Charles City to host 40th North/South Wrestling Meet

Press Staff Report

CHARLES CITY — More than a month after he concluded his high school wrestling career at the State Championships, Charles City senior Josh Halligan will strap on the singlet once again to battle one more time on his home turf.

A 220-pound state qualifier, Halligan will be a participant in the 40th-annual North/South All-Star Wrestling Meet, which will be held this Saturday (March 24) starting at 6 p.m. in Charles City High School’s Comet Gym located within the new middle school part of the building.

For the past four decades, senior state champions and place finishers from all over the state of Iowa have come together in one last match of their high school careers. Meets in the past have seen many future All-Americans, NCAA Champions, as well as Olympic medal winners.

The meet will be hosted by the Charles City Mat Club in conjunction with the Iowa National Guard. Since its inception, Charles City has hosted the meet. Technically, the only time it has ever moved was two years ago from the old Charles City gym to Comet Gym.

The meet will feature other local wrestlers, including a pair of Chickasaws from New Hampton’s Class 2A State Team Dual champions — Noah Glaser and Areon Day.

During the Traditional State Tournament, Glaser placed third in the Class 2A 170-pound bracket.

Day also made the medal stand when placing seventh in the Class 2A 220-pound bracket. He will wrestle Central Springs’ Zach Santee, who placed sixth in the Class 1A 220-pound bracket.

Santee is also slated to wrestle Halligan.

One of the more anticipated bouts of the evening will feature a pair of two-time state champions.

Assumption’s Matt Robertson, a two-time Class 2A champ, will take on Wapsie Valley’s Donny Schmit, a two-time Class 1A champ, in a 132-pound match.

This year’s N/S All Star Meet will be broadcast live on Trackwrestling’s Trackcast with proceeds going to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.

For more information, David Williams at dwillia@charles-city.k12.ia.us

2018 North/South
All-Star Meet Matchups

113/120 — Dillon Gottschalk (Dubuque Hempstead) vs. Zachary Thompson (Perry)

126/132 — Philip Ihde (Decorah) vs.  Brady Fritz (South Tama)

132 — Matt Robertson (Assumption) vs.  Donny Schmit (Wapsie Valley, Fairbank)

138 — Gable Fox (Don Bosco) vs.  Zach Stewart (Perry)

138/145 — Jarret Miller (Ballard) vs. Brock Parker (Waukee)

145 — Chance Throndson (Riceville) vs. Tanner Abbas (Clarion Goldfield Dows)

152 — Harlan Steffensmeier (Fort Madison) vs. Joe Kelly (West Liberty)

160 — Tate Battani (Ballard) vs.  Wilfred Kadohou (Iowa City High)

170 — Noah Glaser (New Hampton) vs. Thaddeus Breitsprecker (SE Polk)

182/195 — Brandon Tessau (Waukee) vs. Tyrell Gordon (Waterloo East)

195 — Tanner Sloan (Alburnett) vs. Tessau/Gordon winner

220 — Jordan Baumler (North Fayette Valley) vs. Tom Rief (Missouri Valley)

220 — Zack Santee (Central Springs) vs. Areon Day (New Hampton)

220 — Zach Santee (Central Springs) vs. Josh Halligan (Charles City)

285 — Dylan Olson (Dubuque Hempstead) vs. Baumler/Rief winner

Coaches: Tom Hogan (Don Bosco), Chad Vollmecke (Waukee)