Dutch stumble at Iowa Conference wrestling duals
Central College
STORM LAKE—Two duals came down to the final bout, but the Central College wrestling team was unable to capitalize at Saturday’s Iowa Conference Duals with losses to ranked foes Dubuque and Wartburg and host Buena Vista.
The No. 28-ranked Spartans (8-6 overall, 2-3 conference) escaped the Dutch (4-9 overall, 0-5 conference) with a fall at 285 pounds for a 23-15 victory before the top-ranked Knights (14-0 overall, 6-0 conference) won 46-0. Central led 22-17 in the weekend finale, but the Beavers (2-6 overall, 2-4 conference) also scored a fall at 285 for a 23-22 win.
“We didn’t wrestle well enough to win today,” coach Eric Van Kley said. “We were flat and never turned the momentum.”
Central wrestled Wartburg and Buena Vista without 125-pounder Daniel Page (junior, Tumwater, Wash.), who missed the duals due to illness. Page won 4-1 in the second tiebreak period over Nicholas Rivera (Dubuque) in the opener, but did not feel well enough to continue.
The Dutch split the 10 dual matches 5-5 with both Dubuque and Buena Vista, but the Spartans scored bonus points in four of their five wins, while the Beavers scored bonus points in three of their five. Central scored bonus points in only two matches, both against Buena Vista.
“That’s been our Achilles’ heel this year,” said Van Kley. “We struggled to score bonus points again today and we gave up too many. Our margin of error is not big enough to make up the difference. We need to improve in that area moving forward.”
Four Dutch wrestlers won two matches on the day: 133-pounder Aaron Anderson (sophomore, Clarion, Clarion-Goldfield HS), 141-pounder Bryan Connolly (senior, Naples, Fla., Gulf Coast HS), 157-pounder Ryan Vandall (freshman, Phoenix, Ariz., Moon Valley HS) and 197-pounder Tyler Lowy (junior, Phoenix, Ariz., Thunderbird HS).
“Ryan and Bryan had solid performances,” Van Kley said. “They made some great adjustments, executed their game plans and it paid off.”
Anderson scored a 13-6 decision over Stephen Rosenburg (Dubuque) before winning by fall (4:21) over Carlos Barreda (Buena Vista). It was one of two Central falls on the day, the other belonging to 174-pounder Sam Apland (junior, Woodridge, Ill., Downers Grove South HS) (1:20) over Austin Hayes (Buena Vista).
“We need to work harder and remain positive,” said Van Kley. “The most important part of the year is still ahead. We need to prepare mentally and physically and finish strong.”
The Dutch take a brief hiatus from competition to prepare for the home stretch. Central returns to the area, but remain on the road for a nonconference dual against William Penn (1-1 overall) Feb. 4. The Statesmen have wrestled in eight invitationals this season, including the Central Invitational Jan. 11, but only two of its five scheduled duals. The two teams last dueled Jan. 20, 2007.
