The battle for the Kirby Symes Golden Shoe, a Big Rivers Conference Champion, the Dunn-St. Croix Conference Tournament and the Girls Western Wisconsin Championships were all part of the final week of regular season wrestling in Pierce County. Now, each squad has to make the ever-difficult mental transition to postseason wrestling.

Ellsworth took to River Falls for a triangular, beating Eau Claire North in a 64-9 utter domination, with one of the two losses being a forfeit. River Falls was also wrestling for the Big Rivers Conference Championship the very same night. Beating Eau Claire North 48-35.

“It’s something that’s always kind of on your check list during the season,” River Falls Head Coach Cam Loomis said. “Being able to come out on top just kind of shows the consistency we’ve had all year.”

The Wildcats won the title despite a dual loss to Hudson, as it was a year of balance between the top teams in the conference. Loomis said it was a testament to how the team overcame injuries all season long.

“A lot of those teams and individuals that we competed against all year to earn that title as team conference champs we’re going to see at Sectionals and State and everything like that, so just knowing that you’ve already put up good performances against those teams and individuals, I think it definitely doesn’t hurt,” Loomis said.

Then came the main event. Ellsworth, River Falls, battling for the Kirby Symes Golden Shoe.

Before getting started, River Falls honored its lone senior, Felix Wahlquist. While Wahlquist has been out with an LCL tear for his senior season, it was not before securing a comeback win to help the Wildcats overcome a Chippewa Falls team that has had River Falls’ number in recent years. Wahlquist has not stopped being a leader for River Falls, showing up to practice every day and guiding the underclassmen.

“He’s been part of the River Falls Wrestling program since he probably could walk,” Loomis said. “He’s been learning to adapt to what he can do… He’s been a leader in a lot of different ways.”

The Kirby Symes trophy matchup started in 1986 and became a staple of each team’s season until it disappeared over the last decade. The teams returned to the mat last year, with the Wildcats taking a 43-32 win in Ellsworth.

This time around, Ellsworth was determined to have that trophy on the bus ride home from River Falls, winning a decisive 58-23 dual.

“It was great because everyone was expecting it to be a lot closer dual than it was. River Falls beat us last year in Ellsworth, so it was great to go over there and take the shoe back,” Ellsworth Head Coach Carson Huppert said. “It means a lot to our community over here. Kirby was a special guy, starting the wrestling program and everything. The kids didn’t even know what the shoe was a couple years ago, and now, being able to bring this home, and the excitement on their faces, and they start learning the tradition of how Ellsworth got to where it is now, it just brings lots of camaraderie.”

After forfeiting the 215-pound match to open the dual, Ellsworth rattled off consecutive pins with Jeremiah Johnson, Parker Lampman, Hunter Bench and EJ Langer to lead 24-6. Ellsworth sealed the deal with pins from Brycen Streich, Max Revolta Piot, Matthew Lundstrom, Hunter Halverson and Breken Young and a major decision from Henry Penn 22-13.

“We’re doing well. We’re improving every single day. We’re just like every team, you have your bumps and your bruises. You’ve just got to battle through those types of things,” Huppert said. “We’re a lot different of a team now than we were at the beginning of the year.”

Huppert said Bench and Langer’s back-to-back pins were massive momentum swings in the dual, as the two matches were seen as a pair of the dual’s “toss-ups.” Moving forward, it is no doubt a win like that can boost the confidence of the Panthers going into the postseason.

“Just carrying on the confidence. Some people get tired at this time in the season, we’ve just got to keep building the confidence up,” Huppert said. “If we can just keep believing in ourselves, good things happen.”

Spring Valley/Elmwood did battle in Mondovi for the Dunn-St. Croix Conference Championships, taking second as a team, and bringing home four individual conference champions. Austin Krentz, Doost Kaker, Asher Turner and Delia Larson took home the individual wins.

“Our four conference champions earned their titles in different ways, but discipline and consistency were the common themes throughout the night. We also had three additional wrestlers reach the finals in Landon Forster, Sam Schmitt and Jack Steinmeyer. I am very proud of our entire group and the way they competed from start to finish. Austin Krentz at 138 pounds wrestled with confidence throughout the tournament. He does an excellent job controlling the pace of matches and staying composed in big moments, which was evident in his finals performance. Doost Kaker at 165 pounds continues to be tough in every position. He is difficult to score on and does a great job capitalizing when opponents make mistakes. His ability to wrestle at a high level for a full six minutes consistently sets him apart. Asher Turner at 175 pounds wrestled aggressively while staying locked in on his game plan. He is technically sound and does a great job pushing the action, which paid off against strong competition in the finals. Delia Larson at 185 pounds has been steadily improving all season, and everything came together for her at the conference tournament. Her willingness to compete hard in every position made the difference, and it was great to see her earn a conference championship for our girls program,” SVE Coach Ryan Turner said.

The Cardinals have made a habit of competing against larger schools and beating them all year long, and in the conference meet, they had the opportunity to show their skills on an equal playing field.

“This tournament is an important step in preparing us for the postseason. It provides valuable experience in high pressure matches and shows our wrestlers what areas still need to be sharpened heading into Individual Sectionals. It also reinforces the importance of wrestling smart and finishing matches strong,” Turner said.

With 10 wrestlers finishing top three in conference, it is no secret that depth is a strength for SVE heading into Sectionals.

“Our depth will be a big advantage moving forward. Having wrestlers throughout the lineup who have won events or placed at tough tournaments builds confidence and gives us flexibility as a team. It also continues to push everyone in the room to improve, which is exactly what you want this time of year,” Turner said.

While the Prescott boys did not have a conference tournament or rivalry to close the year, they did compete well at a tough Leopold Haglund Invite in Minnesota. Notable finishers were Bryce Feran taking second place and Gunnar Doyle taking fifth.

Girls wrestling had an exciting week of its own, with the Western Wisconsin Championships bringing the best to St. Croix Central High School. Some highlights from the event were a third-place finish in the 100-pound gold bracket from River Falls’ Olivia Luther and Providence Kretzmann in the 145-pound gold bracket. Wildcat Audrey Adelman won the 120-pound silver bracket. SVE’s lone girl, Delia Larson, took second place in the 185-pound gold bracket. Prescott’s Savannah Whiting took second in the girls 235-gold bracket, Emma Schmitz took third in the girls 132-gold bracket and Lily Kern took fourth in the girls 107-gold bracket.

Next, boys Individual Sectionals are Saturday, with SV/EPC competing in Independence, Prescott and Ellsworth in Osseo-Fairchild and River Falls in Menomonie. Girls Regionals are Feb. 13, with all four county teams competing in Hudson.