By Thomas J. McKillen
Managing Editor

A headshake said a lot during the WIAA  Division I wrestling final at 125 pounds Feb. 27.
Brookfield East’s Justin Wolfenden was down several points to Germantown’s Jesse Thielke in the first period, as Thielke seized the initiative and had Wolfenden on the mat.  The action went out of bounds with 1:17 left in the period. As Wolfenden got up, he was shaking his head noticeably.
“Yeah, that was me just saying, ‘Oh well,’” Wolfenden said afterward.
Thielke finished off Wolfenden toward the end of the third period, recording a technical fall after getting the score to 19-4.
“He’s just non-stop attack. He keeps changing direction, keeps faking — you think he’s going one way but he’s actually going the other. Just all of those combined into one really, good wrestler,” Wolfenden said.
Thielke opened the tournament with a 15-0 technical fall over Tanner Owens of Hudson and followed it up with a 19-4 technical fall over Zach Mommaerts of Oconomowoc. He then recorded a 17-3 major  decision over North Shore Conference rival Justin Meins of Port Washington to advance to the final.
“It’s the mentality that I’ve got to go out there and score the next point, win every position,” Thielke said. “No matter what, I got to know it is going to be a battle, but I got to know if I get  my hands on a leg, he is being taken down. If he gets on my back, I’m going on to his body, he’s getting taken down. If that doesn’t work, I’m going to something else — never stop.” 
It was the third state title for Thielke, who won at 112 pounds two years ago and at 125 pounds last year. Thielke noted he wrestled Wolfenden in preseason matches and was disqualified for unnecessary roughness, which he described as a “questionable” call.
Thielke indicated he didn’t have any advance report on Wolfenden coming into the match.
“If I wrestled and stayed away from hard crossfaces, I’d be all right,” Thielke said.
Germantown Coach Casey Gabrielson said that Thielke was “something special” and could think of only one other wrestler to compare him to.
“I have never seen a better technician,” Gabrielson said. Gabrielson noted that he coached a four-time state champion in Hawaii but said Thielke is “a step above everybody. He puts you where he wants to — his technique is that good.”
Gabrielson noted that Thielke has helped other teammates with technique.
“Our goal was to make him a leader, a teammate, to bring him up there in that sense. The technique comes with all his year-round wrestling — the love and his passion for the sport,” Gabrielson said. “He doesn’t lead by just example anymore, he shows guys how to be leader now, too.”
Thielke’s non-high school season begins shortly, as he begins training to make the junior world team for greco-roman wrestling.