Five Mustangs qualify for state wrestling tournament

HUXLEY — Tucker Wheeler and Kaliber Fry both won district championships, three other Mustangs scored a runner-up finish and half of the PCM wrestling team’s lineup clinched state berths on Saturday.

The Mustangs entered 10 wrestlers for the Class 2A District 1 tournament and placed third as a team with 140.5 points. Class 2A No. 6 Mount Vernon was the only team with a full lineup and won the district championship with 233.5 points.

Ballard (169) also finished ahead of PCM in second and the rest of the eight-team field included Oskaloosa (119.5), Van Meter (101.5), Chariton (81.5), Nevada (64.5) and Saydel (21).

“We sent more through than I thought,” said senior Kaden Clark, who was the runner-up at 285 pounds. “I think Tucker, Kaliber and I were locks basically. I was hoping to get a few more through and we did, but there’s a few we also hoped would make it. That stinks for them.”

The top two finishers at each weight in each 2A district advance to the state tournament. The Mustangs were open at 106, 113, 120 and 190.

Fry, who is ranked 12th at 120 pounds, was 2-0 at 126 with one pin and one major decision. He improved to 39-5 and posted his 100th career victory during his path to the district title.

Class 2A No. 9 Wheeler (38-6) scored a win by pin in both of his matches at 157.

The other three state qualifiers are first-timers Bentlee Sloan and Zach Richards and Clark, who advanced to state his freshman season.

Class 2A No. 4 Clark (46-5) was 2-1 with two pins. His only loss came in the finals against second-ranked Ethan Wood of Mount Vernon. Clark led Wood 4-0 after two periods and was up 5-1 with 1 minute to go in the match.

A seven-point move by Wood (46-1) with about 40 seconds to go resulted in a third-period pin. Clark bounced back with a win in a wrestleback match to advance.

“It feels awesome. I kind of shot myself in the foot my sophomore year and then I got hurt last year,” Clark said. “It feels really good to be going back. The goals are going to be met, that’s for sure.”

Three other Mustangs took part in true-second wrestlebacks. Sloan and Richards won theirs to advance, while Harrison Brinegar lost his 14-12 at 150.

Sloan (28-19) advanced to state as a freshman following a 4-1 day with three first-period pins and one technical fall at 132. His only loss was an 11-9 decision, and Sloan ended his wrestleback bout with a pin in 38 seconds.

Richards (25-13) was second at 138 after a 3-1 day that featured one win by pin. One of his other wins was an 11-10 decision and he advanced to state after a 12-6 victory in his wrestleback match.

Brinegar placed third with a 3-2 day and three pins at 150. One of his losses came against No. 2 Mikey Ryan (47-1) of Mount Vernon.

Jeffery McDanel (20-9) also was third at 175. He was 3-1 with two pins and Kaiden Valcore placed fourth at 215. Valcore was 2-2 with two pins.

PCM’s other wrestlers were Easton Morris and Landon Siedlecki. Morris was 1-2 at 144 and Siedlecki finished 0-2 at 165.

Richards’ loss at districts came against No. 9 Jacob Harrison (38-7) of Ballard. That’s who Richards drew as his first-round opponent at the state tournament. The winner of that match faces No. 8 Will Larson (30-13) of Decorah in the second round.

Fry opens his state tournament against Estherville Lincoln Central’s Brody Olson (37-11). Fourth-ranked Kaydin Jones (43-6) of Union Community awaits the winner in the second round.

Sloan faces Independence’s Remy Ressler (36-16) in the first round and No. 11 Kaiden Parker (34-6) of Oskaloosa gets the winner in Round 2.

Wheeler received a first-round bye and will take on either Carroll’s Owen Klocke (29-10) or Center Point-Urbana’s Aiden Ortega (23-13) in the second round.

Clark gets Woodward-Granger’s Alexander Kasner (32-21) in the first round and that winner faces Albia’s Nate Ballard (25-6) in the second round.