MADISON - Senior T Stolp-Apel was on the mat for not even a half-minute, but his performance set the tone for Portage's wrestling team in its season opener.

Stolp-Apel pinned Edgewood/Monona Grove's Josh Poulin in 23 seconds to spark four consecutive Warriors victories to open the match as Portage easily handled host Edgewood/Monona Grove 56-19 Monday night at Madison Edgewood High School.

"It's an avalanche, once it starts you can't stop it," said Stolp-Apel of Portage's big wins to start the match. "It feels really good. The fans, they get all pumped and the whole presence in the room just feels really good."

After Stolp-Apel's quick stick, sophomore Randall Anderson earned a major decision victory before sophomores Mike Rockett and Cole Huston followed with back-to-back pins, helping Portage take an early 22-0 lead.

Portage won 10 of the 14 individual matches, including five pins and two major decision victories.

Ryan Roberts pinned Portage freshman Kyle Kjorlie at 152 pounds to cut Edgewood/Monona Grove's deficit to 28-10. That's as close as it would get, however, as Portage's Randy Wade and Nick Lindner followed with consecutive victories to extend Portage's lead to 38-10.

Portage got another big victory in its much-anticipated match at 285 pounds, although the wrestler isn't whom you might assume.

Shannon Smith - the Warriors 215-pound wrestler - filled in for 2008 WIAA Division 2 heavyweight state champion Jake Hohlstein, who was in street clothes for the match. Smith pinned Riley Quaerna in 3:25.

Hohlstein practiced throughout the week, but Nichols said he held Hohlstein out of the season opener for injury concerns. That decision likely disappointed those in the crowd, which included University of Wisconsin wrestling coach Barry Davis.

"Jake tweaked an ankle in football," Nichols said. "It's a little tender, so we decided to keep him out tonight."

Nichols said Hohlstein should return for the Warriors next competition, the Black River Falls Invitational on Saturday, Dec. 6.

For a team boasting 14 returning letterwinners and 11 regulars to the lineup, it was a few fresh faces that grabbed much of the attention in the Warriors' opener.

Sophomores Rockett and Huston - neither of whom were regulars in the lineup last season - each won via pinfall.

"Mike Rockett and Cole Huston came out tonight and just wrestled outstanding," Nichols said. "Two sophomores that I wasn't quite sure what I was gonna see tonight. They wrestled real hard."

Nichols also credited sophomores Peter Braun and Dylan Brenner, both of whom lost their matches, for their efforts on the night.

Stolp-Apel said the contributions from the team's younger wrestlers were as important as anything in Monday's win.

"A lot of the younger guys that we didn't think would wrestle as well as they did came out and really stepped it up," Stolp-Apel said. "It's a lot of heart. They're not the best wrestlers, they're not the strongest kids, but they've got a lot of heart. They don't want to lose. They really want that win. It's not even that they want to win for themselves, they want to win for the rest of the team."

PORTAGE 56, EDGEWOOD/MONONA GROVE 19

103  - K. Neumann (EMG) won by forfeit; 112 - Hayes (P) won by forfeit; *119 - Stolp-Apel (P) pinned Poulin, :24; 125 - Anderson (P) def. L Neumann, 13-3; 130 - Rockett (P) pinned Decker, 5:28; 135 - Huston (P) pinned Pulvermacher, 1:42; 140 - Sweeny (EMG) def. Braun, 14-2; 145 - Nolan (P) won by forfeit; 152 - Roberts (EMG) pinned Kjorlie, 2:24; 160 - Wade (P) def. L. Volkey, 11-3; 171 - Lindner (P) pinned E. Volkey, 3:02; 189 - Durham (EMG) def. Brenner, 7-2; 215 - Cummings (P) won by forfeit; 289 - Smith (P) def. Quaerna, 3:25.

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