Mt. Pleasant, IA- The Southeast Conference (SEC) has officially released the All-Conference Awards with Fairfield tabbing the most All-Conference 1st Team Selections and a share of the Wrestler of the Year award. Here’s the breakdown by team.
Co-Wrestler of the Year
The shared honor goes to a pair of seniors: Fairfield’s Cason Miller and Washington’s Aaron Boone. A longer section about them will be listed with their team.
Mt. Pleasant
The Panthers finished the conference gauntlet undefeated, snatching their first SEC title in over a decade. With that success three Panthers earned a spot on the All-SEC 1st Team in juniors Lane Beckler, 126-pound, and Ramzy Davis, 150-pound, and senior Payton Walker, 190-pound.
Beckler finished his season with a 21-10 record and was flawless against other conference competition. His best finish of the season was second place at the WACO Invitational, where he fell by an 8-7 decision against a state qualifier in Kane Forseen of New London. Beckler fell just short and nabbed 3rd place at the state qualifying meet.
Davis captured 2nd place twice throughout the season and ended up one win away from qualifying for the state tournament. The junior also went undefeated in SEC play as he collected a 24-11 record for the season.
Lastly, Walker caught fire by the end of the season and rode the momentum for as far as he could, falling to Logan Gardner of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the 2nd place match at the state qualifying meet. His best finish occurred at WACO as he took 2nd place, losing to the eventual state champion in WACO’s Louden Huisnega. He ended the season with a 22-9 record.
Fort Madison
After graduating most of their seniors from a season ago not many gave the Bloodhounds a chance to stay competitive in the SEC, yet Fort Madison finished 4-1 in conference and second place overall with two All-SEC 1st Team honorees and four 2nd Teamers.
James Fuller earned the honor for the 120-pound weight class with 33-16 record for his freshman campaign. He earned the #10-seed for the state tournament and finished his run with a 1-2 record.
The other 1st Team member was senior Aaron Warner of the 285-pound weight class. In his swan song season, Warner culminated a 31-13 record and handled business within the SEC, pinning all his opponents.
Grabbing All-SEC 2nd Team honors were seniors Logan Pennock (132), Noah Swigart (138), Gavin Callahan (175), and freshman Ren Watson (190).
Fairfield
The Trojans may have finished third in conference with a 3-2 record, but Fairfield had the most individual success of the six teams in the SEC with five 1st Team members and one more wrestler on the 2nd Team, five of the six were state qualifiers.
In the 113-pound weight class, junior Cael McCabe would be a strong contender for SEC Wrestler of the Year after an impressive regular season yielded him the #2-seed in the Class 2A state tournament. On championship Saturday, The Trojan would thump Rowan Berndt of Notre Dame by technical fall to advance to the 3rd place match.
McCabe would parlay that victory into a 7-1 decision win over #7 Kolbe Hanson of Iowa Falls-Alden to claim 3rd place. He ended the year with a 37-3 record.
Aiden Westercamp claimed a 1st Team spot in the 138-pound weight class as a junior. Westercamp spent most of the season wrestling up in the 150-pound weight class and managed to collect 25 victories by the season’s end.
Co-SEC Wrestler of the Year in the 157-pound weight class, Cason Miller ended his career with a victory, a coveted position for any wrestler. #3 Miller tangled #16 Hayden Schafer of Eagle Grove for 7th place, and it was the Trojan who grabbed the decisive victory by an 11-2 decision to finish the year with a 39-4 record.
In the 175-pound weight class, Dain Burkhart had quite the junior season, earning himself a first-round bye at the state tournament. Unfortunately, Burkhart’s tournament run ended without him earning a place. Still, he finished the season with a 39-6 record.
Lastly, Dre Smithburg, 215-pound weight class, also enjoyed a senior campaign that saw him punch his ticket to the state tournament where he would finish unplaced. Smithburg finished the season with a 42-7 record.
Grabbing 2nd Team honors for Fairfield was sophomore Zandrik Allsion in the 144-pound weight class.
Burlington
The only Grayhound to grab a spot in the 1st Team selection was senior Braxton Hutchinson in the 106-pound weight class as the squad finished with a 2-3 record in conference. Hutchinson was constantly ranked throughout the season for Class 3A’s 106-pound weight class.
Unsurprisingly, Hutchinson made his way to the state tournament and earned his trip to the 3rd place bout. In a rematch against #7 Abe Heysinger of Dubuque Hempstead—the wrestler who knocked him into the consolation bracket—the result was congruent with the first, a 1-0 decision win for Heysinger.
The Grayhound ended the year with a 42-6 record and 4th place overall.
Taking home 2nd Team honors was freshman Roy Brown (120), Buxton Carlson (126), Adrain Perez-Hall (157), Owen Difederico (165), and Caden Huff (285).
Washington
The Demons were only able to take down Keokuk on the year for their sole conference victory, but did saddle three wrestlers into the SEC 1ST Team selections. Leading the way was Co-SEC Wrestler of the Year in the 132-pound weight class, senior Aaron Boone.
Boone was not going to let anyone stand in his way as he started off championship Saturday with a pin of #4 Steele Diercks of Assumption in the consolation semifinals. Boone only had #5 Kaiden Parker of Oskaloosa left to beat for third place.
In a difficult match, Boone was able to stave off Parker to pick up a 4-1 decision win and the bronze medal, collecting a 50-4 record for the season.
Jude Carter was preparing himself all year, wrestling up in the 144-pound weight class despite weighing in at 138 pounds. The senior was not deterred, reeling off 26 wins on the season and claiming 3rd place at the state qualifying tournament in Williamsburg.
Lastly, sophomore Blain Rees earned a spot at the 165-pound weight class. Racking up 30-plus wins as he oscillated between the 165-pound weight class and the 175-pound weight class. Rees ended up just short of making the state tournament, taking third place at the state qualifying meet.
Earning a spot on the 2nd Team was Greyson Hartman (215).
Keokuk
The Chiefs did not collect a win in conference play, but they did have one wrestler earn his way to the state tournament in Ryan Rose as the freshman took home All-SEC 2nd Team honors for the 106-pound weight class.
Rose collected a 44-11 record for the year.
Wrestling Academic All-Conference
Wrestler Team
Caden Huff Burlington
Brayden Lyles Burlington
Adrian Perez-Hall Burlington
Micah Zaugg (mgr) Burlington
Cason Miller Fairfield
Dre Smithburg Fairfield
Dain Burkhart Fairfield
Jacob Crew Fairfield
Angel Quimby Fairfield
Aiden Westercamp Fairfield
Emmelia Miller (Mgr) Fairfield
Jake Haessig Fort Madison
Gavin Callahan Fort Madison
Nicholas Carle Fort Madison
Calvin Johnson Fort Madison
Hadley Johnson Fort Madison
Tateum Schelich Fort Madison
Noah Swigart Fort Madison
Aaron Warne Fort Madison
Jaxsen Stuecker Mount Pleasant
Payton Walker Mount Pleasant
Juan Lopez Mount Pleasant
Kolbein Ostby Mount Pleasant
Ramzy Davis Mount Pleasant
Brandon Cortes Hernandez Washington
Caden Greiner Washington
Aaron Boone Washington
Jude Carter Washington
Nathaniel Edmonds Washington