FORT SCOTT — Iola High’s winning streak in dual wrestling matches came to an end Tuesday. SANFORD, TONEY and Raven Skillman also competed Saturday at a junior varsity meet in Labette County. Sanford went 2-1 on the day, Toney went 2-2 and Skillman dropped all three of his matches.
The Mustangs were edged by Columbus 26-22 in a contest that wasn’t decided until the final match in the heavyweight division.
From there, host Fort Scott took full advantage of its numbers advantage to win 51-27.
The defeats drop Iola to 6-2 in dual competitions this season.
Despite the losses, Mustang head coach Brad Carson was encouraged.
“Some of our guys had good nights,” Carson said. “Cody Conner wrestled well and Bryce Misenhelter continues to get better.”
Conner pinned Columbus’ Aubrey Hamilton and Fort Scott’s Dawson Mitchell, both in the first period.
Misenhelter, meanwhile, pinned Drew Cornwall of Columbus in the second period and drew a forfeit win in the Fort Scott dual because the Tigers did not have an opponent at his weight class (195 pounds).
Andrew Garber pinned Fort Scott’s Harley Cooley late in the first round, but he lost via pin to Columbus’ Bradley VanHoose at 182 pounds.
John Whitworth also went 1-1. He pinned Fort Scott’s Jesse Hodge in 38 seconds, but found himself going up against the state’s top-ranked 170-pound wrestler in Columbus’ Taylor Watkins.
Whitworth dropped an 11-0 decision, but drew praise from Carson for his effort.
“It impressed me because he never gave up,” Carson said. “We’re constantly stressing on getting better on bottom, and he worked hard to get out of some tough spots. The Watkins kid has more than just great technique. He’s stronger than he looked.”
Travis Rieske also went up against one of the state’s top 145-pound wrestlers in Fort Scott’s Jacob Durossette. Durossette pinned Rieske late in the first period.
At 220 pounds, Iola’s Seth Sanford lost twice, but also drew praise from Carson.
“He’s in such a tough weight class, but he hasn’t given up,” Carson said. “And it looks like the light has come on for him. He’s really starting to improve. You can tell just by watching how he wrestles.”
After being pinned by Columbus’ Aaron Napier, Sanford bounced back to battle Chance Crawford to a 0-0 draw through two periods.
Crawford got an early escape in the third period for a 1-0 lead, which he maintained through the rest of the match.
“Seth wrestled very tough against the kid,” Carson said. “He’s improving.”
Iola’s Colton Toney lost via pin to Shad Rudolph of Columbus and to Brendon Blackburn of Fort Scott.
“Colton did some good things out there, too,” Carson said. “He had some tough matches.”
Toney was leading Rudolph in points when the Columbus 285-pounder caught the Iolan slightly out of position.
“Colton was able to get out from underneath once, but couldn’t do it the second time,” Carson said.
“It was great to see Seth and Colton do well, and Raven is so new to the sport, we didn’t know what to expect,” Carson said. “It was good to see him so angry after those matches. It shows there’s a fire there, and he wants to get better.”
Iola’s wrestlers will be in Eureka for an invitational tournament Saturday.
Action heats up on mat
