Northern Badger: A Wild Adventure in Entertainment and Enterprise!

By Greg Peters

The Northern Badger Wrestling Classic, taking place this week at the River Falls High School gym on December 27 and 28, is one of the top high school holiday wrestling tournaments in the upper Midwest.

In 1981, Madison initiated the “Badger State” high school holiday wrestling tournament, predominantly featuring schools from eastern and southern Wisconsin. The La Crosse-area wrestling community established the “Bi-State” tournament to serve the southwest region of the state and eastern Minnesota the following year.

The inaugural Northern Badger was launched and carried out at UW-Stout in 1985, involving 32 teams. When UW-Stout discontinued wrestling in the 1990s and with the Menomonie high school program facing difficulties, River Falls’ wrestling pioneer Dave Black urged the River Falls School Board to host the tournament in River Falls.

Dave’s son and former NCAA All-American wrestler Kevin Black mentioned that his father told the school board, “We cannot let this tournament go; this event is incredible.”

In 1996, as per Kevin Black, the school board instructed his father to “pound sand and leave.”

“They (school board) informed my dad that they would be responsible for an ambulance, which would be too costly for the district,” stated Black.

It is widely believed that the extra workload and challenges of managing a large tournament may have been a significant factor for the resistance.

“I don’t think the timing (Christmas break) helped,” noted Black.

Similar to Andy Dufresne in the film “Shawshank Redemption,” Dave Black persisted and ultimately received a “yes” from the school board in 1996. The board agreed to support the event but declined any involvement.

The first Northern Badger Classic in River Falls took place at UW-River Falls in 1997.

The inaugural tournament program showcased three local hotel sponsors providing rooms at a special nightly rate of $25. In the early 2000s, subsequent to the completion of the current high school, the Northern Badger has remained in its home for more than 20 years.

“You never know what might occur when so many people are in town for two days, particularly with the weather this season,” remarked Black.

In the early 2000s, the Cadott wrestling team intended to travel home and return the following morning; however, a snowstorm stranded everyone. The Cadott wrestling team was akin to Joseph & Mary; there were no rooms available at the inn.

“My dad (Dave Black) reached out to Steve Ross, who owned the former River Falls Fitness Center,” recalled Black. “Cadott spent the night on the floor at the old fitness center, and the town provided them all with sleeping bags.”

Ironically, the old River Falls Fitness Center building is now the location of the Victory School of Wrestling.

This year signifies the 40th anniversary since the tournament’s creation; however, it is the 39th tournament, as there was no event in 2020 due to Covid.

This year, second-year Wildcat Wrestling Head Coach Cam Loomis anticipates that the 48-team event will be the largest ever.

“Even the smaller schools have full rosters,” noted Loomis. “Girls’ wrestling is revitalizing boys’ wrestling.”

As per various reports and the U.S. Wrestling Foundation, girls’ wrestling is the fastest-growing girls’ sport in the nation.

The River Falls wrestling program’s practice area is currently located deep within Meyer Middle School. To reach it, one must descend four flights of stairs. That will all change next season as a new multi-purpose building will be added to the high school, and the wrestling team will return for the first time in over a decade.

The Northern Badger has progressed from being told “go pound sand” in 1996 to generating over $60,000 in revenue for the two-day competition. Proceeds from the Northern Badger benefit all River Falls Wildcat athletic programs.

With an anticipated 4,000 to 5,000 individuals present in River Falls for two days to watch and take part, according to Chamber of Commerce impact calculators, the Northern Badger produces an economic impact of nearly $600,000 for the local community.

“This event is a significant deal for us,” stated Chartwells Director of Dining Services Pat Knox.

Chartwells is a contracted food service provider for River Falls High School. They employ 30 food service staff for the event, serving complete meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the public over both days. They are preparing food from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 26, and are on site from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.

“If you are a food service lunch lady seeking a holiday break, it doesn’t work like that at River Falls,” remarked Knox. “Because that is our duty!”

Knox and River Falls School District Director of Communications Jenny Ames participated in the interview simultaneously. Ames was attempting to give some recognition to Pat.

“Look, this is our responsibility, and we are compensated for it,” stated Knox. “But there are 100 volunteers who assist in running the Northern Badger.”

“Stop tossing sauce,” said Ames, aiming to give praise to Knox and his team. “Pat and his team are always cheerful and focused on the kids, making food and nutrition enjoyable.”

Revenue generated from Chartwells’ Northern Badger concession proceeds supports Fund 50, which is the account aiding in funding free and reduced breakfast and lunch for underprivileged children in the district, as well as maintaining low lunch prices for daily food services.

If the food is exceptional, so is the wrestling. Last year, the Northern Badger showcased 38 WIAA state qualifiers, including 14 state finalists and eight state champions.

“It’s high-level high school wrestling, without a doubt,” affirmed Loomis.

Two local wrestlers expected to excel this weekend include Ellsworth senior (106 pounds) Austin Peterson, who is currently ranked third in the state according to Wisconsin Grappler. River Falls’ senior Jonas Longsdorf (138 pounds) is also anticipated to perform well, according to Loomis.

One unique element of wrestling may be the presence of former wrestling legends officiating. The Northern Badger will feature the long-standing officiating father-son duo of Tony and Thane Antczak making the calls. Thane Antczak, a 2007 graduate of Prairie Farm, is a two-time WIAA State Champion and a three-time Northern Badger Champion. Antczak competed collegiately for the Minnesota Gophers and currently resides in River Falls. He is a full-time teacher in the Stillwater school district.

The Northern Badger will kick off on Thursday morning, December 27, and will wrap up on Friday evening around 8:30 p.m. on December 28 with an awards presentation.