Senior Otto Anglemyer won four matches in the 157-pound class at the WIAA State Wrestling Tournament held February 26-28 – losing only one match to the eventual state champion – en route to a fifth place finish and a spot on the awards podium. He’s the first Amherst wrestler to place in the state finals since Lia Peterson placed third in 2022 at 107 pounds.
“It was super fun; I was just flying. The lights, the noise, it was like everything built up over the past 12 years to this one moment. I was shaking afterwards, there were a lot of emotions all at once,” said Anglemyer.
Angleymyer thanked his parents for their undying support during his career, noting how their worries turned to happiness with the podium finish he had long coveted.
Famed wrestling coach Dan Gable once said that the third period is won “by the kid with the biggest heart,” and Anglemyer certainly lived that credo by winning two of his matches in thrillers that came down to the final seconds.
Anglemyer defeated Emmett Collins of Mineral Point, 12-11, to claim the fifth spot after earning his way into the medal match by defeating Jeffrey Stefanich of Random Lake, 6-5, in a match that was equally competitive. Anglemyer opened the tournament by defeating Luke Hartz of Johnson Creek by fall in 3:48 before then losing his only match of the tournament by technical fall to the eventual champion, Collin Hamm, of Weyauwega-Fremont.
Anglemyer’s strong finish at state brought him to 46 wins, a single season record here at Amherst. The victories also moved him up to second all-time in career wins.
Looking back, Anglemyer pointed to the many students who start out in wrestling as middle schoolers but give up the sport in favor of basketball or other sports and diversions. He noted how tough it is to go out on the mat alone and face victory and defeat by the smallest of margins against some of the top wrestlers in the state. Losses just made him work harder, however, and while he certainly doesn’t like losing, “I don’t like quitting even more.”
Anglemyer plans to major in bioengineering at UW-Madison and continue wrestling as a part of its highly-competitive non-scholarship intramural team.
“I’ve always just loved wrestling,” said Anglemyer. “I’m happy and sad to see these four years end. I’m thankful for how much we accomplished but I’d like a little more.”
Helbach revels in first trip to state
Meanwhile, sophomore Andrew Helbach got his first taste of the state tournament at 120 pounds and is aiming for more in the years ahead. Helbach fell to Wyatt Hoffman of Iowa-Grant/Highland in his opening match and then concluded his tournament experience with an 11-5 loss to Caleb Schreiber of Random Lake.
“I think my first appearance at state was one to learn from and to work harder because no one at state is bad and every match is going to be a hard one,” said Helbach. “Highlights for me include watching Otto place on the medal stand and wrestling in front of such a huge crowd; it’s a blessing and an opportunity that not every wrestler gets to experience.”
Helbach said he’ll work harder going forward, both physically and mentally, and to “take every match one at a time and never give up.” He also hopes to see a full Amherst team comprising all weights in the coming years.
Wrestling coach says Anglemyer wanted it more than others; Helbach will be back, he predicts
Amherst Wrestling Coach Max Villnow beamed with enthusiasm as he discussed his two state wrestling qualifiers, Otto Anglemyer and Andrew Helbach.
“It was awesome to see Otto cap off a great career with a 5th place finish at state. He rolled through his first match with a pin, gave the eventual champ a good battle in the quarterfinals and then had a couple of gritty one-point wins to finish it out.
“Otto was very composed and was not shaken by the big stage or the implications of the matches. You could really tell that Otto just wanted it more than his opponents on Saturday and found a way to get the win. Getting two takedowns in the last 30 seconds of his last match to take 5th at state is an amazing way to go out. I am super happy for Otto and I am very proud of the progress he has made and what he has accomplished.”
Things didn’t quite go as well for Helbach, but he’s young and on track to be one of the winningest wrestlers in school history, perhaps one day joining Villnow and Anglemyer on the records wall.
“He dropped both matches, but he fought hard and was definitely in both of them. As a young wrestler, Andrew picked up some very valuable experience. With two years left for him, I am confident that Andrew will be back in Madison and will look to improve on his results. Andrew is very driven and is constantly improving. He had a great season and I am very much looking forward to seeing how his last two years go.”
