By Reagan Hoverman

The Prescott and Spring Valley/Elmwood High School wrestling teams were two of the 11 programs that competed in the 58th Annual Ellsworth Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Ellsworth.

Spring Valley/Elmwood earned an eighth-place finish as a team with 57.5 points and Prescott finished in ninth place with 47 points. The Ellsworth Invitational served as the first tournament of the year for both squads and gave student-athletes a chance to compete against some of the best competition in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Prescott’s best individual finish of the day was senior Benny Olson, who wrestled his way through the 106-pound bracket and capped it off with a win against Bronson Shea in the championship match. Olson quickly disposed of Shea via pinfall less than a minute into the first period.

For Olson, the victory in the season opener was a continuation of the success he had last year during his junior campaign. In that 2021-22 season, Olson missed going to state as an individual by one place. Now, he’s made that his biggest goal for his senior year. Prescott first-year head coach Ross Wargula spoke about Olson’s 106-pound championship on Saturday.

“Having Benny Olson start the season with a tournament championship sets the tone for his season and our team’s season,” Wargula said. “Benny was a spot away from making the state tournament a year ago and that shortcoming has fueled him for this season. He made things interesting in the semifinals against a quality opponent from Ellsworth but eventually prevailed. In the finals of the tournament, he showed some great feel on the mat hitting a beautiful fireman’s carry and then lat drop to secure the pin.”

Prescott’s Quinn Glasby had a strong showing in the 182-pound bracket against some of the toughest competition of the entire tournament. After receiving a first-round bye, Glasby quickly took care of Regis/Altoona’s Nash Cullinan via pinfall less than 30 seconds into the match.

With the win, Glasby advanced to the semifinals where he was defeated via pinfall by Cadott’s Dawson Webster. After beating Glasby, Webster tore through the rest of the bracket and won the 182-pound title. Coach Wargula spoke about Glasby’s performance.

“Quinn Glasby had a nice showing in the 182-pound bracket, missing the podium by one spot,” Wargula said. “Quinn is a fun kid to watch wrestle and he loves to compete. Saturday was a good start to his season.”

Despite it being Wargula’s first season running the Prescott wrestling program, he was quick to acknowledge how beneficial it was for his team to face tough competition at the 58th Annual Ellsworth Invitational.

“The Ellsworth tournament is a great way to start the season for a few reasons,” Wargula said. “Geographically, it is about a 20-minute bus ride, which is always nice. Secondly, Ellsworth has a proud wrestling history that includes their annual tournament. They do an excellent job running the tournament and getting quality competition from near and far to come compete.”

The Prescott Cardinals will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 8, at home in a wrestling tri-meet against Amery and Osceola. That match will start at 6 p.m.

Spring Valley/Elmwood

While teams like Ellsworth and Prescott relied on a strong senior presence for their most notable results, Spring Valley/ Elmwood’s top finishers were mostly up-and-coming underclassmen.

Spring Valley’s top finisher on Saturday afternoon was freshman Jack Steinmeyer. After receiving a bye in the first round, Steinmeyer lost a tough match in the second round against Tyler Mix of Dover-Eyota.

Steinmeyer bounced back by winning three consecutive matches in the consolation bracket to earn a third-place finish. His impressive stretch of wrestling included a win via pinfall over Kyle Turner of New Richmond, a 6-4 decision over Brock Zurn of Prior Lake, Minn., and an 11-8 decision in the third-place match over Axel Tegels of Cadott.

“Jack had a great performance at his first high school tournament,” Spring Valley/ Elmwood head coach Gable Frandsen said. “Along with Jack, Austin Krentz (138) and Chase Rud (145) also had their first high school tournament. Middle school wrestling to high school wrestling is a big adjustment, all of the freshmen handled and are adapting to the changes well.”

Other notable Spring Valley/Elmwood results included Tyler LaCroix, who earned a fourth-place finish in the 120-pound bracket. Senior Cole Steinmeyer earned a fifth-place finish in the 170-pound bracket and senior Keegan Merth earned a seventh-place finish in the 182-pound bracket.

Throughout the tournament, Spring Valley/Elmwood faced adversity and responded well. The Cardinals faced some tough competition early and continued wrestling through several of the consolation brackets. Frandsen spoke about the competition level and his team’s response to adversity.

“The Ellsworth Invitational is a great first tournament of the season for our team,” Frandsen said. “The tournament hosts quality teams from both Wisconsin and Minnesota. The SVE wrestling team gained some great experience and I’m happy with how well the team handled adversity when things got tough during matches.”

Coach Frandsen stated the high level of competition makes his job easier as a coach to identify where his student-athletes need to improve. He spoke about his team progressing throughout the season.

“From the level of competition, the SVE wrestling team can identify where we need to improve,” Frandsen said. “The team will focus on 1% improvement every day to be the best of our abilities toward the end of the season.”

The Spring Valley/Elmwood wrestling team is back in action on Thursday, Dec. 8, on the road against Somerset. That match is slated to begin at 7 p.m.

Spring Valley/Elmwood freshman Jack Steinmeyer looks for position early against an opponent at the 58th Annual Ellsworth Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Ellsworth. After falling in the regular bracket, Steinmeyer won three consecutive matches in the consolation bracket to secure a third-place finish. He was Spring Valley/Elmwood’s highest finisher. Photo by Reagan Hoverman

Prescott senior wrestler Benny Olson has his arms raised in victory shortly after winning the 106-pound championship via pinfall at the 58th Annual Ellsworth Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 3. Photo by Reagan Hoverman