All three PCM grapplers advance at state wrestling

DES MOINES — PCM senior Colby Tool has laser focus in his final state wrestling tournament.

According to Mustang head coach Jeff Nicholson, Tool has had a vision of what he wants to accomplish on the mat and the only thing that matters is finding a way to get to Saturday night.

Tool was at his best in the opening Class 2A round of the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday.

And he made a statement right away with an 18-1 technical fall victory at 152 pounds.

“I was able to control the match and it was kind of a statement that says this is my tournament, this is my mat,” said Tool, who improved to 43-2 on the season. “I was able to work more of my stuff. It felt great. I am ready to come back (Friday).”

All three PCM wrestlers survived the first day. Only Tool is alive on the championship side of the bracket though as Class 2A No. 4 Landon Fenton (145) and Cooper Sloan (220) both lost their opening matches but bounced back with wins in their first-round consolation bouts.

Tool’s first-round victory was an 18-1 technical fall triumph over Creston/Orient-Macksburg’s Kaden Bolton. He finished the match 28 seconds into the second period. He led 5-0 after one and 12-1 after two.

“You always want to get a quick score. It helped me set the tone and helped me get into my own pace,” Tool said. “You don’t really ever want to stay on the mat any longer than you need to, but there is an advantage to letting your lunges open up on day one when you are only going to get one match if you win.”

Next up for Tool is fifth-ranked Jadyn Peyton (37-1) of West Delaware. Bolton (43-13) stayed alive in the tournament when he won his wrestleback after the loss to Tool.

“You always get the best of Colby here,” Nicholson said. “This is his last time through. Right now, he’s on a mission. He’s very focused. He’s going to go after whatever is in his way to get there.”

Both Fenton and Sloan suffered narrow losses in the first round.

Sloan (34-15) lost 1-0 to No. 9 Easton Fleshman of West Lyon. Fleshman got his escape point in the second and then rode out Sloan for the entire third period.

“I just didn’t hit any shots in the first match. I may have had some jitters,” Sloan said. “He was really tough on top, too.”

In the elimination wrestleback, Sloan and Albia’s Paul Ballard (31-8) were scoreless after the first period.

Sloan needed just four seconds to get an escape point in the second period. Sloan’s first takedown in the match came about 20 seconds later as he built a 3-0 lead

In the third, Sloan got one more takedown to win his first match at the state level. He won 5-1.

“You have to have a lot of motivation in that match,” Sloan said. “But that could have been the last match of my season. I didn’t want that to happen.”

Sloan felt like getting an early lead in his second match was important and it allowed him to settle in to his stuff.

“I think it definitely helped. Once you are in the lead, you can slow things down and focus on scoring more points,” Sloan said. “I just need to keep going with my shots. The goal now is to find a way to get a place on the podium.”

Fenton trailed sixth-ranked Remington Hanson of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 4-1 after the first period. He closed the gap to 4-3, but Hanson got a reversal to push Fenton’s deficit back to three points.

Fenton again got within one but ultimately lost by two.

“We knew Landon had a tough match. We still think Landon can win that match,” Nicholson said. “We think we could have a different result. We just didn’t win it tonight.”

Fenton bounced back with a win by fall in the second period of his consolation wrestleback. He got a quick takedown in that bout, too.

“It’s my fourth year here and I have yet to medal,” Fenton said. “I am pretty determined to do that this year. I obviously wanted to win that first match and stay in line to win it, but it’s not how it always works out. You just have to get to the next best thing now.”

The win keeps him alive for his first state medal. He’s been in this same spot in past years and fell short. Nicholson doesn’t think drastic changes need to be made though.

“He knows what he needs to do,” Nicholson said. “I think he’s pretty determined. There’s isn’t much we can say. I think he’s going to win a few more matches here, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go all the way back for third. He’s just that talented.”

Notes: The 2A quarterfinals and second-round consolations begin at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. The semifinals for 2A will be in the final session of the night at 7:30 p.m. ... Sloan sets a new career-high with every win. His total is at 34 wins right now. ... Tool is up to 142 career victories, while Fenton has 134 career wins. ... Tool is trying to become just the second PCM wrestler to win four state medals. Another win Friday would put in him elite company with Lucas Roland, who is the school’s only state champion.