Host Pekin finished fourth at the Bill Rex Girls Wrestling Invitational on Friday, December 5th, in a competitive 12-team event. Burlington claimed the team title with 158 points, narrowly edging North Mahaska’s 157 points, while the Panthers finished with 126.5 points.
Team Standings
Burlington topped the field with 158 points, followed by North Mahaska (157), Sigourney-Keota (134), Pekin (126.5), Van Buren County (122.5), Davis County (121), Chariton (89), Fairfield (79), Cardinal (69.5), Lone Tree (60), Washington (51), and Moravia (46).
Pekin Results
The Panthers crowned two champions and earned four additional medals at their home tournament.
Lexa Nelson (110) captured first place, winning her opening match before trailing 3-2 in her second bout but rallying to win. She then defeated Van Buren County’s Brystol Wiley in the final to claim gold.
Hailey Pedrick (145) also earned a championship, winning 5-1 in her semifinal before taking the final 3-1.
Bree Earnest (105) battled to third place after receiving a first-round bye. She defeated Fairfield’s Bekah Zirkle in her second match, dropped her third bout, won her fourth, and then beat Van Buren County’s Mallory Brauns for the bronze medal.
Lila Miller (125) earned second place, receiving a bye before winning back-to-back 3-0 decisions. She fell 17-0 in the final.
Ella Rose (155) took fifth place, losing her second match after a bye but rebounding to defeat Fairfield’s Bailey Belzer. After winning her fourth match and losing her fifth, Rose claimed fifth with a medical forfeit victory.
Carly Clubb (190) and Rylee Frye (235) both finished fourth. Clubb won her opener, lost in the semifinals, beat Van Buren County’s Randi Grimm in the consolation bracket, and fell in the third-place match. Frye lost her opener, received a bye, won by fall despite trailing 9-2, and lost in the third-place bout.
Also competing for Pekin were Alyvia Traner (120), Reece Brisby (130), Zoe Heisdorffer (130), Ivory Small (135), and Brinley Phillips (140).
Coach’s Perspective
Pekin head coach Al Chapman felt his team didn’t bring the necessary intensity to their home tournament.
“I felt that as a team overall, we were not mentally ready to wrestle tonight. When you host a tournament, there should be a sense of urgency to protect your house, and we did not see that from our team overall,” Chapman said. “Giving the girls the weekend off from wrestling, we (coaches) will expect them to take tonight as a learning experience, refocus, pick up the intensity, and get ready to head to Ottumwa on Thursday.”
Despite the overall performance, Chapman praised his two champions.
“Both gold medal winners, Lexa Nelson and Hailey Pedrick, battled back from a short deficit early in their bouts but continued to compete hard, and both placed their opponents on their back for their trip to the top of the podium,” Chapman said.
The Panthers will continue their season with a trip to Ottumwa on Thursday, December 11th against the host Bulldogs, Davis County, and Davenport West.
Photography courtesy of Rylie Nelson.
