Brock, Rethmeier lead Cards at invite

Ragan Brock entered his junior wrestling season a little under the radar.

After Saturday, opposing coaches will be taking notice.

Brock, the Newton wrestling team’s 285-pounder, went a perfect 5-0 at the Cardinal Invitational. In the process, he defeated the sixth, seventh, and eighth-ranked wrestlers at 285 in Class 3A.

Newton went 0-5 in dual matches on the day, but Brock and senior Evan Rethmeier both going 5-0 gave Cardinal fans something to cheer about.

Brock is now 8-0 on the season, with four of those wins against ranked opponents. He also defeated the No. 4 ranked 285-pounder in Class 2A in the season-opener this past Tuesday.

“It feels really good to get a good start,” Brock said. “Last year I didn’t get out to the start I wanted to, so it feels good to redeem myself.”

“That’s what the hard work has done for him,” head coach Bill Reed said about Brock. “He’s staying within the system. He’s not trying to do moves he’s not built for doing. It was a super day for him.”

Brock cruised through his first three matches, getting pins in the first period of each. His last two matches were significantly tougher. Against Johnston’s Jake Scanlan, the match was tied at 1 mid-way through the third period after a Scanlan escape. Brock then took Scanlan down straight to his back, pinning him with 20 seconds left.

Brock’s match against Indianola’s Don Dawson was a heavyweight classic. The score was tied 4-4 after two periods, and a neutral start to the third gave Brock a 5-4 lead. Brock then did an excellent job forcing a defensive stalemate the final two minutes to earn the decision.

“I knew they were ranked, so it was good to get it out of the way,” Brock said his competition. “I was mentally preparing for it all week. My conditioning helped a lot.”

While Brock is off to a great start to the season, Reed knows there are bigger goals in mind for the junior.

“I know he’s not going to rest on his laurels,” he said. “He wants to be on the podium at the state tournament at the end of the year.”

Rethmeier also had quite a day at 189. He recorded three pins, including one against Indianola’s Brandon Abernathy, the No. 1 wrestler in the preseason rankings.

It was a tough day overall for the Cardinals, who entered the day having to forfeit at 130, 135 and 140 pounds. Joe Brock won his first two matches at 215, but a back injury forced him out of the lineup and Newton then forfeited four weights in each of their final three dual meets.

“Coming in with three open weights and ending up with four our last three duals was tough,” head coach Bill Reed said. “I think we would have won the third and fourth if Joe wasn’t hurt. I thought we wrestled hard and improved from Thursday. We made fewer mistakes than we made Thursday, so we’re heading in the right direction.”

Newton began the day facing Iowa City West, the No. 1 ranked team in 3A. The Cardinals had five victories in the match. Tanner Hull (112) and Rethmeier earned decisions, while Jacob Herduin (160), while Joe and Ragan Brock each had pins. Iowa City won the match, 54-24.

The story was the same in the second dual of the day against Sioux City North, as all four of the Cardinals’ wins came in the upper weights. Trevor Jenner (171) and Ragan Brock (285) each recorded pins in the first period, while Rethmeier and Joe Brock had pins in the third. Sioux City had six pins and went on to win, 58-24.

The forfeits really took a toll for Newton in its next two duals. Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson defeated the Cardinals, 43-31, with 24 of its points coming via forfeit. Tanner Hull and Ragan Brock earned first-period pins for Newton, while Blake Tish earned a 7-2 decision at 145.

Against Johnston, the Cardinals won six of the 10 matches wrestled. But again, the four forfeits led to a 45-35 loss. Scott Burkett (152) Jake Herduin (160), Jenner, Rethmeier and Brock each had pins, while Tanner Hull had a 17-0 technicall fall at 112.

Newton was outmatched in its final dual against Indianola, winning only three matches in a 60-15 loss. Jenner and Rethmeier both had pins in second period, while Brock held on for a decision.

On the day, Newton went a combined 18-4 in weights 160 to 285, including 12-0 from 189-285. Hull, Herduin and Jenner each went 3-2 at 112, 160 and 171.

The dual tournament was the third event for the Cardinals in a 5-day span. They’ll have the remainder of the week to rest up, as Newton competes at the Western Dubuque Tournament in Epworth on Saturday.

Team Standings
1. Iowa City West
2. Indianola
3. Sioux City North
4. Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson
5. Johnston
6. Newton

Newton records
103: Kolby Hull 0-1. 103: Neal Hayden 1-3. 112: Tanner Hull 3-2. 119: Cale Hunter 0-5. 125: Brad Valdez 0-5. 145: Blake Tish 1-4. 152: Scott Burkett: 1-3. 160: Jacob Herduin 3-2. 171: Trevor Jenner 3-2. 189: Evan Rethmeier 5-0. 215: Joe Brock 2-0. 285: 5-0.