Freshman Ryan Groom led a quartet of North Mahaska state wrestling qualifiers Saturday as the team placed third at the meet hosted by English Valleys/Tri-County. Sophomore Hunter Wernli and seniors Wyatt Van Weelden and Trace Goemaat placed second to qualify for Wednesday’s state meet at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Last year’s state champion Don Bosco won the team title with 267 points. Belle Plaine was second with 173 followed by North Mahaska with 146.
North Mahaska placed 10 of its 14 wrestlers in top four. Groom at 106 was in a bracket with just six wrestlers so his first match was a semifinal. He faced Jackson Weeda of Belle Plaine and scored a pin in 3 minutes 31 seconds to advance to the final. He faced Don Bosco’s Kanaan Delagardelle and went three periods to score a 6-0 decision and stand tall on the podium.
Wernli met Preston Mann of BGM in his 132-pound quarterfinal match pinning him in 2:49. He then faced a tough Will Sankot of Belle Plaine and turned him for a pin in 1:47 to reach the finals. Iowa Valleys’ Zane Keim scored an 8-5 decision to send Wernli into the consolation to determine a true second. He met Don Bosco’s Ty Christensen and pinned the Don in 3:08 to punch his ticket to state.
Van Weelden pinned his way into the finals. Hudson’s Braden McCullough was the first victim falling in 1:31. In the semifinals it was Montezuma’s Brett Plants taking the fall in 1:36. Another Don Bosco wrestler, Jacob Thiry, was in the finals and pinned Van Weelden in 3:45. In the second place match Van Weelden met Lynnville-Sully’s Reese Dunsbergen and scored a 13-4 major decision to take his place at state.
North Mahaska’s fourth entrant was returning state qualifier Trace Goemaat. He also was in a six-person bracket and met Iowa Valley’s Garrett Hoyt in the semifinals winning a 1-0 decision to reach the finals. Don Bosco’s Mack Ortner pinned Goemaat as time expired in the match. Goemaat was to face Hoyt in the consolation but because of his previous win Goemaat automatically advanced.
Joel DeJong was the lone Warhawk to gain a third place finish. The 113-pounder pinned Hunter Van Wyk of Lynnville-Sully in 35 seconds to advance to the semifinals. He lost a 10-4 decision to Hudson’s Mason Fogt. In the consolation s, he pinned Ethan Bridgewater of BGM in 1:20 and Belle Plaine’s Hunter Henry in 1:47. He was to face Fogt in the second place match, but Fogt earned the advancement based on the previous win.
Freshman Ryan Groom works his way to a pin of Jackson Weeda of Belle Plaine Saturday on his way to a first place finish and a spot in this week’s state wrestling tournament.
Charlie Goemaat placed fourth at 120 after he won his first match with 1:03 pin of Jamison Bushkohl of Hudson. In his semifinal, Gentry Walston pinned Goemaat in 24 seconds. Goemaat scored an 11-1 major decision over EV-TC’s Cael Mihal then lost a 13-2 major decision to BGM’s Briar Kriegel.
Matt German also won his opener by pinning Hudson’s Cam Seible in 1:16. Aidan Timm of Belle Plaine pinned German in 3:41 sending him to the consolations. German pinned Iowa Valleys’ Carter Hassebroek in 4:53. Don Bosco’s Payton Regenold scored a 7-1 decision ending German’s run.
Freshman Gage Reis opened his run at 138 pounds with a pin of Jack Marshall of Iowa Valley in 3:41. Myles McMahon pinned Reis in 2:13 to send Reis into the consolations. Reis pinned Montezuma’s Owen Desrochers in 3:33 then faced Belle Plaine’s Wade Sankot, who pinned him in 4:43.
Sophomore Hunter Wernli of North Mahaska dumps BGM’s Preston Mann. Wernli placed second at districts to earn a spot at state.
Senior Paul DeJong was seeking a return to state at 145 pounds. The Warhawk has been nursing an injury but had returned to the match ready for a run. He scored a 14-1 major decision in his first match against Karter Thiessen of Iowa Valley. Ethan Argo of Belle Plaine pinned DeJong in 3:14. On the consolation side, DeJong decisioned Blake Taylor of Hudson 11-5 then fell to EV-TC’s Joshua Osborn in 3:17 to end his high school career.
North Mahaska’s final fourth came ta 182 pounds with Max Reed. Reed won his opener with a pin of Montezuma’s Braxton Plants in 3:46. Landon Fernandez scored a tech fall in the semifinal then Reed pinned Iowa Valleys’ Dawson Smith in 4:47. Lynnville-Sully’s Kyle Squires scored a 22-12 major decision in the third place match.
North Mahaska’s state quartet should learn who they will face sometime Sunday.
Team results
- Don Bosco 267, 2. Belle Plaine 173, 3. North Mahaska 146, 4. Hudson 101.5, 5. Iowa Valley 101, 6. Lynnville-Sully 65, 7. BGM 54, 8. English Valleys/Tri-County 36.5, 9. Montezuma 30, 10. HLV 9.