Fairfield’s boys and girls wrestling teams traveled to separate invitational tournaments on Saturday, January 24th, with both squads showcasing competitive performances across multiple weight classes.
Boys Wrestling at Williamsburg Raider Round Robin
The Fairfield boys placed sixth out of seven teams at the Raider Round Robin Invitational in Williamsburg. Host Williamsburg took the team title with 225.5 points, followed by Western Dubuque (208) and Pella (191.5). Fairfield finished with 96 points.
Complete team standings:
- Williamsburg – 225.5
- Western Dubuque – 208
- Pella – 191.5
- Grinnell – 130.5
- Crestwood – 128.5
- Fairfield – 96
- Mount Pleasant – 79.5
Individual Performances
Dain Burkhart (175 lbs) led the Trojans with a dominant first-place finish. The top-seeded wrestler won all five of his matches, posting victories that included a first-period fall after building a 16-5 lead, a second-period fall after jumping ahead 17-1, and a technical fall victory of 18-3. He capped his championship run with a hard-fought 6-3 decision in the seventh round.
Cael McCabe (113 lbs), seeded second, earned runner-up honors after a strong tournament. He won his first three matches by fall, all in the first period, with times of 1:33, 27 seconds, and 1:15. In the championship round, he faced top-seeded Riker DeWitt of Williamsburg and fell by decision 7-1 to claim second place.
Hayden Bowman (126 lbs), seeded fourth, secured fourth place with a 2-3 record. After dropping his opening match by fall, Bowman rebounded with a first-period fall after building a 7-0 lead (1:56) and a second-period fall (3:23). He lost his final match by technical fall 15-0 in the second period to finish fourth.
Kohda Higdon (120 lbs), seeded sixth, battled through a challenging bracket to claim fifth place. After losing three straight matches, Higdon finished strong by defeating fifth-seed Cole Terlouw of Pella with a technical fall 15-0 in the third period (4:20) to secure fifth place.
Dusty Haynes (150 lbs), seeded sixth, also placed fifth in a competitive weight class. In a particularly tough second-round match, Haynes held a commanding 14-4 lead over top-seed Peyton Thede of Williamsburg before falling by pin in the third period (4:43). He bounced back with a second-period fall after building a 10-0 lead and won his final match by medical forfeit to take fifth.
Aiden Holthus (157 lbs), seeded fifth, took fifth place with a 1-4 record. His highlight came in round six when he pinned fourth-seed Quintin Scott of Pella in the first period (1:47).
Jasper Carpenter (132 lbs), seeded fifth, finished sixth with a 1-5 record. His lone victory came in the seventh round with a first-period fall (1:49).
Quinn Settles (106 lbs), seeded sixth, placed sixth after going 0-5 in the tournament. All five of his losses came by fall in the first period.
Calvin McClain (190 lbs), seeded sixth, finished sixth with a 1-4 record. His victory came by medical forfeit in round six.
Alex Hudson (215 lbs), seeded third, placed sixth after winning his opening match by first-period fall (1:14) but then suffering three consecutive losses by medical forfeit after dropping two matches by fall.
Sebastian Ftwi (285 lbs), seeded sixth, went 0-5 and placed sixth. He lost four matches by fall and one by decision (8-4) in round three.
Girls Wrestling at Louisa-Muscatine Tournament
The Fairfield girls finished eighth out of 17 teams at the Louisa-Muscatine Girls Wrestling Tournament with 77 points. Burlington claimed the team championship with 215 points, followed by Bettendorf (172) and Clinton (149).
Complete team standings:
- Burlington – 215
- Bettendorf – 172
- Clinton – 149
- Muscatine – 127
- North Scott – 109.5
- Louisa-Muscatine – 94
- Davis County – 87.5
- Fairfield – 77
- Wapello – 74
- Washington – 67.5
- Mediapolis – 49.5
- Assumption – 41
- English Valleys – 32
- Keokuk – 25
- Van Buren County – 22
- WACO – 22
- Columbus/WMU – 9
Individual Performances
Sam Lyons (170 lbs) delivered a flawless performance, earning first place without surrendering a single point. The top-seeded wrestler won both her matches by fall in the first period, defeating her opponents in 1:18 and 57 seconds respectively to claim the championship.
June Connor (100 lbs), seeded fifth, overcame an early setback to claim third place in an impressive showing. After losing her opening match by fall in 54 seconds to 12th-seeded Molly Kennis of Bettendorf, Connor won four consecutive matches—all by fall with times of 54 seconds, 1:02, 2:40 (second period), and 1:57. In a remarkable turnaround, she defeated Kennis in their rematch during round five and didn’t allow a single point in her final four matches, finishing with a 4-1 record.
Kendra Allison (235 lbs), seeded second, placed second after winning her first two matches by fall—one in 1:03 and another in the second period (3:42)—before dropping the championship match by fall in 40 seconds of the first period.
Kensley Fligg (115 lbs), seeded eighth, split her four matches with a 2-2 record. She won her opening match by fall in the second period (3:39) after building a 7-1 lead, then added another first-period fall victory (1:16). Her two losses came by first-period fall (55 seconds) and by decision (10-5).
Bekah Zirkle (105 lbs), seeded ninth, competed in four rounds and finished with a 1-2 record. She earned one victory by fall in the first period (27 seconds), while her two losses came by fall in 1:17 and 1:36.
Both Fairfield wrestling programs will look to build on this weekend’s performances as the season continues.
Photography courtesy of the Fairfield Trojan Boosters.
