North Mahaska crowned four champions and a runnerup at the South Iowa Cedar League wrestling championships at English Valleys Saturday to earn second. All the teams were chasing Iowa Valley, who won the meet with 199 points. North Mahaska scored 165.5 to outdistance third place Sigourney-Keota with 140.5.
North Mahaska picked up first place finishes at 106, 120, 138 and 144 and second at 165. They added three thirds in the upper weights.
Freshman Cooper Sampson (30-13) was first at 106. He pinned Jake Buttikhoven of Belle Plaine in 53 seconds and in the final scored an 11-5 decision over Iowa Valleys’ Carter Koenig for the title.
Another freshman, Logan VanZee (26-12), picked up the title at 120 pounds. He pinned Eli Roberts of BGM in 4:44 and in the finals took down Hayden Neuhaus of BP in 3:04.
Senior Joel DeJong (23-6) took the crown at 138 pounds. He pinned Chase Kriegel of BGM in 1:03 then scored a technical fall over Kendric Johnson of Lynnville-Sully. In the finals Tyson Kriegel of Iowa Valley was decisioned by DeJong 7-1.
Junior Ryan Groom (41-1), who is ranked fifth in Class 1A at 144, had just two matches to earn the crown. He dominated Rett Pargeon of Montezuma with a pin in 1:07. In the finals he scored a tech fall over BGM’s Brock York, 17-1.
Gage Ries (33-11), a 165-pound junior, reached the finals but lost to Iowa Valley’s Mason Hoyt. Ries opened the day with a pin of Montezuma’s Yudiel Gonzalez in 1:01. Ries decisioned BP’s Derek Kressley, 5-2. Hoyt pinned Ries in the finals in 1:37.
NM coach Ryan Groom felt good about his team’s performance.
“Yeah, I am sure proud of our boys,” said Groom. “They fought so hard today. We keep proving week in and week out that we are dedicated to getting better. Our boys at North Mahaska deserve to win. They see that they have earned that right when they work as hard, and they do. I would not trade our kids for anyone. I can’t be anymore proud to call myself a coach to these amazing young men.”
Max Reed (29-15) took third at 175. The junior pinned HLV’s Ace Bulland in 41 seconds then lost a 16-6 major decision to Colfax-Mingo’s Caden Sykes. Reed pinned Kaen Kopp of Sigourney-Keota in 1:11 in the semifinals and English Valleys’ Ben Coffman in 3:11.
Not to be outdone, junior Chance Angle (29-10) took third at 215. After a bye, he lost to Ian Smith of Iowa Valley, 7-5. In the consolation semifinal, Angle scored a 13-3 major decision over Allan Brugar of Colfax-Mingo. Angle scored a tech fall over Sigourney-Keota’s Zack Guffy, 17-2 for third.
Senior Hunter Wernli (29-16) earned fourth place for the Warhawks. In his opener at 150 pounds, Owen Desrochers went down on a 10-6 decision. He fell to Iowa Valleys’ Chance Hoyt in 2:37 to go to the consolation bracket. In the semifinal he pinned Grayden Arens of BGM in 56 seconds then lost to Brady Clark of S-K by major decision 14-6.
Two other Warhawks picked up fifth place finishes. Senior Dawson DeBoef (9-8) lost his first two matches at 157 pounds then in the fifth-place match pinned Montezuma’s Evan Haughey in 3:09.
Sophomore Hunter Brisel did not win a match but placed fifth at 285 pounds. Trevin Hunolt at 120 and Nolan Schock at 190 participated but did not place.
North Mahaska will return to action Monday when the boys go to Moravia. They will head to state qualifier in Pleasantville on Saturday, Feb. 15.