The Fairfield wrestling teams traveled to Wapello on Tuesday, January 6th for a quadrangular meet against the host Indians and Arrows, North Mahaska (boys are ranked fourth in Class 1A), and Louisa-Muscatine. Both the boys and girls squads competed in three dual meets throughout the evening, with mixed results as they continue preparing for the postseason.
Girls Wrestling Results
Fairfield 18, Louisa-Muscatine 57
The evening opened with Fairfield facing Louisa-Muscatine. At 100 pounds, Grace Keltner of Louisa-Muscatine defeated June Connor by fall in the second period. Kensley Fligg turned the tables at 115 pounds, pinning Avery McNutt-Fox in just 43 seconds. The 145-pound match proved to be a battle, with Isabella Moedano edging Aislinn Wise in a tough 10-9 decision. Samantha Lyons gave Fairfield another victory at 170 pounds with a first-period pin over Kiersyn Duncombe, and Kendra Allison secured a forfeit win at 235 pounds.
Fairfield 12, North Mahaska 38
In the second dual, North Mahaska’s Addison Terpstra pinned June Connor in the second period at 100 pounds. Kaylia Shipman defeated Kensley Fligg by technical fall in the second period at 115 pounds, and Serenity Van Wyk earned a decision victory over Aislinn Wise at 145 pounds. Samantha Lyons picked up a forfeit win at 170 pounds, while Kendra Allison recorded a second-period fall over MaKenna Darland at 235 pounds.
Fairfield 18, Wapello 39
The night concluded with Fairfield taking on host Wapello. June Connor earned a forfeit victory at 100 pounds, but Clara Ball answered for Wapello with a 6-2 decision over Kensley Fligg at 115 pounds. Aislinn Wise picked up a forfeit win at 145 pounds before Jenna Jones defeated Samantha Lyons by injury at 170 pounds. Kendra Allison capped the dual with a first-period pin of Reese Connolly at 235 pounds.
Boys Wrestling Results
Fairfield 18, Louisa-Muscatine 65
The boys team faced a challenging foe in Louisa-Muscatine. Christian Demayo opened with a technical fall victory over Noah Patel in the third period at 106 pounds. Cael McCabe provided Fairfield’s first points with a first-period pin of Zach Johnson at 113 pounds. However, Louisa-Muscatine dominated the middle weights. Bo Hake pinned Kohda Higdon in the first period at 120 pounds, Walker Riggan defeated Hayden Bowman by first-period fall at 126 pounds, and Sedric Lamb pinned Aaron Wellnitz in the first period at 132 pounds.
The streak continued as Eddie Hoopes pinned Ezekiel Moore in the first period at 138 pounds, Hayden Riggan defeated River Fulton by first-period fall at 144 pounds, and Jaxson Wedekind pinned Dusty Haynes in the second period at 150 pounds. Ace Swaink and Owen Pugh added first-period pins over Aiden Holthus and Kenneth Houston at 157 and 165 pounds respectively.
Fairfield’s upper weights provided some resistance. Dain Burkhart earned a first-period fall over Kolton Brockert at 175 pounds, and Alex Hudson delivered an impressive 19-second pin of Owen Stumbo at 190 pounds. Mavorik Ossian took a forfeit at 215 pounds for Louisa-Muscatine, and Hayden Cantrell finished the dual with a first-period pin of Jo Jo Childs at 285 pounds.
Fairfield 30, North Mahaska 52
Against fourth-ranked North Mahaska, Cooper Sampson opened with a technical fall over Noah Patel in the third period at 106 pounds. Fairfield responded with three consecutive forfeit victories: Cael McCabe at 113 pounds, Kohda Higdon at 120 pounds, and Hayden Bowman at 126 pounds.
Cooper Scholtus stopped the run with a first-period pin of Aaron Wellnitz at 132 pounds, but Ezekiel Moore answered with a first-period fall over Jeremiah Bundy at 138 pounds. North Mahaska then won four straight matches. Luke Reed pinned River Fulton in the first period at 144 pounds, Aydan Groom defeated Dusty Haynes by first-period fall at 150 pounds, Gage Ries pinned Aiden Holthus in the first period at 157 pounds, and Ryan Groom defeated Kenneth Houston by first-period fall at 165 pounds.
Dain Burkhart picked up a second-period pin over Max Reed at 175 pounds for Fairfield. Chance Angle earned a technical fall victory over Alex Hudson in the second period at 190 pounds, Noah Schock took a forfeit at 215 pounds, and Hunter Brisel finished the dual with a first-period pin of Jo Jo Childs at 285 pounds.
Fairfield 45, Wapello 27
The Trojans finished the evening on a high note with a victory over host Wapello. Noah Patel, Cael McCabe, and Kohda Higdon all earned forfeit wins at 106, 113, and 120 pounds respectively. Hunter Bowman extended the lead with a first-period pin of Cully Fry at 126 pounds.
Sam Boysen stopped Fairfield’s momentum with a third-period pin of Aaron Wellnitz at 132 pounds, but Ezekiel Moore secured a forfeit victory at 138 pounds. Draysin Crow pinned River Fulton in the first period at 144 pounds before Dusty Haynes responded with a 9-4 decision over Jordan Chamberlin at 150 pounds.
Cohen Wolford defeated Aiden Holthus by first-period fall at 157 pounds, and Max Dopler edged Kenneth Houston in dramatic fashion at 165 pounds, winning by tiebreaker in the first sudden-victory overtime period, 14-12. Dain Burkhart added a second-period pin of Jett Malcom at 175 pounds, and Alex Hudson delivered another lightning-quick fall, pinning Holden Helmig in just 27 seconds at 190 pounds. Grayson Nagle closed out the dual with a first-period pin of Jo Jo Childs at 285 pounds.
Coach’s Perspective
Fairfield wrestling coach Dane Kool offered his assessment of both teams’ performances.
On the boys team’s progression throughout the night:
“The first two duals did not look good. The team came out flat and left the offense to the opponents. They bounced back in the third dual with some great offense and execution.”
Regarding the significance of competing at Wapello, where the girls will return for state qualifying on January 30th:
“I think any time you compete somewhere it helps you settle in better the next time you’re there; it eliminates some of the curiosity and you can get down to business.”
On the girl’s team overall performance:
“The girls are wrestling with confidence and having fun. They looked good Tuesday night, but there’s still plenty to clean up before the postseason.”
Coach Kool also addressed Samantha Lyons’ first loss of the season in the Wapello match, which came by injury default:
“Sam was in deep on a single leg and lifted the opponent off her feet. When that happens, Sam has an obligation to return the opponent to the mat in a way that doesn’t intentionally inflict injury. These calls are based on the referee’s decision of a safe return; they can be subjective. If the opponent cannot continue to compete, and the referee had called it illegal when it happened, the aggressor, Sam in this case, is disqualified.”
Photography courtesy of Rylie Nelson.
