Four student-athletes from the River Falls High School wrestling team had an emotional 72 hours at the WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament in Madison.

Whether it was senior Travis Moelter overcoming adversity to secure a third-place finish in the 126-pound Division 1 bracket or junior Jenna Lawrence becoming the first female in River Falls history to qualify for and compete in the state tournament, special moments happened at the Kohl Center.

By winning the 107-pound Division 1 sectional championship in Eau Claire two weeks ago, the aforementioned Lawrence punched her ticket to the state tournament in Madison last weekend. Lawrence advanced out of the first round at state with a first-period pinfall victory over Grafton freshman Ellie Federl.

Although Lawrence lost in the quarterfinals and then again in the first round of the consolation bracket, her efforts throughout the 2022-23 season made her a trailblazer in the Wildcats’ wrestling program. River Falls head coach Kevin Black spoke about the history she made in her debut match at the Kohl Center on Thursday, Feb. 23.

“She will always be the first girls qualifier in school history,” Black said. “She’s still relatively new to wrestling. This was a big event with a lot of big things surrounding wrestling. She had a great experience and also gained valuable insight into how much she needs to improve in the offseason.”

While Lawrence was making history, River Falls’ three boys that qualified were getting ready to make a run through their respective brackets. The aforementioned Moelter was the lone Wildcat that made the podium, as he finished third in the 126-pound bracket.

Moelter’s state tournament began with a first-period pinfall victory over Mukwonago sophomore Adam Whittier. Moelter ran into the eventual state runner-up in the quarterfinals, Neenah sophomore Jacob Herb, who bested the River Falls senior in an 8-5 decision. Coach Black spoke about Moelter’s heartbreaking defeat against Herb.

“That was a difficult loss for Travis,” Black said. “We had a game plan in place and worked on things leading up to the tournament for that matchup.  It just wasn’t his time, which was hard for him to accept. However, we had a really important conversation that night about value, purpose, and significance and he came back on Friday and Saturday and wrestled the best he’s ever wrestled in his life.”

Throughout the next two days, Moelter won three consecutive matches in the consolation bracket including a tight 1-0 decision in the third-place match against Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln sophomore Carter Freeman.

“It was fun to watch him leave it all on the mat and leave Madison satisfied with who he is,” Black said of Moelter. “He learned a lot over the weekend and we’re really excited for his next chapter in life.”

River Falls senior 195-pounder Zack Peterson lost a 9-4 decision in his first-round bout which sent him to the consolation bracket. That’s where Peterson secured a 5-4 victory over Elkhorn Area senior Brandon Zoellner.

Peterson ultimately dropped his next match and came up just short of securing a spot on the podium. Coach Black spoke about Peterson’s state tournament and a couple of tight matches that just didn’t go his way.

“​​Zack had a golden opportunity,” Black said. “He moved up to 195 and checked the box of making it to state. I’m not certain that he believed in himself as much as we did over the weekend. We believed he had a great chance to get on the podium. His two losses were pretty close and the last one could have swung his way, but it just didn’t work out.”

While Moelter and Peterson finished their careers in Madison on Saturday afternoon, River Falls sophomore Lincoln McCarty got his first taste of the biggest wrestling stage in the state. McCarty rose to prominence this season as a 220-pounder but moved to 285 heavyweight before the postseason began.

After making that change, McCarty flourished in the role and punched his ticket to Madison. Despite wrestling as well as he had all year, McCarty’s first match at the Kohl Center was against West Bend West junior Cole Mirasola, who went into state with a 53-2 record.

Mirasola pinned McCarty midway through the first period and later went on to win the 285-pound individual state championship. Although he lost his first match, McCarty was all but guaranteed a second match in the consolation bracket.

The only scenario in which a first-round loss doesn’t result in a consolation berth is if the winner of that first-round match loses in the second round. Because Mirasola was expected to contend for a state title, coach Black was confident his sophomore would get another chance – and he did.

McCarty got his first taste of success in the first round of the consolation bracket, where secured a pinfall victory less than a minute into his match against Waukesha South senior CJ Johnson. McCarty’s state tournament ended when he got pinned in the second round of the consolation series.

“We were at least optimistic about Lincoln’s first-round match-up because he was nearly guaranteed a second match,” Black said. “He had a big win on the consolation side and tasted success at the Kohl Center. He’s really motivated now to improve over the offseason.”

While River Falls will certainly miss the production of the five seniors on the varsity roster, coach Black believes younger individuals will have a chance to make an impact for the Wildcats next year.

“We need to continue to work hard this offseason and jump levels as a team,” Black said. “Several individuals have some nice opportunities ahead of them as members of the team, however, they really need to commit in the offseason to getting better.”