STURGEON BAY (NBC 26) — For the first time since 2009, Sturgeon Bay/Sevastopol is the Packerland Conference champion.
A key reason for the team’s success on the mat is the leadership of two upperclassmen wrestlers, Zak Wrobel and Spencer Madsen.
“It raises the level of everyone in the room,” Head Coach Stephen Jacobson said. “One of our goals this year was the conference championship, and everyone just kind of fed off their energy.”
The two wrestlers have combined for more than 200 wins, helping SBS wrestling snap a 16-year conference title drought.
“Getting 100 wins is hard. It’s hard to do,” senior Zak Wrobel said. “Not everybody gets to, but if you put in time and you put in effort, you’ll get there.”
Wrobel competes in the 175-pound weight class and was a 2023 state qualifier. This year, the senior is 24-3 and ranked fourth in the state.
“He’s been our silent leader on the football team and the wrestling team,” Jacobson said. “He’s just a consistent, solid kid who does things right all the time.”
Madsen also reached 100 wins this year, becoming the first junior in SBS program history to do so.
“I definitely knew I was close,” Madsen said. “Everyone kept telling me that I was close, and I kind of saw my mom and aunt grab all of my posters out, and I kind of knew it was there. I’m trying to get 150 now.”
Madsen is 43-1 and ranked second in the state.
Jacobson said Madsen’s work ethic sets him apart.
“Spencer is probably a once-in-a-generation wrestler,” Jacobson said. “By the end of his time here, he’s probably going to be at the top of every single record that we have. Early in the season, he kind of mentioned to me, he’s like, ‘I don’t think there’s anyone in the state who works harder than me.’ And so I think that’s his mentality right now, that every time he steps on the mat, he’s going to outwork everyone.”
Individual accolades aside, both Wrobel and Madsen have played key roles in building the culture of the SBS wrestling program.
Wrobel said it started with his senior class.
“When I was a freshman, we started out with like five wrestlers, and it was just me and a couple friends that joined the team,” Wrobel said. “And it grew a lot since then. I got all my friends to wrestle. And I just told all the football people, if you want to get better at football, you come out for wrestling. And they all did.”
Both wrestlers say this is just the start for SBS wrestling, with bigger things ahead.
“I mean, this program is awesome,” Madsen said. “We’ve got a lot of great coaches. They put a lot of time into it. They really care about us. They’re just great role models.”
“I love this team,” Wrobel added. “I love all my friends and my coaches. They’re like family to me. I believe it’ll just grow from here.”
Despite all of their achievements so far, Wrobel and Madsen still have one more goal: to get their names on the state winner board in the wrestling room at Sturgeon Bay High School.
