Cardinals win on Pin Cancer Night

Needing three wins by pins to rally past visiting Oskaloosa, Newton High’s Cardinals got just that, winning 41-40 Thursday.

Trailing the Indians 40-23 on Pin Cancer Night at Newton High, seniors Canaan Terpstra, Destin Schroder and junior Owen Sanger knew what they had to do. None were on the mat longer than a minute.

“Go for the six,” Schroder said is what Cardinal head coach Andy Swedenhjelm was telling his final three wrestlers of the night.

Terpstra needed only 17 seconds to start the rally. He pinned Blake Westercamp at 170 pounds.

“Zane told me to go out there and get it done,” Terpstra said. “That’s what I did.”

Schroder, who is ranked No. 5 at 182 in Class 3A, pinned Will Campbell in 41 seconds.

Sanger took a little longer — 59 seconds — to pin Junior Ramirez at 195 pounds.

“Wrestling for a really good cause against a conference opponent, I was blessed to wrestle and win for my home crowd,” Schroder said.

Schroder hasn’t had a contested match at home this season. He was sidelined with a hand injury in the first semester.

On Tuesday at home, he took a forfeit win. He said it felt really good to get things going at home.

Newton and Oskaloosa wore special Pin Cancer singlets for the match. The Cardinals were raising funds for cancer awareness.

“My mindset was just be a freak, go out there and do it for the team,” Sanger said. “It was the happiest feeling ever to hear the hand come down for the pin.”

Newton’s Class 3A fifth-ranked senior Gage Linahon took a forfeit at 220 to start the dual. The Indians gained a 10-6 lead with wins at 285 and 106.

Junior Anthony Bestell pinned Connor Harbour at 113 to put Newton up 12-10. Oskaloosa scored 12 points with a pin at 120 and a forfeit win at 126.

Sophomore Brennan Amos chalked up an 18-2 technical fall for the Cardinals at 132. Oskaloosa got two straight pins to lead 34-17.

Senior Blake Iske claimed a win by a fall over Jason Garrett at 152 to close the gap to 11 points.

At 160, the Indians’ Cody Gunn threw senior Zane Kohlmeyer to his back for a pin in 24 seconds.

Then came the Cardinal trio to finish it.

“We had such great energy from the crowd and wrestlers after the big wins,” Terpstra said. “It keeps us going, honestly.”

Newton evened its Little Hawkeye Conference dual mark to 2-2. The Cardinals are 7-6 in duals overall.

“We’re about bonus points. Canaan does what he does and we let Destin know what we needed,” Swedenhjelm said. “Sanger just walked out there and got the pin.”

Swedenhjelm said it was an awesome night for wrestling with a great crowd for both teams. He said what a great atmosphere for a special night “and with a conference win it’s extra special.”

Newton is at Saturday’s Ottumwa Invitational. Action begins at 10 a.m.

Newton 41, Oskaloosa 40

220: Gage Linahon (N) over (O) (For.) 285: Kegan Mitts-Butler (O) over William Muckler (N) (Fall 4:42) 106: Ryllie Siroky (O) over Avery White (N) (MD 9-0) 113: Anthony Bestell (N) over Connor Harbour (O) (Fall 1:12) 120: Trey Miller (O) over Kaden Holmes (N) (Fall 1:46) 126: Salvador Gonzalez (O) over (N) (For.) 132: Brennan Amos (N) over Zack Beebe (O) (TF 19-2 4:20) 138: Leland Evans (O) over Colin Sharp (N) (Fall 0:56) 145: Wyatt Krier (O) over Dakota Borger (N) (Fall 1:02) 152: Blake Iske (N) over Jason Garrett (O) (Fall 1:37) 160: Cody Gunn (O) over Zane Kohlmeyer (N) (Fall 0:24) 170: Canaan Terpstra (N) over Blake Westercamp (O) (Fall 0:17) 182: Destin Schroder (N) over Will Campbell (O) (Fall 0:41) 195: Owen Sanger (N) over Junior Ramirez (O) (Fall 0:59)

Junior Varsity

106: Elliot Adam (O) pinned Kinzie Hardin (N), 120: Raeann Elliott (O) pinned Emma Fox (N); 152: A.J. Holdefer (N) maj. dec. 12-1 over Bryce Beerbower (O), Holdefer (N) pinned Billy Schaefer (O); 160: James Wenndt (N) pinned Garisin Hynick (O), Lucas Phillips (O) pinned Wenndt (N), Austin Brady (N) pinned Dominic Guthrie (O), Cason Shilling (O) pinned Brady (N); 195: Gabe Hoen (N), Blake Olson (O).

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com