OSAWATOMIE — Up and back.
Iola High’s Mustangs went up to Osawatomie High School Thursday and came back pretty quick. It was just a dual wrestling meet and the 15 matches took just over an hour to contest.
It was senior night for Osawatomie High’s Trojans. The Trojans won the meet 44-28.
Iola’s senior night will be this coming Thursday as the Mustangs host Coffeyville and Independence in a Southeast Kansas League double dual. It will be Iola’s final SEK competition as it moves to the Pioneer League next year.
The Mustangs are 8-4 in dual competition this season. They are 3-3 in SEK duals.
Iola took a select group of varsity wrestlers to today’s Silver Lake High Invitational.
The Mustangs faced one of its soon-to-be league members in Osawatomie.
“Our kids weren’t as focused as I had hoped they would be for this dual. Maybe they were looking past Osawatomie to Silver Lake. That tournament will present us with quality competition,” said Aaron Sweazy, Mustang head coach.
Iola recorded five wins in the 13 varsity matches contested. Down 6-0 after Osawatomie got on the scoreboard with a forfeit win at the 106-pound weight class, Iola’s Tristan Sigfusson evened the score at 120 pounds.
Sigfusson pushed out to a 9-0 lead over Osawatomie’s Sam Raybern before winning by a fall in the second period. The Trojans got the lead back when Andy Blanton posted a major decision, 12-2, over Iola’s Kaleb Mock in the 126-pound match.
Cody Conner switched things around on Osawatomie’s Dylan Stewart, who was winning 5-2 at the time, with a reversal. Conner won the 132-pound match with a pin at the 1:47 mark of the 132-pound bout.
The next two matches went to the Trojans. Andrew Cannon beat Iola’s Brent Clark 11-2 at 138. Iola’s Jacob Rhoads was pinned the Kansas Class 4A’s third-ranked Devon Dozier in 2:54 in the 145-pound match.
Conner, Clark, Mock and Rhoads did not wrestle for Iola at last Saturday’s Fredonia tournament. Conner missed the meet because of school-rules violation and Clark had to sit out a competition because of match totals. Mock was ill and Rhoads was injured.
Zeph Larney controlled his match with Osawatomie’s Hunter Poage, leading 7-1 at the end of the first period. Larney (8-16) pinned Poage 56 seconds into the second period for the win at 152 points.
Iola’s Devin Culler scored a major decision, 11-1, over Osawatomie’s Joe Gamache at 160-pounds. Culler ran his overall record to 22-6. Osawatomie got six points for a forfeit win at 170 pounds.
In the 182-pound match, Iola’s Bryce Misenhelter was pinned by Matt Lofing in 2:31. Tyler Daniels of Osawatomie pinned Iola’s Denton Christian in 1:33 and Caleb Lofing of Osawatomie pinned Iola’s Chase Roettgen in 1:22.
“We gave up pins tonight in matches we shouldn’t have. We were pretty sloppy on the mat,” Sweazy said.
The Mustangs recorded a victory in the final varsity match of the night. Trey Colborn pinned Osawatomie’s Tanner Foulk in 48 seconds in the 285-pound match. Colborn is 17-10 overall.
There were three junior varsity matches wrestled. Iola won all three as Raymond Branstetter pinned Robin Shipman, Travis Rieske pinned Tabatha Diedker and Jordan Long pinned Shipman.
“I’m extremely proud of our junior varsity wrestlers,” Sweazy said.
Osawatomie Dual Meet
106 — Williams, O, forfeit
113 — both teams open
120 — Sigfusson, I, pinned Raybern, O, 2:28
126 — Blanton, O, maj. dec. over Mock, I, 12-2
132 — Conner, I, pinned Stewart, O, 1:47
138 — Cannon, O, maj. dec. over Clark, I, 11-2
145 — Dozier, O, pinned, Rhoads, I, 2:54
152 — Larney, I, pinned Poage, O, 2:56
160 — Culler, I, maj. dec. Gamache, O, 11-1
170 — Higgins, O, forfeit
182 — M. Lofing, O, pinned Misenhelter, I, 2:31
195 — Daniels, O, pinned Christian, I, 1:33
220 — C. Lofing, O, pinned, Roettgen, I, 1:22
285 — Colborn, I, pinned Foulk, O, :48
Junior Varsity Matches
145 — Branstetter, I, pinned, Shipman, O
152 — Rieske, I, pinned Diedker, O
152 — Long, I, pinned Shipman, O
