Wrestling

From The Cumberland Advocate

Braden Johnson a State Champion; Beavers Have a Strong Showing in Madison

Braden Johnson is Cumberland’s latest State Wrestling Champion. The Beavers Junior completed a perfect 52-0 season by dominating the field in the D3 138- pound weight class and rolling to his State Title. It was a fitting way for Johnson to finish his outstanding season after finishing runner-up at the 2025 State Tournament.

During the three-day Tournament, Johnson recorded a tech fall and a major decision in his first two matches, before pinning Izaiah Sanchez (51-2) in the finale. It was another exceptional performance from the Beavers junior who is now 157 and 5 in his career. “Braden did not give up a single takedown to an opponent all year and dominated his competition, finishing with his fall in the state finals,” said Coach Reid Olson.  

He wasn’t alone in his achievement. Cumberland had a superlative showing at the Tournament with a third from Logan Peterson and fifths from Caleb Hile and Brody Gilbertson. Two other wrestlers, Sophomores Colin Hagen (33-14) and Vince Avila-Gonzales (14-11) also earned Trips to Madison, where Hagen went 1 and 2 and Gonzales lost both matches.

Senior Logan Peterson (37-5) almost joined Johnson in reaching the finals at  165-pounds. After a pin in his opening match and an exciting 5-4 decision over Reedsville’s Tristen Verbeten in round two, Peterson dropped a 4-0 decision on the quarterfinals to the eventual State runner-up, Jaxon Busse of Iowa-Grant/Highland. Peterson bounced back with a pin of Asher Turner of Spring Valley/Elmwood for third place to complete his career for the Beavers.

Finishing with solid fifth-place finishes were Hile and Glbertson.

Senior Caleb Hile (39-10) had the toughest draw in his 113-pound weight class with an opening match-up against Freshman Waylon Fry of Glenwood City. Fry would pin Hile in the third period and go on to win the State Championship in a dominant fashion.

Hile showed great resiliency in bouncing back from his disappointment with four straight pins of his opponents, including one against Memphis Burkhalter of Mineral Point for fifth place. It was an excellent show of toughness and the conclusion of a very good career.  Coach Olson added, “Caleb wrestled his best matches to finish out the season.”.

The final fifth-place finish came from Junior Brody Gilbertson (28-4) at 215-pounds. Gilbertson came on strong after missing several weeks during the season with an injury.

After winning his opening match, Gilbertson would drop a 9-2 decision to Jack Steinmeyer of Spring Valley/Elwood in round two. He would bounce back with two pins and a thrilling 4-3 victory over Lincoln Nemec of Peshtigo for fifth place to claim yet another Beaver on the podium.

“I am so proud of the team, and of these six men as they had an amazing end to the 25-26' season. They were able to bounce back from any and all setbacks, and were incredibly resilient, showing their desire to succeed. They peaked their performance at the perfect time down in Madison.

I want to thank the school, the wrestling club, the fans, and everyone for their support throughout the year. What we are able to do wouldn't be possible without them, this is a community effort. These wrestlers represented Cumberland with pride, and once again reminded everyone that our little community is capable of doing some big things. We will take some time to enjoy the excellent finish to the season, but I’m already looking forward to next year,” concluded Coach Olson.