EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal
Ian Crapp, Sr., 144 pounds, Fennimore wrestling
KAUKAUNA — Fennimore senior Ian Crapp went 6–1 and finished second at 144 pounds at the nationally-renowned Kaukauna Cheesehead Invitational over the weekend. Crapp (13–2), who only recently returned to the Fennimore lineup used a first-round bye, three straight pins, an 8–0 major decision over Kasson-Mantorville's (Minn.) Jonah Coleman in the quarterfinals and a injury default victory Jayden Colon (25–4) or St. Charles East in the semis to reach the finals, where he suffered an 8–1 loss to Jefferson’s (Ga.) Dalla Russell (21–2).
“What an amazing run,” said Fennimore hed coach Chad Steldt. “He has become one heck of a wrestler. He has consistently improved his strength and speed over the last four years, and now combined with his strong offensive attacks is on his way to the top. Ian fell short in the finals to Georgia’s top ranked wrestler and returning state champ, but it was a good and action packed match. It is fun to coach Ian because he has become so good at scrambling and has some big moves in his toolbox that he is willing to hit on anyone.”
Crapp scored a team-best 65 team points to help Fennimore finish seventh with 300.5 points at the 38-team tournament. Southeast Polk (Iowa) won the team title with 591.5 points, well ahead of Joliet Catholic (Ill.) (504). Fennimore placed ahead of host Kaukauna (290.5), the top-ranked Division 1 team in Wisconsin team as well.
“The six teams that placed ahead of Fennimore are all ranked in the top 50 nationally, and all were out of state,” said Fennimore head coach Chad Steldt. “These are schools with high school enrollments above 1,500 students in the high school with the exception of fifth-place Kasson–Mantorville (Minn.) with about 700 students in the high school. In comparison Fennimore sits right around 220 to 230. Pretty amazing to say the least, and it says a lot about the families that have committed the wrestling program and support their kids, as well as the coaching staff and the dedication they have to our community.”
Will Murray, Sr., F, Darlington boys basketball
Darlington proved why it is No. 4 in Division 4 with a 100–71 win over New Glarus last Tuesday. The Redbirds, who average 79 points per game, put on its best offensive performance of the season, led by a game-high 27 points from senior Will Murray. Murray made 12 of 17 field goal attempts and also pulled down eight rebounds to lead the Redbirds (12–1) to the blowout victory.
Murray went on to post 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one block in a 78–60 SWAL victory at Southwestern last Friday night to improved to 4–1 in the conference. The senior standout then finished with a game-high 21 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in an 80–38 victory at Highland on Saturday. Murray kept the momentum going Monday night in a 78–31 non-conference blowout win at River Valley with 18 points and four rebounds.
Murray is averaging a team-high 20.3 points on 58.1 percent shooting (111 of 191) to go along with 7.6 rebounds, 1 assists and 1.2 steals per game for the 12–1 Redbirds.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Drake Ingham, Sr., 133 pounds, Prairie du Chien wrestling
Drake Ingham, went 6-0 at The Clash National High School Duals in La Crosse last weekend to lead the Blackhawks to a second place finish in Division 6. Ingham became the first Blackhawk to ever going 6–0 at the tournament.
Kaci Riechers, Jr., PG, Belmont girls basketball
Riechers was a defense standout in Belmont's 68–25 Six Rivers West rout last Thursday night, converting eight of the Braves' 19 steals into 15 points, 10 of those on easy transition layups after her thefts. Riechers then had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists in a 74–39 non-conference victory over East Dubuque Monday night. Riechers also had a team-high 18 points and three steals in last Tuesday's 60–52 win at Dodgeville. Belmont (10–4, 3–1 SRW) has now won four games in a row since a 42–31 loss to SRW co-leader Highland Dec. 22.
Everrett Zimmer, So., G, Iowa–Grant boys basketball
Iowa–Grant sophomore Everrett Zimmer scored a career-high 19 points, including 11 in a row, to lead the Panthers (2–9, 1–4 SWAL) to a 55–51 SWAL win over Cuba City (4–6, 2–3) last Friday night. Cyle Steffl, the newest member of Iowa–Grant’s 1,000-point club, added 18 points in the Panthers’ first win over the Cubans since Feb. 5, 2016. Zimmer's big night helped IG snap an eight-game losing streak.
