The Fairfield wrestling teams hosted conference opponent Keokuk on Thursday, January 8th, with both the girls and boys squads earning victories. The girls secured their first conference dual win of the season while the boys improved to 2-0 in conference competition.
Girls Wrestling: Fairfield 30, Keokuk 6
Keokuk arrived short-handed with only two wrestlers, leading to multiple forfeits throughout the dual. Despite the limited action, the matches that did occur provided plenty of drama and competitive wrestling.
At 105 pounds, Ashley Houston of Keokuk faced June Connor in the most competitive match of the evening. Connor dominated early, building an 11-2 lead after the first period and extending it to 15-2. However, in a dramatic turn of events, Houston caught Connor in a scramble, secured a reversal, and pinned her at the 2:48 mark of the second period.
Kensley Fligg earned a forfeit victory at 120 pounds before Aislinn Wise took the mat at 145 pounds against Niamonnie Wadena. The two wrestlers were already familiar with each other, having met just days earlier at the Keokuk Girls Wrestling Invitational on Saturday, January 3rd, where Wise won by fall in 41 seconds. This time, Wise built a 7-0 lead and finished the match on the winning side again, pinning Wadena in 1:21 of the first period.
Bailey Belzer at 155 pounds, Sam Lyons at 170 pounds, and Kendra Allison at 235 pounds all collected forfeit victories to close out the dual.
With the victory, Fairfield’s girls improve to 1-1 in conference dual competition, earning their first conference win of the season.
Boys Wrestling: Fairfield 60, Keokuk 18
Noah Patel set the tone immediately at 106 pounds, pinning Conner Derr in just 18 seconds of the first period. Quinn Settles received a forfeit at 113 pounds before Cael McCabe put on a clinic at 120 pounds. Wrestling up from his signature 113-pound weight class, McCabe still looked dominant, building a 7-2 lead before pinning Ashton Droege at 1:21 of the first period. Kohda Higdon continued the momentum at 126 pounds, securing a takedown and pinning Jaxtin Tibbits at 1:25 of the first period.
Keokuk responded with three consecutive victories. Camden Briggs defeated Aaron Wellnitz by fall at 3:16 of the second period at 132 pounds. Jackson Bair pinned Ezekiel Moore at 1:53 of the first period at 138 pounds, and Xavier Nelson defeated Jensen VanSike by first-period fall at 1:31 at 144 pounds.
The 150-pound match between Dusty Haynes and Gavin LeMaster proved to be the match of the night. The bout started slowly, with over a minute and twenty seconds passing without a single point scored. Haynes found himself trailing 3-1 after the first period and 5-4 after the second. The deficit grew to 10-5 during the third period, but Haynes mounted a remarkable comeback. He engineered an 8-point dominant swing to take a 13-10 lead and held on for the decision victory in what was easily the most exciting match of the evening.
Aiden Holthus delivered a buzzer-beater at 157 pounds, maintaining full control throughout the match before pinning Luke Ames exactly at the 2:00 mark as the first period ended. Kenneth Houston battled at 165 pounds against Brenden McLeod, trailing 3-0 after the first period before surging to a 9-3 lead after the second. Houston maintained control in the third period, winning by decision with a final score of 11-6.
Dain Burkhart dominated at 175 pounds, building a 7-0 lead before pinning Cayden Brewer at 1:09 of the first period. Alex Hudson at 190 pounds, Sebastian Ftwi at 215 pounds, and Jo Jo Childs at 285 pounds all earned forfeit victories to close out the dual.
The victory improves Fairfield’s boys team to 2-0 in conference dual competition.
Coach’s Perspective
Fairfield wrestling coach Dane Kool was pleased with both teams’ performances and the momentum they’re building heading into a busy weekend.
On the girls team’s performance:
“The girls wrestled only two matches and went 1-1. June Connor had a nice lead and got caught in a scramble turned reversal and pinned. Aislinn Wise put a nice pinning combination on her opponent and got a first period pin. Nice dual win for the girls.”
On the boys team carrying momentum from earlier in the week:
“The boys carried the momentum from their third match Tuesday into tonight. We came out aggressive and determined to find our offense first. We won a few of the matches that could have gone either way, and took care of business. We have to keep it going this weekend as we attend three different tournaments for boys, girls, and JV boys.”
Looking Ahead
Both Fairfield wrestling teams face busy schedules in the coming days. The girls will be back in action on Saturday, January 10th at the North Mahaska Invitational beginning at 9:30 a.m.
The boys team has an even quicker turnaround, competing at the Ottumwa Wrestling Invitational beginning Friday, January 9th at 4 p.m. The tournament will continue into Saturday, January 10th at 9 a.m.
With conference wins secured and momentum building, the Trojans will look to continue their strong performances as they head into the heart of the season and move closer to postseason competition.
