The Fairfield wrestling teams celebrated Senior Night in style on Thursday, January 22nd, with both the girls and boys squads defeating Mount Pleasant in conference duals at Dan Breen Gymnasium. The evening honored nine senior wrestlers and three senior cheerleaders performing in their final home matches.
Senior Recognition
The night began with recognition for the seniors who have dedicated years to the Fairfield wrestling program. Girls seniors Kendra Allison and Bailey Belzer were honored, along with boys seniors Hayden Bowman, Dain Burkhart, Sebastian Ftwi, Kenneth Houston, Cael McCabe, Calvin McClain, and Angel Quimby. Senior cheerleaders Emma Grace Crandall, Bailey Tucker, and Savannah Roll were also recognized for their contributions to the program.
Girls Results: Fairfield 30, Mount Pleasant 30 (Fairfield wins tiebreaker)
In a dramatic finish, the Fairfield girls defeated Mount Pleasant by tiebreaker after the teams finished regulation tied 30-30. The tiebreaker came down to first points scored, with Fairfield earning their first points via a three-point takedown compared to Mount Pleasant’s one-point escape, giving the Trojans the victory.
June Connor earned a forfeit win at 105 pounds, and Bekah Zirkle added another forfeit at 110 pounds. At 115 pounds, Paris Phosy of Mount Pleasant defeated Kensley Fligg by fall at 5:54 in the third period. The match was tied 0-0 after the first period, with Phosy gaining a slight 4-1 lead after the second before taking Fligg down in the final seconds of the third period for the pin.
Mount Pleasant received forfeit wins at 120, 125, 130, and 135 pounds. Fairfield’s Aislinn Wise and Bailey Belzer did not wrestle in the dual.
Sam Lyons received a forfeit win at 170 pounds, and Reyna Gonzalez Jimenez earned a forfeit at 190 pounds, setting up a crucial 235-pound bout with Fairfield trailing 30-24.
Senior Kendra Allison delivered when it mattered most, pinning Mount Pleasant’s Courtney Smith at 2:20 in the second period to tie the match at 30-30. Allison was dominant from the start, building a 7-0 lead with a takedown and nearfall that wasn’t called a pin. Smith battled back to cut the deficit to 9-4 at the end of the first period, but Allison took care of business in the second period to secure the pin. The victory was especially sweet for Allison, who had previously faced Smith at the Keokuk Girls Invitational Tournament where Allison led 4-2 before Smith pinned her in the second period.
The girls victory improved Fairfield’s conference record to 2-2.
Boys Results: Fairfield 45, Mount Pleasant 36
The Trojan boys secured a 45-36 victory over the Panthers behind strong performances throughout the lineup.
Noah Patel opened the dual with a first-period pin over Aven Beauchamp at 1:41 at 106 pounds, showing control throughout. Quinn Settles earned a forfeit win at 113 pounds. Senior Cael McCabe continued the momentum at 120 pounds, pinning Simeon English in just 48 seconds while maintaining control from start to finish. At 126 pounds, Levi Evans of Mount Pleasant defeated senior Hayden Bowman by first-period fall at 46 seconds.
Freshman Jasper Carpenter delivered one of the night’s most impressive performances at 132 pounds, defeating senior Lane Beckler of Mount Pleasant by decision 11-9. Carpenter showed amazing perseverance early on, avoiding being pinned when he was close and trailing 7-0 after the first period. Starting the second period, he scored a three-point takedown but was reversed quickly to fall behind 9-3. Carpenter rallied at the end of the second period to gain an 11-9 advantage with two nearfalls and nearly pinned Beckler before time expired. He rode Beckler the entire third period, preventing any scoring opportunities to secure the victory.
Charlie Bohnenkamp of Mount Pleasant pinned Aaron Wellnitz at 2:00 in the first period at 144 pounds, despite Wellnitz jumping out to an 11-0 lead with a takedown and two nearfalls. Dusty Haynes answered for Fairfield at 150 pounds, pinning Landon Yocum in 46 seconds of the first period.
Ramzy Davis of Mount Pleasant defeated Aiden Holthus by second-period fall at 3:23 at 157 pounds. At 165 pounds, Jackson Newman of Mount Pleasant pinned senior Kenneth Houston at 1:25 in the first period. Senior Dain Burkhart received a forfeit win at 175 pounds.
Senior Calvin McClain made quick work of Ethan Peck at 190 pounds, earning a pin in just 38 seconds. Alex Hudson clinched the team victory at 215 pounds with the quickest pin of the night at 25 seconds over Owen Ferch. With the score 39-30, Hudson’s victory ensured Mount Pleasant could not come back to win the dual.
At 285 pounds, Juan Lopez of Mount Pleasant defeated senior Sebastian Ftwi by third-period fall at 5:18. Ftwi, who weighed in at 215 pounds, faced a significant weight disadvantage but fought hard throughout. He trailed 3-1 after the first period and 5-1 after the second before Lopez secured the pin in the third.
The boys victory improved Fairfield’s conference record to 3-1.
Coach’s Perspective
Fairfield wrestling coach Dane Kool praised both teams’ efforts on Senior Night:
“Everybody showed up tonight ready to wrestle. Even in the matches we lost, we looked tough and fought hard until the end, boys and girls both.”
Kool highlighted the seniors’ leadership and impact:
“The seniors led the charge tonight. Kendra beat a girl she had previously lost to. She was focused and determined when she walked onto the mat, and she had a huge smile when she walked off. She dominated her way through the first period and sealed it with a pin. On the boys side, all the seniors represented well. The intensity and energy was contagious and the team fed off each other to get the win.”
Kool also singled out freshman Jasper Carpenter’s impressive comeback victory:
“Jasper Carpenter went down early in the match and it looked like the other kid had the upper hand. Jasper wrestled under control and fought his way back. He scored some really important back points in the second period and put a really tough ride on his guy in the third to win by two. It was a very well wrestled match, maybe his best this year.”
Looking Ahead
Both squads will return to action on Saturday, January 24th, weather permitting. The girls will compete at the Louisa-Muscatine Girls Invite, an 18-team tournament beginning at 11:00 a.m. The boys will travel to Williamsburg for the Raider Round Robin Invitational, a seven-team tournament that will also feature Mount Pleasant, starting at 10:00 a.m.
