Three area grapplers win titles at Charger Girls Invitational

CHARITON — Colfax-Mingo’s Emma Cook got redemption and Newton’s Kylee Adams looked dominant at her new weight during the Charger Girls Invitational on Saturday.

The Tigerhawks and Cardinals competed in the 19-team field hosted by Chariton and the two Jasper County girls wrestling programs were separated by only five points in the top five.

Colfax-Mingo’s 13 wrestlers produced 124 points in fourth and Newton’s 11 grapplers scored 119 in fifth. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont won the tournament with 231 points, while Ottumwa (176.5) and West Marshall (136) completed the top five.

The rest of the top 10 included Cardinal (113.5), Pekin (101), North Mahaska (99), Sigourney/Keota (85.5) and Knoxville (81).

The Cardinals crowned two champions in Adams and Ella Machin. Adams (15-1) was 3-0 with two major decisions at 105 pounds. Machin (10-2) finished 3-0 with two pins at 170.

Adams, who is ranked fourth in Class 2A at 100, defeated 1A No. 8 Elyssa Graber (23-4) of WACO, 12-1, in the 105 semifinals and then hammered 1A No. 2 Serenity Turner (21-2) of Knoxville, 18-8, in the finals.

The next best finisher for Newton was Stella Cupples, who placed second at 115. Cupples (15-5) was 3-1 with three pins and her lone loss came in the finals against 1A No. 1 Reanah Utterback (19-0) of Sigourney/Keota.

Colfax-Mingo’s Cook, who is ranked sixth in 1A at 235, won her bracket with a 3-0 day. She had two pins and defeated 1A No. 8 Ella Ray (13-3) of EBF, 12-2, in the finals. Ray defeated Cook (24-3) by decision at Saydel on Monday.

Colfax-Mingo’s Emmalyn Buchman also had a big day. She was second at 190 after going 2-1 with two pins.

One of her wins came against 2A No. 7 Ashlyn Van Manen of Newton. Buchman’s only loss was against 1A No. 5 Elizabeth Kalinay (20-3) of West Marshall in the finals.

Hadley Millang, a freshman from PCM, finished third at 145. Millang (26-8) was 4-1 with four pins, while Allison Minteer, Emma Beyer and Devan Chadwick all were fifth at their weights. Brianna Freerksen, Samantha Wheeler and Emily Cook all were sixth at 130, 170 and 235, respectively, and Lily Brenner placed eighth at 140.

Colfax-Mingo did not have 1A No. 6 Lily Webster in the 100-pound bracket due to an illness.

Newton’s Kamiya Lepley was fourth at 155, Jeralys Casanova placed fifth at 130 and Van Manen took sixth at 190. Peyton Hoen and Grace Guy both were eighth at 145 and 170, respectively.

Minteer was 2-2 with two pins at 105 and her two losses came against state-ranked wrestlers.

Chadwick (24-7) was 2-2 at 110, Beyer (10-6) finished 2-2 with one pin at 170 and Freerksen and Samantha Wheeler both were 1-3 at 130 and 170, respectively.

Brenner’s day featured two wins by pin at 140 and Lillie Jones was 1-2 with one pin at 155. Emily Cook was 1-3 and both Jones and Emily Cook’s win was by pin.

Lepley (11-7) won three times by fall at 155, Casanova was 3-2 at 130 and Van Manen (12-5) was 2-3 with two pins at 190. Hoen was 1-2 at 145 and Guy finished 1-3 with one pin at 170.

Colfax-Mingo and Newton faced off against each other multiple times on Saturday.

Newton’s Casanova won 16-6 over C-M’s Freerksen in the fifth-place match at 130 and Newton’s Lepley pinned C-M’s Jones at 155.

Colfax-Mingo’s Brenner pinned Newton’s Naomi Cervantes at 140, C-M’s Beyer pinned Newton’s Guy at 170 and Buchman pinned 2A No. 7 Van Manen at 190.

Beyer and Wheeler both entered the tournament at 170, but Wheeler took a medical forfeit against Beyer when the two teammates were set to face off against each other.