2012-13 Recap
The 2012–13 season was another great year for Sparta Wrestling. A top-two conference finish for the seventh straight year was capped by seven Spartan wrestlers qualifying for the state tournament, breaking the program record set just a year prior.
While the season ended on a high note with seven state qualifiers, four medalists, and two state finalists, the team never wrestled with a full varsity lineup due to injuries, skin conditions, and illness that plagued the roster throughout the year.
Reedsburg Scramble – Dec. 1
Format change to a scramble tournament.
Wrestled without key contributors: Dylan Winchel, Steven Kelley, and Tristan Zurfluh (74 combined wins on the year).
Finished 3rd with 179.5 points, just behind Middleton (184) and Lancaster (205.5).
Standout performers: John Roddick and Daniel Dawley, both took 1st place.
Note: Lancaster went on to win Division 3 state team championship and finished 1st of 232 teams at the state individual tournament.
MVC Dual vs. Logan
Sparta defeated Logan 57–15 in their first dual meet of the year.
Harrisonville Christmas Tournament
Despite only bringing 12 wrestlers (with one injured early), Sparta finished 4th of 35 teams.
Top finishers: Kyle Burkhalter and Brock Polhamus, both took 2nd place.
Onalaska Dual
Sparta extended their winning streak against Onalaska to 24 straight with a 56–21 victory.
Badger State Invite – Madison
Dylan Winchel returned and went 3–0 with pins, earning 1st place.
Wins included pins over the #7 and #9 ranked Division 1 wrestlers.
Despite holes at 138 and 285, Sparta still finished 4th overall.
Cheesehead Invitational – Kaukauna
One of the toughest tournaments in the country.
Sparta placed 18th of 28 teams, ahead of:
Wisconsin Rapids (27th)
Ellsworth (20th)
Again, an incomplete roster: Winchel missed weight Day 2, Dawley didn’t wrestle.
Stevens Point Duals
Sparta went 3–2 on the day, dropping two close matches:
Lost 40–33 to Baraboo
Lost 34–33 to Stevens Point
Missed starters: Kyle Burkhalter and Joe Benish
Top Individual Stats (2012–13 Season)
Wins
John Roddick – 41
Kyle Burkhalter – 40
Brock Polhamus / Michael Murnane – 33
Pins
Chase Bernett – 22
Daniel Dawley – 20
Dylan Winchel / Greg Skon – 15
Takedowns
Michael Murnane – 95
Kyle Burkhalter – 80
John Roddick – 68
Escapes
Michael Murnane – 62
Brock Polhamus – 41
Dillon Erickson – 39
Reversals
Greg Skon – 18
Dillon Erickson – 15
Chase Bernett – 14
Two-Point Nearfalls
Kyle Burkhalter – 16
Brock Polhamus – 14
Greg Skon – 13
Three-Point Nearfalls
Kyle Burkhalter – 24
John Roddick / Greg Skon – 11
Brock Polhamus / Michael Murnane – 9
Team Points
John Roddick – 192
Kyle Burkhalter – 179
Daniel Dawley – 177
Tech Falls
Kyle Burkhalter – 4
Greg Skon – 3
Roddick, Kelley, Polhamus, Zurfluh – 2 each
Major Decisions
Kyle Burkhalter – 6
Brock Polhamus – 4
Roddick, Zurfluh, Murnane – 3 each