It’s fitting that a night of high drama on the wrestling mat was decided by a pair of unsung Iola High sophomores.
The Mustangs trailed Erie by 10 points midway through their team dual before Iola’s Tripp Mathes took on the Red Devils’ Devin Vogel — the same Vogel who had pinned Mathes earlier this month at a tournament in Caney.
This time, it was Mathes who seized the upper hand, getting a takedown midway through the first period. Vogel tried to escape, but not before Mathes ended things abruptly with a pin, 81 seconds into the match.
“That was the biggest match of the night,” Iola head coach John Taylor said. “It changed everything for us. It gave us an opportunity, and the guys behind him did what they were supposed to do.”
Still, it all boiled down to Kerr’s match. Much like his sophomore teammate, Kerr acted quickly, getting the upper hand with a takedown and pin 67 seconds into the match against Erie’s Justin Graff.
The two pins, each worth six points in team scoring, secured Iola’s 41-33 win.
That followed a 42-30 win over Neodesha in Iola’s first home action of the 2024-25 campaign.
“I’m excited about our team,” Taylor said. “Our number one goal all along is to just get better each week. We don’t have to be great right now. We can keep building on this.”
Picking up two wins each on the night for the Mustangs were Ruger Boren at 120 pounds; Kevon Loving at 144 pounds; and Kale Pratt, first at 157 pounds and then at 165 pounds against Erie’s Dylan Kirkpatrick.
Iola’s junior varsity and girls will travel to Cherryvale Saturday for a tournament before the team goes on an extended Christmas break before returning to action Jan. 11 at Burlington.
Iola 42, Neodesha 30
120 — Ruger Boren, IHS, defeated Ben Oldweiler, Neodesha, fall :47
126 — Trapper Boren, IHS, win via forfeit
132 — Braiden Reddic, Neodesha, win via forfeit
138 — Evan LaCrone, IHS, def. Tiller Scheeringa, Neodesha, fall 2:52
