Parker Keckeisen overcomes balky knees, dominates his way to Nicolet's first state title since 1962

As Parker Keckeisen stood in the Kohl Center with a gold medal around his neck, it had been 18 days since the Nicolet junior had undergone surgery on his right knee. And that wasn’t the knee in which he’d been battling a torn meniscus all season.

Imagine what it will be like for the rest of the state to battle Keckeisen when he’s actually healthy.

Registering a tech fall over Kalyn Jahn of Holmen in the state final, 23-8, and ending the match with 54 seconds on the clock, Keckeisen was unstoppable as he secured Nicolet’s first state wrestling championship since 1962 (Jim Wolf).

Keckeisen finished the year 31-0 and was flat-out dominant at the tournament, winning by tech fall and pin before topping Hayden Krein of Sparta in the state semifinal, 10-4. Krein won a state title two years ago.

Pretty impressive for someone who went under the knife the Monday before regionals.

“Airdyne helped a lot,” Keckeisen said with a smile.

After securing a tech fall in a mind-boggling 1 minute, 30 seconds for the sectional title, Keckeisen showed he didn’t need to spend much time battling on the mat to win big. He proved it again in the final.

“It’s been my game plan all year; it’s how I wrestle everyone,” Keckeisen said. “It’s the state final; why change it? I like working on my takedowns. My coach always tells me to score points, so I went out there to score points.”

He reached the state final as a sophomore last year and fell to Manitowoc Lincoln’s Jose Acosta. An image from the moment Acosta sealed the match had been the background on his cell phone all season.

“It’s been on my mind every day,” Keckeisen said. “I see it every day. I’m more mature (this year); I relaxed a little bit. I had been there last year, so I knew what to expect. … I had a sour taste in my mouth last year. I didn’t even get a takedown in that finals match last year. It’s the first time that had happened in a while.”

Nicolet waited 56 years for a state title. With Keckeisen due back, it seems highly unlikely it will wait that long for another one.