The River Falls High School wrestling team sent two of its wrestlers to the championship matches of their respective brackets at the Northern Badger Wrestling Classic on Friday, Dec. 30, in River Falls.

River Falls junior Jenna Lawrence won the 120-pound bracket in the girls’ division while senior Travis Moelter lost a 16-3 major decision against Menomonie senior Kellan Aure in the 138-pound championship match of the boys’ bracket.

Lawernce’s championship at the 2022 Northern Badger Wrestling Classic on Friday evening in front of a packed house was the culmination of years of hard work and one big opportunity. Lawrence went into the tournament with a 6-1 record this season and after getting a bye in the first round, she moved on to the semifinals.

In that semifinal round, she faced Katelyn Roessler of Clear Lake and quickly took care of business with a pinfall less than 45 seconds into the first period. The win advanced her to the finals against junior Journee Wood of Phillips.

In that title match, Lawrence jumped out to a 7-1 lead, taking advantage of takedowns and reversals. Then with under 20 seconds remaining in the first period, Lawrence got Wood on her back and secured the pinfall to win the 120-pound girls’ bracket.

The 2022 Northern Badger was the first time in the event’s illustrious history that the girls had their own separate bracket with championship matches at the end, just as the boys have always had. River Falls head coach Kevin Black spoke about Lawernce’s efforts and the girls having an opportunity to compete for championships.

“She works hard and she’s a great kid, so she’s easy to like,” Black said. “She’s one of the hardest workers and all of the guys respect her. The guys have her back and they respect her – she’s part of the team. It’s so good to create a big opportunity at a big event for the girls. I hope that we can keep growing it.”

After Lawernce and the girls’ title matches had finished, Moelter got his opportunity for a championship in the 138-pound bracket. Less than 20 seconds into the first period, Aure of Menomonie scored a takedown to grab a quick 2-0 lead.

Shortly thereafter, Moelter scored on an escape to make it a 2-1 match, a score that remained until the beginning of the second period. Throughout the second period, Menomonie’s Aure took control of the match as he tallied takedowns, reversals and near falls in droves as he quickly extended his lead.

By the time the second period ended, Aure had built a 12-3 lead and was in complete control of the match. At the end of the third period, Aure had defeated Moelter 16-3 to secure the 138-pound title. Coach Black spoke about Moelter’s championship match.

“He had a really good tournament and wrestled very well in the semifinal and had a really good quarterfinal match,” Black said. “Two little things that made the match look more explosive than it was, he gave up near fall on a couple of takedowns and it exploded the match. You can’t give up big points like that.”

The match between Moelter and Aure was something that both competitors knew would likely happen. Moelter and Aure are two of the best wrestlers on this side of the state, and they’re also good friends that train together.

“Travis wrestled hard and it was a good opportunity. Those guys know each other and they’re really good friends,” Black said. “They train together all year and so they knew this was just a matter of time.”

Other notable River Falls results include sophomore Lincoln McCarty who earned a fourth-place finish after working his way through the consolation bracket. McCarty even had a lead in the third-place match before Freedom sophomore Henry Vander Heide secured a pin with just moments remaining in the second period.

“Lincoln gets better every day and he’s starting to figure out how to wrestle. He’s so athletic and he’s really explosive,” Black said. “He puts himself in good places and good positions, so he’s learning some of the strategy and tactics. We make some adjustments, he’s going to be really good.”

While Lawerence, Moelter and McCarty certainly were the Wildcats’ highlights at the 2022 Northern Badger Wrestling Classic, the team underperformed as a whole, at least in the eyes of coach Black. He took accountability for what he considered to be a subpar tournament performance.

“We missed a couple of weeks because of weather, so after Christmas, I didn’t make much of an adjustment to our practice schedule and now I wish that I would have added a practice,” Black said. “I never want to add a practice on Christmas night, but I feel like our kids didn’t have that next gear. We performed like we weren’t very well prepared as a whole team. I’m disappointed in myself.”

As a whole, River Falls sent two student-athletes to the finals and one to a thirdplace consolation match. The Wildcats will be back in action on Thursday, Jan. 5, for a dual match on the road against Hudson. That match is slated to begin at 5 p.m.

River Falls senior Travis Moelter grapples with Menomonie senior Kellan Aure in the 138-pound championship match at the Northern Badger Wrestling Classic on Friday, Dec. 30. Photo by Reagan Hoverman