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Holmen’s Andrew Weiss, top, tries to gain an advantage against Prairie du Chien's Rhett Koenig in the 132-pound championship match of the Bi-State Classic last week. Weiss and his teammates will take part in The Clash, a 32-team event with teams from several states across the country, which shifted from Rochester, Minn., to the La Crosse Center for its Friday and Saturday event.
Maybe Jason Lulloff is doing more than necessary, but the Holmen High School wrestling coach can’t be blamed for being excited at the opportunity at hand.
The Vikings have had to decline a couple of invitations to be part of The Clash before due to scheduling conflicts. A national dual tournament, of course, is right where he’d like Holmen to be as it continues along the path as one of Wisconsin’s top Division 1 programs.
The Vikings were finally able to accept an invitation to compete in the annual tournament hosted in Rochester, Minn., this season before the experience became a much bigger one last week.
The Clash, after a dispute with the Rochester Community and Technical College, needed a new home, and Lulloff sprung into action when event organizers contacted him. He wants to be a good host, so Lulloff is helping out with the shift in any way he can.
While preparing to host last week’s 70-team Bi-State Classic, Lulloff helped bring The Clash — a 32-team event — to the La Crosse Center, and Friday and Saturday will be filled with dual meets between teams from around the United States.
Lulloff started the process by securing the La Crosse Center for the same dates, then worked through other issues with a team of people running The Clash.
“One thing I can say is that after hosting Bi-State for so many years, I learn the La Crosse Center a little more every year,” Lulloff said. “Each year, I can find another little nook and cranny that can help us in some way, and the renovation has helped with hosting something like this, too.”
Brian Mix, the tournament’s vice president, said there were plenty of details to iron out after getting the biggest issue — the venue — sorted.
“Jason’s helped quite a bit because he runs a big event at the same venue, so that’s been great,” Mix said. “This has been a lot of work and kind of crazy, but the wrestling community has really stepped up to help us.”
Lulloff was able to provide mats, equipment and the ability to stream the event, but catering, training staff and table workers had to be found.
“It’s a lot of logistics,” Mix said. “For example, our athletic trainers were only licensed in Minnesota, so we had to find trainers licensed in Wisconsin. Other than that, lots of little things seem to be popping up all the time, and it’s been a lot to undertake.”
Most of the competing teams — Holmen and G-E-T/Melrose-Mindoro are the local entrants — are from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois. But Vacaville (Calif.) has been part of The Clash since it began in 2003 — Caledonia won the 2A pool that year — and will be traveling the longest distance to participate.
Liberty (Ariz.) and Minisink Valley (N.Y.) are two other schools making significant trips to La Crosse.
Teams are split into four eight-team brackets for the first day, then regrouped into eight four-team brackets for the second day based on their finishes. Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. both days.
Holmen begins its bracket Friday with a 9 a.m. dual against Owatonna (Minn.). The Vikings wrestle again at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“Apple Valley is one of those names that everyone knows, isn’t it?” Lulloff said. “There are names out there that are on my list of teams that I’d really like to face and really like to beat. Stoughton, Kaukauna, Apple Valley are definitely some of those teams that you always want the chance to knock off.”
The Titans are in the same bracket and will face off with Washington (Ill.) at 9 a.m. with two duals to follow. Washington beat G-E-T/Melrose-Mindoro 40-22 on the second day of The Clash last year.
Saturday’s groups pit eighth-place teams against one another, seventh-place teams against one another and so on. Washingotn beat the Titans to win the second-day bracket filled with fifth-place teams a year ago.
Shakopee (Minn.) won last season’s championship bracket and is back in the field as Minnesota’s third-ranked Class AAA team this year. Fifth-ranked Anoka — also from Minnesota’s largest class — is another tough entry along with Jackson County Central, the second-ranked Class A program.
Iowa’s Waverly-Shell Rock has also been a competitive mainstay at The Clash and brings its state’s top 3A ranking to La Crosse. Staley, one of Kansas City’s top 4A programs, won the state championship in the largest class in 2017 and placed in the top four the next three years. A first-round win over Stewartville (Minn.) on Friday morning matches Waverly-Shell Rock up with the Apple Valley/Holmen winner in the semifinals.
“It’s always fun to see our homegrown teams, or whatever you want to call them, go up against teams of that caliber,” Mix said.
Getting an event of this caliber — like the NCAA Division III national championships previously — is a big deal for wrestling in the Coulee Region. It is also the second of three large events at the La Crosse Center in the span of a month.
The WIAA will also come to La Crosse for its first girls state tournament in Jan. 29.
Aquinas’ Jake Fitzpatrick, right, Hudson's Liam Neitzel at 106 pounds
Westby’s Dylan Nottestad, left, Soughton’s Griffin Empey at 285 pounds
Holmen’s Andrew Weiss, top, squares off against Prairie du Chien’s Rhett Koenig at 132 pounds.
Aquinas’ Jake Fitzpatrick celebrates his championship match win at 106 pounds.
G-E-T/Melrose Mindoro 138 ponder Tanner Andersen, right, squares off against Marshfield’s Hoyt Blaskowski
Holmen’s Parker Kratochvill, top, Lodi’s Zane Licht at 152 pounds
Prairie du Chien’s Rhett Koenig, left, squares off against Holmen’s Andrew Weiss at 132 pounds.
Caledonia/Houston’s Brandon Ross, bottom, Stoughton’s Nicolar Rivera at 126 ponds
A 220 pond fifth place match plays out
Aquinas’ David Malin, bottom, and Evansville’s Owen Heiser at 170 pounds.
Westby's Dylan Nottestad, left, and Wausau West's Cayden Kershaw wrestle in a second round 285 pound match Wednesday during day one of the Bi-State Classic.
Caledonia/Houston's Ayden Goetzinge, right, and Holmen's Griffin Banks wrestle in a second round 195 pound match Wednesday during day one of the Bi-State Classic.
Wrestlers compete in second round matches at the Bi-State Classic at the La Crosse Center. For more from the two-day tournament, turn to page B1. For a gallery of photos from the event, go to lacrossetribune.com.
Todd Sommerfeldt can be reached at todd.sommerfeldt@lee.net or via Twitter @SommerfeldtLAX
WHAT: A 32-team dual tournament featuring programs from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and beyond.
WHEN: Friday-Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. each day
LOCAL TEAMS: Holmen, G-E-T/Melrose-Mindoro
FORMAT: Four eight-team brackets wrestled to completion during two Friday sessions (one starts at 9 a.m., the other at 4 p.m.). Teams are divided into eight four-team brackets Saturday based on Friday finishes.
BRACKETS, OTHER INFO: https://www.clashmn.com/
TICKETS: Can be purchased at the La Crosse Center. All-session passes cost $60 for adults and $55 for student or seniors. Single-session passes (there are two each day) cost $20 for adults and $18 for students and seniors.
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Todd Sommerfeldt has covered sports for the La Crosse Tribune since 2003 after doing the same previously in the Fox Cities and Rock County. He can be reached at 608-791-8208.
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Holmen’s Andrew Weiss, top, tries to gain an advantage against Prairie du Chien's Rhett Koenig in the 132-pound championship match of the Bi-State Classic last week. Weiss and his teammates will take part in The Clash, a 32-team event with teams from several states across the country, which shifted from Rochester, Minn., to the La Crosse Center for its Friday and Saturday event.
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