of Waverly-Shellrock, Iowa] was the top seed in his pool."
Unfortunately, it wasn't all good news. Talented sophomore 126-pounder Jared Kobis, who decked his first-round opponent, sustained a fractured hand just 1:05 into his second bout and is out indefinitely. It's the same hand Kobis broke in the fall while working out with Gaccione. The loss of Kobis is a big blow to a team looking to repeat as Group 2 champion.
"I've said all along that we can be pretty good," Gardner said. "Obviously, losing Kobis hurts. He was looking real good, too. We're going to take a step back from here. We have some weights where we're already kind of thin. We will have to use some kids that are not going to be ready."
Heavyweight Christian Campbell is gaining some valuable experience on a big stage after winning a wrestle-off with Region 1 qualifier Gunny Wassong. Campbell, who was 3-6 for his varsity career coming in, went 1-2 on the day.
"[Campbell] might get as many matches here as he has in his career," Gardner said. "We could have some kids wrestle four or five times on Saturday. It will be a tough day, but that's why we [came out here]."
The Cheesehead uses a "hybrid" 32-man bracket, in which eight wrestlers from four pools compete in a round-robin format. The top two wrestlers in each pool advance to the eight-man championship bracket, while the bottom two fall on the consolation side.
Action resumes at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, with the championship round and third- and fifth-place matches to be contested at 7 p.m.
High Point totaled 105.5 points on Friday, as only 24.5 points separated second through seventh places.
The 'Cats met up with an old friend in Wisconsin, as Zach Wagenhoffer, younger brother of former High Point state champ Drew Wagenhoffer, competes for Waverly-Shellrock. Zach went 1-2 at 138 pounds.
"There he was warming up, wearing a High Point sweatshirt," Gardner said.
106 -- Chase Babus (1-2)
Defeated Ben Schlueter (Edwardsville, Ill.), 10-7 TB
Lost to Paul Bianchi (Two Rivers, Wisc.), pin in :54
Lost to Jake Gliva (Simley, Minn.), pin in 1:56
113 -- Mike Garrity (0-1)
Lost to Bradley Kish (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.), pin in 3:50
120 -- Dom Gallo (3-0)
Defeated Jasmine Bailey (Iowa City West), 17-3
Defeated AJ Jaffe (Marmion Academy, Ill.), 11-4
Defeated Nathan Sands (Waverly-Shellrock, Iowa), 8-3
126 -- Jared Kobis (1-1)
Defeated Brandon Hill (Sheboygan Falls, Wisc.), pin in 1:54
Lost to John Roddick (Sparta, Wisc.), injury default in 1:05
132 -- Mike Derin (2-0)
Defeated Kyle Nordstrom (Simley, Minn.), pin in 3:08
Defeated Quentin Propson (Wrightstown, Wisc.), 16-3
138 -- Ryan Cullen (0-1)
Lost to Byron Vaughn (Omaha North, Neb.), 18-8
145 -- Jason Gaccione (2-0)
Defeated Trevell Timmons (Lockport, Ill.), 9-2
Defeated Peyton Einerson (Wisconsin Rapids), 4-1
152 -- Chris Auer (1-2)
Defeated Levi Meier (Waverly-Shellrock, Iowa), 7-0
Lost to Tyler Jackson (Omaha North, Neb.), 15-2
Lost to Brady Buchheit (Southeast Polk, Iowa), 5-4
160 -- Tommy Hooker (2-1)
Defeated Patrick Reilly (Stoughton, Wisc.), 17-2, 4:24
Lost to Xavier Montalvo (Montini Catholic, Ill.), 18-9
Defeated Cal Stoflet (Wisconsin Rapids), pin in 4:00
170 -- Colby Brands (0-1)
Lost to Jack Becker (Sheboygan Falls, Wisc.), 4-3
182 -- Antonio Porraspita (2-1)
Defeated Brady Zimmer (Ellsworth, Wisc.), 8-3
Lost to Cameron Throneberry (Edwardsville, Ill.), 7-3
Defeated Trent Trull (Kaukauna, Wisc.), 5-4
195 -- Kyle Stoll (2-0)
Defeated Brock Steldt (Ellsworth, Wisc.), pin in 5:08
Defeated Zach Haen (Kaukauna, Wisc.), pin in :39
220 -- Bobby McDonnell (2-0)
Defeated Mitch Yoerger (Iowa City West), pin in 3:26
Defeated Garry Baizley (Hartford, Wisc.), pin in 1:35
285 -- Christian Campbell (1-2)
Defeated Seth Donkers (Kenyon-Wanamingo, Minn.), 7-0
Lost to Jacob Marnin (Southeast Polk, Iowa), pin in 2:16
Lost to Aydan Wynos (Iowa City West), pin in 4:36
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