Eight Viking grapplers finished in the top 20 of the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook tournament held in Coralville over the weekend, including a runner-up spot for Tommy Sexton.
As a team, the Decorah boys’ wrestling team finished in 25th place with 135.5 points. Class 3A No. 2 Bettendorf was crowned the champion with 366.5 points.
Sexton, a junior, received a first-round bye at 190 pounds. In his first mat action the Class 2A No. 3 grappler scored a 13-2 major decision victory over Hortonville’s Brock Schmidt. In the quarterfinal, Sexton defeated Levi Mechtel of Shakopee in another major decision, this time by a 13-3 score. The Viking secured a spot in the finals with an 8-5 victory over Class 3A No. 3 Abe Parker of Waukee Northwest in the semifinal match. After winning three matches to get in the finals, Sexton couldn’t stay on his feet as Class 3A No. 2 Brayden Koester of Bettendorf got the Viking turned in 3:54, handing the Decorah grappler silver.
At 165 pounds, Bill Fullhart also scored a top 10 finish as he is currently ranked ninth in Class 2A at 157 pounds. The sophomore threw Anthony Haddad of Marmion Academy in 2:51 in round one before falling to Luke Hamiti of Joliet Catholic Academy by a 12-7 decision. The sophomore rebounded in the consolation bracket with a fall over Lucas Bittman of Huntley and a sudden victory over Joe Novera of Creighton Preparatory School. In the ninth place match, Fullhart came up short by an 11-8 decision to Merrik Murray of Staley to take home 10th place.
Other place winners for the Vikings in the top 20 included Kelton Casterton (113 lbs., 12th place), Gavin Knutson (132 lbs., 13th), Meison Tollefson (106 lbs., 15th), Ethan Kuennen (215 lbs., 16th), Kasen Tyler (144 lbs., 18th) and Michael Clement (126 lbs., 20th).
Dan Gable Donnybrook team scores (Top 10 plus Decorah)
1. Bettendorf 366.5; 2. Staley 352; 3. Don Bosco 332.5; 4. Joliet (Catholic) 326.5; 5. Waukee Northwest; 6. Freedom 263.5; 7. Creighton Prep 263; 8. Waverly-Shell Rock 262.5; 9. Shakopee 257; 10. Albert Lea Area 243.5; 25. Decorah 135.5
Individual results
106 – Meison Tollefson, 15th place
Prelim – WBF in 0:42 over Ashton Landherr (Linn-Mar); Rd. 1 – WBF in 0:35 over Jaden Bradley (DeKalb); Rd. 2 – lost 15-8 dec. to Kane Robles (Joliet); Cons. rd. 2 – lost 17-2 tech fall to Preston Morrison (Marmion); Cons. rd. 3 – lost 19-4 tech fall to Joshua Hopkins (Staley); 15th place match – WBF in 4:15 over Diego Martinez (Woodstock)
113 – Kelton Casterton, 12th place
Rd. 1 – won 19-3 tech fall over Ayden Tyznik (Medford); Rd. 2 – LBF in 0:46 to Benjamin Walsh (Ankeny); Cons. rd. 2 – WBF in 2:32 over Gunner Dahms (Staley); Cons. rd. 3 – lost 21-4 tech fall to Landon Gottschalk (Bettendorf); 11th place match – lost 12-2 maj. dec. to Wyatt Ford (Odessa)
126 – Michael Clement, 20th place
Rd. 1 – lost 5-0 dec. to Isaac Mayora (Lombard); Cons. rd. 1 – won 17-1 tech fall over Rylan Sidzyik (Creighton Prep); Cons. rd. 2 – won 8-7 dec. over Matthew Tran (IC West); Cons. rd. 3 – LBF in 1:52 to Talas Zimmerman (W-SR); 19th place match – lost 9-0 maj. dec. to Matthew Laird (Joliet)
132 – Gavin Knutson, 13th place
Rd. 1 – won 11-10 dec. over Caiden Selof (New Lenox); Rd. 2 – LBF in 2:53 to Easton Jorgenson (W-SR); Cons. rd. 2 – lost 8-2 dec. to Grayson Garcia (Marmion); Cons. rd. 3 – WBF in 0:45 over Ben Spalla (Wilmot Union); 13th place match – WBF in 0:34 over Andrew Roskosh (Apple Valley)
138 – Kash Turner, DNP
Rd. 1 – lost 7-0 dec. to AJ Ward (Basehor-Linwood); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 1:27 to Cash Botting (Hortonville); Cons. rd. 2 – WBF in 0:44 over Grady Fowler (DeKalb); Cons. rd. 3 – LBF in 4:17 to Eli Perez (Ankeny); Cons. rd. 4 – lost 17-6 maj. dec. to Myles Monis (Montini)
144 – Kasen Tyler, 18th place
Prelim – won 16-1 tech fall over Grant Ritter (Freedom); Rd. 1 – LBF in 3:28 to Tyler Turzinski (Shakopee); Cons. rd. 1 – WBF in 3:10 over Henry Finley (Lincoln-Way West); Cons. rd. 2 – won 18-6 maj. dec. over Aiden Hellman (Don Bosco); Cons. rd. 3 – WBF in 3:34 over Michael Hodge (DeKalb); 17th place match – LBF in 3:43 to Chase Nobiling (Antioch)
150 – Will Larson, DNP
Rd. 1- LBF in 2:40 to Nolan Vogel (Joliet); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 2:37 to Andrew O’Connor (Creighton Prep); Cons. rd. 2 – WBF in 3:20 over Brayden McNeal (W-SR); Cons. rd. 3 – WBF in 2:46 over Rollie Hanks (Odessa); Cons. rd. 4 – WBF in 1:50 over Cain Boddicker (Linn-Mar)
157 – Steven Munoz, DNP
Rd. 1 – LBF in 3:20 to Trent Ignaszewski (Albert Lea Area); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 1:16 to Shannon Hughes (Bettendorf); Cons. rd. 2 – WBF in 2:52 over Briar Higgins (Park Hill South); Cons. Rd. 3 – WBF in 3:35 over Connor Cassels (Marian); Cons. rd. 4 – LBF in 1:23 to Campbell Janis (IC West)
165 – William Fullhart, 10th place
Rd. 1 – WBF in 2:51 over Anthony Haddad (Marmion); Rd. 2 – lost 12-7 dec. to Luke Hamiti (Joliet); Cons. rd. 2 – WBF in 3:40 over Lucas Bittman (Huntley); Cons. rd. 3 – won sudden victory over Joe Novera (Creighton Prep); 9th place match – lost 11-8 dec. to Merrik Murray (Staley)
175 – Bradan Darling, DNP
Rd. 1 – LBF in 1:03 to Ben Vazquez (Antioch); Cons. rd. 1 – LBF in 1:41 to Parker Richards (Kasson-Mantorville); Cons. rd. 2 – LBF in 2:35 to Austin Van Horn (Waukee Northwest); Cons. rd. 3 – LBF in 3:44 to Waylon Theobald (Huntley); Cons. rd. 4 – LBF in 3:51 to Cooper Martin (Waukee)
190 – Tommy Sexton, 2nd place
Rd. 1 – bye; Rd. 2 – won 13-2 maj. dec. over Brock Schmidt (Hortonville); Quarterfinal – won 13-3 maj. dec. over Levi Mechtel (Shakopee); Semifinal – won 8-5 dec. over Abe Parker (Waukee Northwest); Final – LBF in 3:54 to Brayden Koester (Bettendorf)
215 – XX (SW) – Ethan Kuennen, 16th place
Rd. 1 – WBF in 0:59 over Ian Stickney (Medford Area); Rd. 2 – LBF in 3:54 to Landon Rouse (Shakopee); Cons. rd. 2 – LBF in 3:06 to Maddon Evans (H-D-CAL); Cons. rd. 3 – lost 13-1 maj. dec. to Meric Hagarty (W-SR); 15th place match – LBF in 0:52 to Wyatt Theobald (Huntley)
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