By Becky Walz,
Garnering 20 points in the first session of the Class 2A State Wrestling Championships Wednesday morning, the Decorah boys’ wrestling team sits in a tie for 12th with Ballard and has two grapplers still on track to earn a title.
The first and second rounds of the championship rounds, along with the first round of consolations taking place, leaving all seven of the Vikings still in the competition for placement on Thursday.
Decorah’s No. 11 Gavin Knutson kick-started his day at 106 pounds with a fall over Drake Howard of Sergeant Bluff-Luton in 1:27. In round two, the freshman had an uphill battle against top-ranked Klayten Perreault of Mount Vernon, falling in 1:53. Moving into the consolation bracket, Knutson will square off with Crestwood’s Owen Korsmo (26-12) to start his consolation bracket Thursday.
Opening with a bye at 132 pounds, Mason Avila who is ranked seventh, saw his only action of the day in round two, winning a 5-4 decision over Grinnell’s Logan McDonald, who entered the state meet ranked 11th. Next up for the sophomore in the quarterfinals is Kaiden Parker of Osakloosa who enters the match 34-19.
At 138 pounds, Will Larson held a 6-2 lead after the first period over Kyler Sandholm of Red Oak. In the second period, Sandholm responded with the two grapplers tied 8-8 entering the third. A Sandholm takedown with 1:07 remaining led to Larson getting turn and pinned in 5:15. The Decorah sophomore received a bye in the first-round consolations and will face Dalton Van Wyhe of Sergeant Bluff-Luton (26-11) Thursday morning.
Pinning Ethan Praska of New Hampton/Turkey Valley in 2:41 in the first round, No. 11 William Fullhart (144) lost round two to Algona’s Ashton Moreno by a 6-2 decision, falling into the backside of the bracket. Thursday he will battle Will Atkinson of Woodward-Granger.
Kollin Henry (150) opened his inaugural state tournament against No. 11 Hewitt Brinegar of PCM (Monroe), falling by a 10-4 decision. A bye in the first-round consolation bracket puts the Viking senior up against eighth-ranked Cooper Ludwig of Carroll who is 43-9 in the round two of the consolations Thursday.
Competing at 157 pounds, it was a back-and-forth battle between NEIC rivals Brody Hanson, ranked 10th, and Waukon’s Holten Palmer in round one with the Decorah senior matman earning a 14-6 major decision. In round two, Hanson couldn’t get on the offensive as he fell by a 15-2 major decision to fourth-ranked Gavin Scheuermann of Greene County. Looking to make it to the podium Thursday, Hanson will continue his quest against Miken Wheeler of Anamosa.
Like Avila in round one, Tommy Sexton received a first-round bye. Stepping on the mat for the first time in round two at 190 pounds, the sophomore defeated Blake Jager of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Freemont with a 13-4 major decision. Standing in his is top-ranked Brody Sampson in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
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