The Fairfield boys wrestling team finished 12th out of 16 teams at the 2025 Bill Van Horn Invitational on Saturday, December 20th, despite being shorthanded. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln claimed the team title with 178.5 points, while the Trojans totaled 85.5 points.
Team Standings
Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln led the field with 178.5 points, followed by Boone (158.5), Marshalltown (157.5), Oskaloosa (140.5), North Mahaska (135), Cedar Rapids Xavier (132.5), Pella (129.5), Newton (123), Ottumwa (100.5), Mason City (91.5), South Tama (91), Fairfield (85.5), Davis County (74), Van Meter (54.5), Knoxville (52.5), and Des Moines Lincoln (14).
Individual Results
Cael McCabe (113) delivered a dominant performance to capture first place in his first meet at his signature 113-pound weight class. Entering as the top seed, McCabe received a first-round bye before winning by fall in 33 seconds in his second match. He followed with a fall at 1:56 in the first period of his third match before claiming the championship with a fall in just 45 seconds. McCabe recorded a trio of first-period falls and didn’t surrender a single point throughout the tournament.
Dain Burkhart (175) took third place after entering as the top seed. Burkhart won by fall in the first period of his opener before recording an 18-2 technical fall in the second period of his second match. In the semifinals, Burkhart suffered an upset loss, falling 4-1 in sudden victory overtime to South Tama’s Marcus Bear. After regulation ended tied at 1-1—with Burkhart earning an escape in the second period and Bear getting an escape in the third—Bear secured a takedown in overtime for the victory. Burkhart bounced back to win the third-place match 14-4 by major decision over second-seeded Lane Rozendaal of Newton.
Kenneth Houston (165) finished sixth after receiving a first-round bye. He lost his second match before winning by fall in the first period of his third match. Houston dropped his next two matches, including the fifth-place bout.
Alex Hudson (215) also took sixth place with a dramatic opening-round victory. Hudson won by fall at 5:59—with just one second remaining in the third period—after trailing 16-13. He lost his second match before winning consecutive matches by fall in 18 seconds and 1:09. Hudson lost his next two matches, including the fifth-place bout, to finish sixth.
Noah Patel (106) placed seventh after opening with a dominant 16-0 technical fall in the second period. He lost his second match before winning by fall in 28 seconds. Patel dropped a close fourth-round match by fall after leading 7-6 in the second period, then won by medical forfeit in his final match.
Jasper Carpenter (132) finished eighth after receiving a first-round bye. He lost his second match, received another bye, then lost by medical forfeit in both his fourth and fifth matches to place eighth.
Aiden Holthus (157) also took eighth place. After a first-round bye, Holthus lost his second match before winning by fall in the first period of his third match. He dropped his next two matches, including the seventh-place bout.
Kohda Higdon (120) went 0-2 and did not place.
The Trojans will look to get healthy and return to full strength when competition resumes after the holiday break.
