Six Demons receive all-conference honors

There probably aren?t too many state champion wrestlers who are second team all-conference. But that?s where Washington?s Fletcher Green found himself when the All-Southeast Conference wrestling teams were released recently.

Green, a junior, went 36-5 this season and won the Class 2A state championship at 113 pounds. But three of his losses came at the hands of Fort Madison junior Bryce Meyer, who finished the season 41-1 and third in Class 3A at the state tournament. Meyer was named the conference?s Wrestler of the Year.

?Probably just one,? said Washington head coach Brent Van Weelden when asked how many state champions were second team all-conference. ?But it all comes down to head-to-head. In wrestling it?s pretty black and white. I beat you or you beat me.?

Green was one of five Demons named to the All-SEC second team. Junior Tristan Pohren, who qualified for the state tournament at 120 pounds and finished the year with a 30-8 record, was named to the second team as a 126-pounder.

Brad Skubal was selected to the second team as well. The 170-pounder had an outstanding sophomore season, finishing with a 29-6 record. But he finished third at the sectional tournament in Mediapolis after suffering a tough overtime loss to Fairfield?s Seth Davisson in the semifinals. Davisson was selected to the all-conference first team.

?That was a tough one,? Van Weelden said. ?Brad got edged out by Davisson at sectionals and at the conference tournament. Brad wrestled tough all year.?

Senior 195-pounder Aaron Kempf was selected to the all-conference second team after going 19-15 this season and finishing third at the sectional tournament.

?Aaron has worked hard for all four years,? Van Weelden said. ?We thought about having him drop to 182 [pounds], but we needed him more at 195. He?s always wrestled where the team has needed him. It was good to see him get accolades for filling in where the team has needed him the most.?

Sophomore 106-pounder Michael Witt was also a second team selection. He went 24-19 this year and finished third at sectionals.

Junior Tanner Knupp was Washington?s lone first team all-conference selection. The 152-pounder went 30-8 this season, and was undefeated against conference opponents. He was also a district qualifier.

?Tanner put together a pretty good year, going undefeated in conference and doing pretty good in the conference tournament,? Van Weelden said. ?I don?t believe he lost to anybody in the conference this year, so it was pretty easy to pick him as the No. 1 152-pounder.?

Washington finished second in the Southeast Conference this season with a 3-1 record. A 42-16 loss to Fort Madison on Jan. 3 was the only blemish on the Demons? league record. The Bloodhounds had five wrestlers selected to the all-conference first team.

?One of these years we?ll figure out how to beat Fort Madison,? Van Weelden said. ?That?s the one team I haven?t beaten in seven years. Maybe next year is the year.?

Washington also had three wrestlers, two managers and a pair of cheerleaders selected to the academic all-conference squad. Kempf, Knupp and senior Mitchell Hora were named to the academic all-conference team along with managers Zuleyma Leal and Megan Reuscher and cheerleaders Katlyn Bennett and Madeline Hora.

?It?s great to see we have kids who are excelling in academics as well as athletics,? Van Weelden said. ?Succeeding in academics is important to us, so it was great to see us get several kids on the conference all-academic team.?