NM Ties for Third at Invite
NEW SHARON – It was a competitive day at the North Mahaska wrestling invitational Saturday with North Mahaska tying Oskaloosa for third place in the team race. Solon topped the field with 230 points followed by Grinnell with 169. Oskaloosa and North Mahaska each had 140 and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont was fifth with 134.5 in the 13-team tourney.
North Mahaska crowned no champions but on the strength of three runnerup finishes, and seven other placements.
In what may have been somewhat of a surprise. Ryan Groom (30-1) lost for the first time this season at 132 pounds. In the finals match Oskaloosa’s Kaiden Parker won a 13-3 decision for first. Groom pinned his first two opponents on the day. The first victim was Ayden Plumb of Oskaloosa in 45 seconds. Mount Ayr’s Tate Schaefer fell in 1 minute. In the semifinals, Groom decisioned Solon’s Charlie Karam 6-1.
North Mahaska’s next runnerup was at 157 with Angello Wittenburg (23-5). He pinned Cameron Grier of Iowa City High in 3:15 then pinned Pella’s Carter Van Kley in 3:23. In the semifinal, Wittenburg decisioned Teague Williams of Solon 6-5. In the finals, Maxwell Mintle of Grinnell pinned him in 1:46 for the title.
Senior Austin McMahan earned second at 175. He opened the day with a pin of Wyatt Mathis of Lynnville-Sully in 1:58. He decisioned his NM teammate Max Reed in the semifinals 12-5. Baxter’s Callyn Bishop won the title bout with a pin of McMahan (11-9).
Reed garnered the third place at 175 after a bye in the opening round and the loss to McMahan. Reed (20-9) pinned Pella’s Ty Van Vliet in 30 seconds. Reed then pinned Solon’s Oliver Owens in 1:04 for the third place finish.
Cole Wernli (21-10) at 138 garnered third place with a fall of North Tama’s Keegan in 2:26. Grinnell’s Matthew Mintle pinned Wernli in 4:38. Wernli scored a fall over Grinnell’s Mikeal Miller in 3:34.
Hunter Wernli at 144 and Chris Long at 165 notched fourth place finishes. Wernli (20-9) opened his day with a bye and pinned Iowa City High’s Jude Seebeck in 1:19. In the semifinal Baxter’s Anderson Jack won by fall in 5:14. Wernli faced Solon’s Lawsin Sinnwell and lost by fall in the third place match.
Long (18-11) overcame a first round loss to Josh Ringler of Grinnell to earn fourth. He pinned Evan Haughey of Montezuma in 1:05 in the second round. Oskaloosa’s Brock Beerbower won a 10-5 decision over Long in round three. Solon’s Jackson Feuerbach pinned Long in 1:49, then Long rallied for a pin of Bracken Collier of Mount Pleasant in 3:12.
Chance Angle overcame a first round loss to a fifth place finish at 190. He lost a sudden death match 6-4 to Parker Jordan of Oskaloosa in the opener. In the consolation semifinal, Angle pinned Tyler Kostow of Grinnell in 1:06. EBF’s Camrin Corcoran was pinned in the fifth place match in 1:43.
Joel DeJong (23-8) worked his way to fifth with a major decision over Ivan Montgomery of Oskaloosa, 19-7. In the quarterfinals, Solon’s Evan Burg decisioned DeJong 9-4. In the consolation round, DeJong pinned Jamison Hidlebaugh in 1:26. In the consolation semifinal
DeJong pinned Joshua Crecelius in 5:58. In the fifth place match he decisioned his NM teammate Charlie Goemaat 7-3.
Goemaat (7-5) opened his day with a pin of Zachary Doud of Pekin in 1:40. He lost a technical fall match against Lynnville-Sully’s Kimball Elliott, 16-1. In the consolation match he pinned Lynnville-Sully’s Tyler Routier in 2:28. He then decisioned Montgomery of Oskaloosa in the consolation semifinal 7-6 before meeting DeJong.
Team scores: 1. Solon 230, 2. Grinnell 169, Tie 3. North Mahaska, Oskaloosa 140, 5. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 134.5, 6. Baxter 96, 7. North Tama 79.5, 8. Lynnville-Sully 65.5, 9. Pella 47, 10. Montezuma 42, 11. Mount Ayr 33, 12. Iowa City High, 31.5, 13. Pekin 20.5.
North Mahaska will wrestle next at BGM Friday.
