The Fairfield Trojans wrestling team competed at the 2026 Mike Halupnick Big Red Invite on Saturday, January 17th, finishing fourth out of 14 teams with 263 points in a tournament packed with action and individual success.
Team Standings
- Oskaloosa – 362.5
- Columbus/WMU – 295.5
- Moravia – 266
- Fairfield – 263
- Montezuma – 252
- Centerville – 237.5
- Knoxville – 223.5
- Van Buren County – 216
- Burlington – 204.5
- Wayne – 177.5
- Davis County – 175
- Mediapolis – 131
- Lynville-Sully – 120.5
- Cardinal – 92
Individual Results
106 lbs – Noah Patel (4th seed) – 4th Place
Patel fought through a challenging bracket, going 2-3 on the day. He opened with a first-period pin at 1:22 after securing a takedown and nearfall points. After a bye in round two, he suffered a first-period fall at 1:53 in round three before bouncing back with another quick pin at 1:16 in round four. A heartbreaking 7-6 decision loss in round five was followed by a tech fall defeat in round six (19-4 at 5:48 in the third period), securing fourth place.
120 lbs – Kohda Higdon (3rd seed) – 5th Place
Despite his third seed, Higdon struggled through a difficult day, going 0-3. He fell in just 40 seconds in round one, suffered a 16-2 major decision in round three, and lost by fall at 1:33 in the first period of round five. With byes in rounds two, five, and six, he finished in fifth place.
126 lbs – Hayden Bowman (8th seed) – 5th Place
Bowman showed resilience with a 2-2 record. After dropping his opening match by fall at 1:21, he recorded a huge upset in round two, pinning fourth-seeded Sawyer Spiker of Van Buren County at 3:03 in the second period. Following a decision loss 21-14 in round four, Bowman dominated the consolation finals with a 15-4 major decision over Spiker again to claim fifth place.
132 lbs – Jasper Carpenter (7th seed) – 5th Place
Carpenter earned fifth place with a 3-2 record featuring clutch performances. After a first-round bye, he rallied from a 3-2 deficit to pin his opponent at 3:40 in the second period. Despite losses by major decision (13-2) and fall (3:22 in the second period) in rounds three and four, he closed strong with two first-period pins—at 1:41 over sixth-seeded Kinnick Griffiths of Cardinal and at 1:46 over fourth-seeded Wylle Walters of Montezuma for fifth place.
138 lbs – Ezekiel Moore (8th seed) – 7th Place
Moore’s tournament was challenging, finishing 1-3 with two byes. He lost by falls at 1:07 in round three and 51 seconds in round five, and by tech fall (18-3 at 3:23 in the second period) in round four. He salvaged seventh place with a first-period pin at 1:21 in his final match.
150 lbs – Dusty Haynes (8th seed) – 5th Place
Haynes battled to a 2-2 record and fifth place. After quick falls against him at 27 seconds and 1:04 in rounds two and four, he showed his toughness with comeback wins. He trailed 6-5 before pinning his opponent at 2:59 in the second period during round five, then secured fifth place with another second-period pin at 3:29.
157 lbs – Aiden Holthus (10th seed) – 6th Place
Holthus posted a 2-3 record with some impressive moments. His tournament started with a dramatic comeback—trailing 3-2, he got a reversal and pinned seventh-seeded Leo Coroana of Columbus/WMU within seven seconds at the 2:00 mark of the first period. After two losses by fall, he pulled off a stunning upset in round five, pinning third-seeded Aaren Staton of Knoxville in just 43 seconds. He fell by pin at 1:34 in his final match.
165 lbs – Calvin McClain (7th seed) – 4th Place
McClain delivered one of Fairfield’s most exciting performances, going 3-3 with multiple upsets. After a 17-1 tech fall loss in round one, he shocked third-seeded Blake Ewing of Moravia with a first-period pin at 1:51 from a 9-9 tie. He followed up by upsetting sixth-seeded Jackson Clarke at 1:21 and dominated his round four opponent with a 28-second pin. Two losses by fall in rounds five and six left him in fourth place.
175 lbs – Dain Burkhart (3rd seed) – 3rd Place
Burkhart had a strong tournament, finishing 4-1. After a first-round bye, he dominated with a first-period pin at 1:39 after jumping out to a 15-2 lead. He followed with a 13-2 major decision and another first-period pin at 1:44. His only loss came in a close 10-7 decision to conference opponent and second-seeded Adrian Perez-Hall of Burlington in round five. He bounced back to claim third place with a third-period pin at 4:55.
190 lbs – Alex Hudson (5th seed) – 4th Place
Hudson started hot, going 3-0 before dropping his final two matches. He recorded lightning-quick pins at 16 and 25 seconds in his first two matches, then won by medical forfeit in round four. He fell by pin at 50 seconds in round five and 22 seconds in round six to finish fourth.
215 lbs – Sebastian Ftwi (15th seed) – 6th Place
As the tournament’s 15th seed, Ftwi exceeded expectations with a 2-3 record. After a first-period loss at 1:27, he pinned 10th-seeded Ryder Simmons of Van Buren County in 47 seconds during round three. Following another quick loss at 24 seconds, he pulled off a major upset in round five, defeating sixth-seeded Victor Milder of Davis County 15-9 by decision. A second-period fall at 4:00 in round six left him in sixth place.
Tournament Recap
Fairfield showcased depth and determination throughout the invite, with multiple wrestlers recording upsets and comebacks. The Trojans accumulated a lot of wins and action-packed matches, demonstrating their competitiveness in a strong field.
The team will return to action on Thursday, January 22nd, hosting Mount Pleasant for a conference dual meet.
