NEOLA – Riverside’s rise in the Western Iowa Conference continues, and it paid off with four championships at the conference meet Saturday at Tri-Center High School in Neola.
Davis Bramman (126), Drew Anderson (132), Jaxon Gordon (150) and Jett Rose (165) each won titles for the Bulldogs, as they edged Logan-Magnolia for the championship, 243.5 to 222, with Underwood finishing a very close third at 221.
Bramman pinned Missouri Valley’s Owen Becerra in 3:58, while Anderson major-decisioned the Big Reds’ Luke Schroeder 15-5. Gordon ground out a 9-4 decision over Wayden Hawkins of Logan-Magnolia, while Rose scored a 14-0 major decision over Underwood’s Samuel Hulsing.
The Bulldogs had two more in the championship match, with Kingston Carrigan (120) and Gaven Hackett (190) taking silver. Carrigan was beaten by technical fall by Underwood’s Ryan Fletcher, while Hackett was on the other end of a major decision by Underwood’s Hayden Heun.
Four others placed third: Jack Branan (144), Taven Moore (157), A.C. Roller (175) and Caden Forrestall (215), while Kellen Oliver was fourth at 138.
Bulldog coach Casey Conover, who recently won his 300th career dual meet as coach, said each of his 14 wrestlers competed well on the day.
“To win a team title, you not only have to have kids win championships, but kids that control points,†he said. “All 14 of our guys placed and that was huge. (The wrestlers that didn’t win championships) scored points, and that was huge. To win tournaments, you’ve got to score points in all 14 weight classes.
“Each day, we’ve got to get better and better.â€
When asked about his milestone coaching win – it came Tuesday night, also at Tri-Center High School, in a quadrangular that also featured Council Bluffs St. Albert and Logan-Magnolia – he joked that “it just means that I’m old.†(By the way, the Bulldogs that night beat the host Trojans 59-23, Logan-Magnolia 49-29 and St. Albert 76-3.)
Then turning serious, he said, “It’s the coaches I have, the kids and the families. A lot of credit goes to those people.â€
AHSTW finished sixth, getting championships from Kayden Baxter (175) and Henry Lund (285).
Baxter won both of his matches by technical fall, including over Treynor’s Zach Robbins in the championship. Lund pinned all three of his opponents, including Vinny Zappia of Missouri Valley in the title match.
Tucker Osbahr was third at 132 for the Vikings.
Audubon finished seventh and had a runner-up finisher in Leyton Elmquist. The Wheeler 113-pounder pinned Underwood’s Landon Leaders in 3:59 before giving up a technical fall to Logan-Magnolia’s Crosby Yoder in the championship.
The Wheelers brought just six wrestlers, as the team is dealing with illnesses, and all five placed. Lane Elmquist (126) and Jack Stanerson (150) were third, while Jon Rasmussen (132) was fourth and Mason Kasperbauer (165) was fifth.
Wheeler coach Tyler Christensen liked what he saw from his team.
“We had a little ... sickness bug this week, but I thought we competed hard and wrestled hard,†said Christensen. “I know some guys fell short of what they wanted. We’ve just got to get back to work. We’ve got the Rollin Dyer (in Atlantic) the first weekend after break, so we’ve got no time to waste.â€
For Conover and the Bulldogs, like every other team in the state, the break means time to heal. “We’ve got to rest and heal,†he said.
Western Iowa Conference meet
Saturday, Dec. 21, at Tri-Center High School, Neola
Team scores: 1. Riverside 243.5, 2. Logan-Magnolia 222, 3. Underwood 221, 4. Missouri Valley 125, 5. Tri-Center 109.5, 6. AHSTW 99.5, 7. Audubon 85.5, 8. Treynor 82.
Championship matches
106: Avery Vacek (U) pinned Tucker Olsen (TC) 3:44. 113: Crosby Yoder (LoMa) tech. fall Leyton Elmquist (Aud) 6:00. 120: Ryan Fletcher (U) tech. fall Kingston Carrigan (Riv) 4:19. 126: Davis Bramman (Riv) pinned Owen Becerra (MV) 3:58. 132: Drew Anderson (Riv) maj. dec. Luke Schroeder (MV) 18-7. 138: Brant Freeberg (TC) dec. Kalab Kuhl (LoMa) 6-5. 144: Lucas Bose (U) tech. fall Wyatt Hawkins (LoMa) 4:22. 150: Jaxon Gordon (Riv) dec. Wayden Hawkins 9-4. 157: Corbin Reisz (LoMa) tech. fall Will Buckholdt (U) 24-4. 165: Jett Rose (Riv) maj. dec. Samuel Hulsing (U) 14-0). 175: Kayden Baxter (AHSTW) tech. fall Zach Robbins (T) 3:18. 190: Hayden Heun (U) maj. dec. Gaven Hackett (Riv) 17-3. 215: Carson Edney (LoMa) dec. Grady Joens (U) 10-9. 285: Henry Lund (AHSTW) pinned Vinny Zappia 1:27.
