Prep Wrestling: State Finals

By Nathan Bloechl · Saturday, February 19th, 2022 at 11:40 pm CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Des Moines — The night has come as 42 wrestlers will  lay claim to gold at Wells Fargo Arena.

In the KILJ-area, 126-pounder Marcel Lopez (New London) will look to add his name to the 29 others who have been four-time state champions — most recently Centerville’s Matthew Lewis one year prior.

In 2A, a rematch of last year’s state title will pit Blaine Frazier (NDWB) against Greene County’s McKinley Robbins.

Here’s a full list of our bouts tonight:

2A-106 – Carter West (NDWB) vs. Jace Hedeman (Union)
1A-126 – Marcel Lopez (New London) vs. Jace Rose (Riverside)
2A-132 – Blaine Frazier (NDWB) vs. McKinley Robbins (Greene County)
2A-182 – C.J. Walrath (NDWB) vs. Fernando Villaescusa (Gilbert)
1A-220 – Jonah Clark (WACO) vs. Jared Thiry (Don Bosco)

Prep Wrestling: Consolation Semifinals & Finals; Championship Finals

By Nathan Bloechl · Saturday, February 19th, 2022 at 2:55 pm CDT

1A

126 Finals

  • Marcel Lopez (New London) vs. Jace Rose (Riverside)

138 7th Place Match

  • Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) vs. Hayden Fischer (AHSTW)

152 3rd Place Match

  • Dominic Lopez (New London) wins by fall (3:03) over Lincoln Holub (Lisbon)

182 3rd Place Match

  • Josh Glendening (New London) loses by fall (1:05) over Carson Lynott (West Sioux)

220 Finals

  • Jonah Clark (WACO) vs. Jared Thiry (Don Bosco)

2A

106 Finals

  • Carter West (NDWB) vs. Jace Hedeman (Union)

113 3rd Place Match

  • Kaiden Dietzenbach (NDWB) loses by dec. (8-4) to Carson Doolittle (Webster City)

120 3rd Place Match

  • Lane Scorpil (CC-WMU) loses by fall (1:23) to Carter Kolthoff (South Hardin)

120 7th Place Match

  • C.J. Davis (NDWB) wins by fall (5:00) over Caelan Oakes-Sudhish (Southeast Valley)

132 Finals

  • Blaine Frazier (NDWB) vs. McKinley Robbins (Greene County)

152 7th Place Match

  • Isaiah Fenton (NDWB) wins by dec. (8-2) over Cole Butikofer (Crestwood)

160 7th Place Match

  • Sam West (NDWB) loses by dec. (7-6) over Kam Royster (Williamsburg)

182 Finals

  • C.J. Walrath (NDWB) vs. Fernando Villaescusa (Gilbert)

 

Prep Wrestling: Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships Day Two

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, February 18th, 2022 at 2:49 pm CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Des Moines — It’s separation day at the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships.

Follow along on the air and here for updates throughout Day Two

9:00 a.m. (2A)

106 Quarterfinals – Carter West (NDWB) wins by dec. (5-2) over Jayson Stevens (Hampton-Dumont)

  • 106 Semifinals – Carter West (NDWB) wins by dec. (1-0) over Ethan Skoglund (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
    • 1st Place Match – Carter West (NDWB) vs. Jace Hedeman (Union)

113 Quarterfinals – Kaiden Dietzenbach (NDWB) wins by injury default over Gavin Jensen (Williamsburg)

  • 113 Semifinals – Kaiden Dietzenbach (NDWB) loses by dec. (3-1) to Carter Anderson (Albia)
    • 113 Consolation Semifinals – Kaiden Dietzenbach (NDWB) vs. Vincent Mayberry (Glenwood)

120 Quarterfinals – Lane Scorpil (CC-WMU) wins by dec. (11-4) over Caelan Oakes-Sudhish (Southeast Valley)

  • 120 Semifinals – Lane Scorpil (CC-WMU) loses by dec. (10-3) to Kale Peterson (Greene County)
    • 120 Consolation Semifinals – Lane Scorpil (CC-WMU) vs. Carson Less (West Delaware)

120 Consolation Second Round – C.J. Davis (NDWB) wins by MD (12-0) over Cael Nelson (Carroll)

  • 120 Consolation Third Round – C.J. Davis (NDWB) loses by dec. (4-1) to Carson Less (West Delaware)
    • 7th Place Match – C.J. Davis (NDWB) vs. Caelan Oakes-Sudhish (Southeast Valley)

132 Quarterfinals – Blaine Frazier (NDWB) wins by by dec. (11-4) over Tyce Ruffridge (Pocahontas Area)

  • 132 Semifinals – Blaine Frazier (NDWB) wins by dec. (11-4)  Jonathon Burnette (Spirit Lake) 
    • 1st Place Match – Blaine Frazier (NDWB) vs. McKinley Robbins (Greene County)

138 Consolation Second Round – Tate O’Shea (NDWB) loses by dec. (1-0)  Kellen Moore (Forest City) 

152 Quarterfinals – Isaiah Fenton (NDWB) loses by dec. (7-2) in TB-1 to Chase Thomas (Osage)

  • 152 Consolation Second Round – Isaiah Fenton (NDWB) wins by MD (12-3) Gavin Scheuermann (Greene County)
  • 152 Consolation Third Round – Isaiah Fenton (NDWB) loses by dec. (10-9) to Zander Ernst (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)

160 Quarterfinals – Sam West (NDWB) loses by dec. (6-3) to Allen Catour (Assumption)

  • 160 Consolation Second Round – Sam West (NDWB) wins by dec. (9-3) over Zayvion Ellington (Sergeant Bluff-Luton)
  • 160 Consolation Third Round Sam West (NDWB) loses by dec. (3-2) to  Logan Fairchild (Winterset)
    • 7th Place Match – Sam West (NDWB) vs. Kam Royster (Williamsburg)

170 Quarterfinals – River Belger (NDWB) loses by dec. (6-2) Brady Ortner (Vinton-Shellsburg)

  • 170 Consolation Second Round – River Belger (NDWB) loses by fall (1:58) to Mack Seaba (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows)

182 Quarterfinals – C.J. Walrath (NDWB) wins by fall (1:46) over Will Ward (West Delaware)

  • 182 Semifinals – C.J. Walrath (NDWB) wins by dec. (5-1) over Nick Reinicke (Dike-New Hartford)
    • 1st Place Match – C.J. Walrath (NDWB) vs. Fernando Villaescusa (Gilbert)

2:30 p.m. (1A)

126 Quarterfinals – Marcel Lopez (New London) wins by TF (20-5) over Kendrick Huck (Nashua-Plainfield)

  • 126 Semifinals – Marcel Lopez (New London) wins by dec. (5-1) Quincy Happel (Lisbon)
    • 126 Finals – Marcel Lopez (New London) vs. Jace Rose (Riverside)

138 Quarterfinals – Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) loses by dec. (3-1) to Cade Siebrecht (Lisbon)

  • 138 Consolation Second Round – Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) wins by MD (9-0) over Ryan Steinlage (Interstate 35)
  • 138 Consolation Third Round – Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) loses in SV-1 by dec. (6-4) Trey Nelson (Nashua-Plainfield)
    • 7th Place Match – Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) vs. Hayden Fischer (AHSTW)

145 Quarterfinals – Louden Huisenga (WACO) loses by fall (5:16) to Hagen Heistand (Underwood)

  • 145 Consolation Second Round – Louden Huisenga (WACO) loses by dec. (9-2) to Nick Steinlage (Interstate 35)

152 Quarterfinals – Dominic Lopez (New London) wins by MD (20-11) McKade Nunn (Nashua-Plainfield)

  • 152 Semifinals – Dominic Lopez (New London) loses by dec. (4-3) to Gabe McGeough (MFL-MarMac)
  • 152 Consolation Third Round – Dominic Lopez (New London) vs. Jace Nelson-Brown (Emmetsburg)

182 Quarterfinals – Josh Glendening (New London) wins by fall (0:57) over Brecken Freeburg (Tri-Center)

  • 182 Semifinals – Josh Glendening (New London) lose by dec. (4-3) Jackson Dewald (Westwood, Sloan)
  • 182 Consolation Third Round – Josh Glendening (New London) vs. Carson Hartz (Columbus Catholic)

220 Quarterfinals – Jonah Clark (WACO) wins by fall (1:02) over Cooper Nielsen (Audubon)

  • 220 Semifinals – Jonah Clark (WACO) wins by dec. (6-3) Matthew Francis (West Hancock)
  • 220

Women’s College Basketball: Wesleyan Earns Top Seed in CAC Tournament

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, February 18th, 2022 at 2:32 pm CDT

Mount Pleasant — The Iowa Wesleyan women’s basketball has earned the top seed for the upcoming CAC Tournament, the league has announced.

Wesleyan will tussle with eighth-seeded Fisher College in the quarterfinal round, which will take place on February 25th at 8:15 p.m.

The complete seeding is listed below.

1: Iowa Wesleyan University

2: Haskell Indian Nations University

3: Wilberforce University

4: Washington Adventist

5: Northern New Mexico College

6: Crowley’s Ridge College

7: Cottey College

8: Fisher College

Iowa Wesleyan will close their over this weekend, taking on Cottey College tonight before battling College of the Ozarks on Saturday.

Prep Basketball: Danville Wins Thriller, New London Rolls; Other Prep Finals

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, February 18th, 2022 at 2:29 pm CDT

Danville 42, Notre Dame 41

Caiden Gourley’s buzzer-beating field goal lifted Danville to a heroic, 42-41 win over Burlington Notre Dame last night.

The win propelled the Bears to Tuesday’s district final.

Drake Johnson led the way for Danville, with a game-high 17 points while shooting 6-of-11 from the field.

Sawyer Nelson and Ty Carr both added eight, while Gourley finished with seven — none bigger than the final two.

Notre Dame was paced by Gedi Boal and Jackson Brent who both had 10.

The Nikes ended their year 8-15, Danville improved to 21-2.

Winfield-Mount Union 48, Hillcrest Academy 43

It wasn’t pretty, but Winfield-Mount Union advanced to the district final to play Danville, earning a 48-43 win over Hillcrest Academy last night.

Winfield-Mount Union will play the Bears next Tuesday at Central Lee.

Cam Buffington poured in a game-high 22 points to lead the Wolves, while Andrew Brown added nine.

Abram Edwards finished with eight.

Winfield-Mount Union improved to 21-2.

Hillcrest Academy, who closes their chapter at 15-7, was led by Luke Schrock’s 15 points.

New London 78, Iowa Valley 57

No team in southeast Iowa is hotter than New London. The Tigers got 25 points from Kade Benjamin while Devin Swanson added 18 as New London cemented Iowa Valley 78-57.

The win moves New London to Tuesday’s district final.

Kooper Schulte and Blaise Porter both chipped in with 14 for the Tigers, who had four double-figure scorers.

Brody Ward led Iowa Valley with 18 points while Peyton Loffer chipped in with 11.

They end their season 18-5.

WACO 46, Montezuma 42

WACO used to a 17-5 fourth quarter run to bury the defending state champion Montezuma Braves, 46-42 last night.

The Braves led by eight at the end of the third quarter before the monstrous fourth.

Simeon Reichenbach, an all-state running back this past fall, scored a game-high 20 points while hauling in nine boards, as well.

Hunter Hughes added seven for WACO.

Montezuma, who beat perennial power North Linn in last year’s state finals, finishes this year 18-5.

WACO is now 19-4, they’ll play New London at Mediapolis next Tuesday in the district final.

 

 

 

Prep Wrestling: 16 KILJ Wrestlers Alive, 14 on Winners Side Into Day Two

By Nathan Bloechl · Friday, February 18th, 2022 at 2:09 am CDT

(Photo Courtesy: Meg McLaughlin // theregister.com)

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Des Moines — 16 KILJ-area wrestlers remain alive at the conclusion of the first day of the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships.

14 of those 16 are in the winners’ bracket, wrestling tomorrow for their chance to advance to the semifinals.

With state championships in mind, the usual suspects fired hot on Day One.

In 2A, that meant outstanding opening round bouts for top-ranked 182-pounder C.J. Walrath — who stapled his first round opponent Wayne Johnston in :47 seconds — and undefeated Blaine Frazier, who inched closer to 200 career wins, rolling past Easton O’Brien (Atlantic-CAM) in 1:40.

Sam West and River Belger also clocked in and punched their timecard to the quarterfinals.

West cruised by Decorah’s Austin Wilkins by fall in 4:53, while Belger made quick work of Tate Schmitt (Hampton-Dumont) earning a pin in 1:28.

Isaiah Fenton, Carter West and Kaiden Dietzenbach all advanced to the quarterfinals with relatively easy first round wins, as well.

On the backside of the bracket following first round losses, 120-pound freshman C.J. Davis (NDWB) wrestled a gutsy 2-0 decision win over Crestwood’s Kole Johnson which kept his podium hopes alive.

Likewise, 138-pounder Tate O’Shea (NDWB) — who seemed to be nursing a knee injury — snagged a mettlesome come from behind wrestleback triumph in thrilling 4-3 decision fashion.

Outside of the Nikes, Columbus Community-Winfield-Mount Union’s Lane Scorpil continued to impress with a major decision, 8-0 success over Carter Lamont (Vinton-Shellsburg).

Scorpil will quarrel with Caelan Oakes-Sudhish (Southeast Valley) in the quarters tomorrow.

Not to be outdone, 1A did not disappoint.

The fireworks started when three-time defending state champion Marcel Lopez made mincemeat of overmatched Van Meter freshman Garrett Cole.

Lopez ripped his way to fall win in 1:06.

His younger brother Dominic, the three-seed in the 152-pound bracket, circled like a Tiger on raw meat establishing his presence this weekend with systematic tech fall win over Foxe Youngblut (Don Bosco).

Lopez will get Nashua-Plainfield’s McKade Nunn tomorrow in the quarters.

Josh Glendening also got out on the right foot junior upholding his end of the bargain with a workman-like fall win in 1:10.

Mediapolis’ lone qualifier Quinten Aney will hope to get revenge tomorrow.

Now 41-1 after a decision win over Sean Thompson (Logan-Magnolia), Aney will wrestle the only man to beat him tomorrow in Lisbon’s establishment name Cade Siebrecht.

WACO’s two qualifiers both advanced.

Freshman — not by appearance — Louden Huisenga showed he was ready for the spotlight.

The 12th ranked 145-pounder snagged an earth-shattering come from behind win over 11th ranked Myles McMahon of Don Bosco.

Human wrecking ball Jonah Clark looked like a kitten with a ball of yarn winning his bout with Maquoketa Valley’s Brady Davis by fall after leading 11-2.

The lone elimination on the entire day was New London’s Gage Burden, though you could hardly call his season a disappointment. Burden finished his season 37-19 with a state appearance now inked on his resume. His future is undoubtedly vivid.

Tomorrow’s morning session will begin at 9:00 a.m.

You can listen on FM 105.5 and kilj.com.

Prep Wrestling: Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships Day One

By Nathan Bloechl · Thursday, February 17th, 2022 at 3:56 pm CDT

By: Nathan Bloechl — sports@kilj.com 

Des Moines — For live coverage of today’s Day One follow along here or on the air at FM 105.5.

106 – Carter West (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by dec. (7-0) over Isaac Wilson (Algona)

  • West (NDWB) vs. Jayson Stevens (Hampton-Dumont)

113 – Kaiden Dietzenbach (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by MD (11-0) over Levi Kramer (Central Lyon/George-Little Rock)

  • Dietzenbach (NDWB) vs. Gavin Jensen (Williamsburg)

120 – Lane Scorpil (CC-WMU) wins by MD (8-0) over Carter Lamont (Vinton-Shellsburg)

  • Scorpil (CC-WMU) vs. Caelan Oakes-Sudhish (Southeast Valley)

120 – C.J. Davis (Notre Dame-West Burlington) loses by dec. (6-0) to Amare Chavez (South Tama County)

  • Davis (NDWB) wins by dec. (2-0) over Kole Johnson (Crestwood) Wrestleback

132 – Blaine Frazier (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by fall (1:40) over Easton O’Brien (Atlantic-CAM)

  • Frazier (NDWB) vs. Tyce Ruffridge (Pocahontas Area)

138 – Tate O’Shea (Notre Dame-West Burlington) loses by dec. (6-3) to Logan Arp (South Tama County)

  • O’Shea (NDWB) wins by dec. (4-3) over Taylor Huggins (Davis County) Wrestleback

152 – Isaiah Fenton (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by MD (11-3) over Joe Weydert (Humboldt)

  • Fenton (NDWB) vs. Chase Thomas (Osage)

160 – Sam West (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by will (4:53) over Austin Wilkins (Decorah)

  • West (NDWB) vs. Allen Catour (Assumption)

170 – River Belger (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by fall (1:28) over Tate Schmitt (Hampton-Dumo­­­­nt)

  • Belger (NDWB) vs. Brady Ortner (Vinton-Shellsburg)

182 – C.J. Walrath (Notre Dame-West Burlington) wins by fall (0:47) over Wayne Johnston (Knoxville)

  • Walrath (NDWB) vs. Will Ward (West Delaware)

6:00 p.m.

113 – Gage Burden (New London) loses by fall (1:22) to Brody Brisker (Wilton)

  • Burden (New London) vs. Lincoln Edwards (West Branch) Wrestleback

126 – Marcel Lopez (New London) wins by fall (1:06) over Garrett Cole (Van Meter)

  • Lopez (New London) vs. Kendrick Huck (Nashua-Plainfield)

138 – Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) wins by dec. (7-1) over Sean Thompson (Logan-Magnolia)

  • Aney (Mediapolis) vs. Cade Siebrecht (Lisbon)

145 – Louden Huisenga (WACO) wins by dec. (4-3) over Myles McMahon (Don Bosco)

  • Huisenga (WACO) vs. Hagen Heistand (Underwood)

152 – Dominic Lopez (New London) wins by TF (23-8) over Foxe Youngblut (Don Bosco)

  • Lopez (New London) vs. McKade Nunn (Nashua-Plainfield)

182 – Josh Glendening (New London) wins by fall (1:10) over Jake Cox (Bedford/Lenox)

  • Glendening (New London) vs. Brecken Freeburg (Tri-Center)

220 – Jonah Clark (WACO) wins by fall over Brady Davis (Maquoketa Valley)

  • Clark (WACO) vs. Cooper Nielsen (Audubon)

Sports, Thursday, February 17th

By Nathan Bloechl · Thursday, February 17th, 2022 at 6:28 am CDT

Prep Wrestling: State Tournament Underway Today

The 2022 Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships get underway in Des Moines today.

Nathan Bloechl will have coverage starting with 2A this morning from Wells Fargo Arena.

Here’s the full look at today’s scraps:

106 – Carter West (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Isaac Wilson (Algona)

113 – Kaiden Dietzenbach (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Levi Kramer (Central Lyon/George-Little Rock)

120 – Lane Scorpil (CC-WMU) vs. Carter Lamont (Vinton-Shellsburg)

120 – C.J. Davis (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Amare Chavez (South Tama County)

132 – Carson Miller (Fairfield) vs. Dominik Ridout (East Marshall)

132 – Blaine Frazier (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Easton O’Brien (Atlantic-CAM)

138 – Tate O’Shea (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Logan Arp (South Tama County)

152 – Isaiah Fenton (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Joe Weydert (Humboldt)

160 – Sam West (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Austin Wilkins (Decorah)

170 – River Belger (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Tate Schmitt (Hampton-Dumo­­­­nt)

182 – C.J. Walrath (Notre Dame-West Burlington) vs. Wayne Johnston (Knoxville)

1A

113 – Gage Burden (New London) vs. Brody Brisker (Wilton)

126 – Marcel Lopez (New London) vs. Garrett Cole (Van Meter)

138 – Quinten Aney (Mediapolis) vs. Sean Thompson (Logan-Magnolia)

145 – Louden Huisenga (WACO) vs. Myles McMahon (Don Bosco)

152 – Dominic Lopez (New London) vs. Foxe Youngblut (Don Bosco)

182 – Josh Glendening (New London) vs. Jake Cox (Bedford/Lenox)

220 – Jonah Clark (WACO) vs. Brady Davis (Maquoketa Valley)

Live hold-by-hold action will start this morning at 9:00 a.m.

Prep Wrestling: Notre Dame 7th in Dual Tournament

The Notre Dame Nike wrestling team got weekend festivities underway with a 7th place at Team Duals on Wednesday.

The Nikes, who qualified after upsetting Davenport Assumption, were the No. 8 seed in the eight-team tournament, and dropped a 40-32 decision to No. 1 West Delaware .

Notre Dame followed that up with a loss in the consolation semifinals to Crestwood, before beating Winterset in the 7th place match.

West Delaware dominated their way to an easy championship, defeating Independence in the finals 55-18.

Girls’ Prep Basketball: Panthers Ride Big 3 to Win:

Mount Pleasant relied on their Big 3: Andrea Lopreato, Tristian Shull and Kenna Lamm — ousting Fort Madison 63-57 in overtime last night in a Class 4A first round matchup.

The win advanced Mount Pleasant to Saturday’s second round where they’ll get SEC champion Keokuk.

Lopreato finished with a game-high 25 for Mount Pleasant, while Lamm and Shull both chipped in with 15 each.

Mount Pleasant, who led for the entirety of the game, saw the script get flipped in the fourth when Fort Madison got up 44-40.

The Panthers then buckled down on defense, getting a pair of steals that led to scores tying the game in a matter of moments.

They then forced a Malarie Ross missed layup at the end of the regulation to force overtime.

In the extra period, it was all Panthers.

Threes by Lamm and Shull in the tiebreaker propelled the Panthers to their fourth straight win, they’re now 13-10.

The loss ended Fort Madison’s season at 17-5.

You can listen to Saturday’s game on FM 98.5 and AM 1130.

The contest will begin at 7:00 p.m..

John Kuhens and Kent Bennett will have the call.

Boys’ Prep Basketball: Local Teams Ready for Second Round

It will be a busy night of district boys’ basketball with several area teams looking to earn trips to district finals.

In our featured matchup in District 10, New London — 19-2 this year — will host 18-4 Iowa Valley.

Iowa Valley advanced to tonight’s second round following a 45-42 win over Sigourney.

John Kuhens and Kent Bennett will have the call for that bout beginning at 6:45 p.m.

The bottom of District 10 sees a pair of 18-4 teams go head-to-head when WACO hosts Montezuma.

The Braves, state finalists last year, rolled to a 63-46 victory over Pekin on Monday.

In District 9, top-seeded Danville gets upset-minded Burlington Notre Dame.

The Nikes took down Wapello 55-30 earlier this week.

Winfield-Mount Union, looking to move back to the district final, has Hillcrest Academy in their way

The Wolves, 20-2, dispatched Highland 53-33, while Hillcrest smacked Holy Trinity 61-36.

All games tonight will begin at 7:00 p.m.