ERIE — Humboldt junior Noah Johnson went into Thursday’s duel meet with Iola in Erie with some redemption on his mind.
Iola senior Seth Sanford pinned Johnson in the second period of a match earlier this season in Caney and the loss stuck with Johnson. On Thursday, Johnson got his chance for revenge.
“Noah has been working really hard in practice and really stepped up and it paid off for him,” Humboldt coach Tell Wyrick said.
With Humboldt holding big advantage in the team score and the 220-pound weight class being the second-to-last bout of the dual, the match-up was all about individual pride.
“It was obviously a big challenge to me to get to the level he is at,” Johnson said.
In the first period, the two veteran grapplers felt each other out, but settled for a scoreless first period.
Sanford started the second period in the down-position and was able to open the scoring with a escape in just 16 seconds to take a 1-0 lead.
Johnson got a strong shot off near the end of the second period, but both wrestlers ended up out of bounds before Johnson could finish the takedown. The second period ended with Sanford still holding a 1-0 lead.
In the third period, Johnson was able to start in the down-position and took a 2-1 lead with a reversal 25 seconds into the final two-minute period.
“We have really been working with Noah on flow-wrestling to be able to see the mat and be aware of what is going on,” Wyrick said. “This match really showed that he has been paying attention to what we have been preaching.”
Johnson was able to ride Sanford out and added three back-points late in the period to grab a 5-1 victory.
“We both went to the mat and I was able to use his momentum to get him over to his side,” Johnson said.
The win capped Humboldt’s scoring as the Cubs’ rolled to a 51-12 team victory.
“Some of the guys got a little bit comfortable in what we do and thought that we have beat them before so we can beat them again,” Iola coach Jason Bates said. “That is not how it works in wrestling.”
The Cubs also picked up wins from Sam Wehlage and Seth Hegwald.
