The Pekin girls wrestling team finished fourth out of 20 teams at the Chariton Girls Invite on Saturday, December 20th, with two champions leading the way. The meet was filled with excitement and upsets all around. Ottumwa claimed the team title with 206.5 points, while the Panthers totaled 122.5 points.
Team Standings
Ottumwa led the field with 206.5 points, followed by EBF (151), Clarinda (124.5), Pekin (122.5), West Marshall (116.5), Knoxville (115), Davis County (105.5), Sigourney-Keota (104), Colfax-Mingo (102), North Mahaska (96.5), Newton (70.5), Clarke (68), Chariton (60), Cardinal (50), Wapello (45.5), Indianola (36), Centerville (33), WACO (12), Mediapolis (5), and Keokuk (0).
Individual Results
Lexa Nelson (110) entered as the top seed in her bracket and showed why as she delivered a dominant performance to capture first place. She won by fall in just 10 seconds in her opening match after a 3-point takedown, then won by fall in 14 seconds in her second match, also off a 3-point takedown. In the semifinals, Nelson defeated Davis County’s Bradi Houston by fall in the second period after trailing 3-4, escaping and taking her opponent down. In the championship match, Nelson showcased absolute dominance with a 17-1 technical fall in the second period, recording three takedowns and two nearfalls.
Hailey Pedrick (145) earned first place without surrendering a single point across three matches as the top seed as well. After receiving a first-round bye, Pedrick won by fall in 34 seconds after building a 7-0 lead. She continued her dominance with a fall in the second period of her semifinal before claiming the championship with a fall in 1:03 after establishing a 6-0 advantage.
Rylee Frye (190) took second place after receiving a first-round bye. She won by fall in the second period of her second match, then rallied from a 6-2 deficit to win by fall in the second period of her semifinal before falling in the championship match.
Lila Miller (125) battled to third place with an impressive tournament run. She won by fall after trailing 2-3 in her opener, then won by fall after being down 2-4 in her second match. After losing her third match, Miller rebounded with a fall in just 43 seconds before winning by medical forfeit to claim bronze.
Ivory Small (135) also showed resilience throughout the tournament. After losing her opener, Small won by fall after trailing 2-3 in her second match. She dominated her third match 10-2 before securing a fall in the second period, then won by fall in just 31 seconds in her fourth match.
Alyvia Traner (115) went 2-2 on the day, losing her opener before winning consecutive matches by fall in the first period at exactly 1:28 in both bouts. She lost her fourth match.
Autumn Coleman (120) finished 1-2, losing her opener before winning by fall in the first period of her second match, then dropping her third match.
Ella Rose (155) went 1-2, winning in the third period by fall after building an 11-9 lead. She lost her second match before falling in a hard-fought third-period match 14-12.
Carly Clubb (190) lost her opening match and received byes in her remaining matches, leaving her with no one else to wrestle in the consolation bracket.
Bree Earnest (110) was forced to withdraw due to stomach issues, losing by medical forfeit.
Tournament Upsets
The 20-team tournament delivered several notable upsets across multiple weight classes, highlighted by a shocking result at 115 pounds. Ottumwa’s Jordin Mayson, the fourth seed in the bracket, put together an impressive run by knocking off both top-seeded Cadence Christensen of EBF and second-seeded Serenity Turner of Knoxville in the championship match. Christensen, a nationally ranked wrestler, entered the tournament undefeated, making Mayson’s victory one of the biggest surprises of the day.
Additional upsets followed throughout the tournament. At 115 pounds, Newton’s Kylee Adams defeated Clara Ball of Wapello, while at 120 pounds, Newton’s Haylee Adams made waves as the 15th seed by eliminating second-seeded Kaylia Shipman of North Mahaska in the opening round. Adams went on to finish fourth. Another standout moment came at 135 pounds, where Clarinda’s Lily Weinreich upset top-seeded Miley Kirkpatrick of EBF in the championship match.
Coach’s Perspective
Pekin head coach Al Chapman was pleased with his team’s effort in the competitive tournament.
“Overall, our team battled well at a tough tournament. We still need to concentrate on improving for the final stretch after the Christmas break,” Chapman said.
The Panthers will look to build on their fourth-place finish when competition resumes on Monday, December 22nd in Ottumwa with a rescheduled meet that was supposed to occur earlier this month.
Photography courtesy of Rylie Nelson.
