Top-ranked Go-Hawks win NEIC Wrestling Meet; Comets place 5th

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

DECORAH — Sometimes it just ends up this way … the heavyweight bout becoming the main event.

The “285” championship match between Charles City junior Chase Crooks and Waverly-Shell Rock junior Layne McDonald was the final battle of the Northeast Iowa Conference Wrestling Meet, in progress as the mat on the other side of Decorah’s gym was being unattached and rolled up.

The defending Class 3A state champion Go-Hawks had already added to their burgeoning cache of NEIC titles with Zane Berends (106), 2020 state champions Bailey Roybal (120) and Ryder Block (132), 2020 state runner-up Cayden Langreck (138), Aiden Riggins (152), McCrae Hagarty (182) and Luke Walker (220) all winning their brackets.

But an eighth title out of 14 brackets would have surely sweetened the pot, and the Go-Hawk team was gathered in force to support McDonald against returning state-qualifier Crooks, who is ranked among the Class 2A heavyweights.

After a scoreless first period, McDonald managed to turn Crooks from the top position to get on the board late in the second period with 3 back points. Needing to make something happen in the third period from the top position, Crooks got reversed as McDonald won 5-0.

That capped W-SR’s team point total at 287.5, well ahead of runner up Crestwood (206).

Crooks was the third Comet to advance to the championship round. Charles City senior Roush Jaeger was a 152-pound finalist before suffering a first-period fall to undefeated Riggins; and returning state qualifier Caden Collins lost a hard-fought 6-2 decision in the 170-pound championship to New Hampton-Turkey Valley’s Carson Babcock, who is also undefeated.

Comet junior Tino Tamayo earned an 11-1 major decision over NHTV’s Landon Moorman in the 220-pound third-place match.

Comet wrestlers placing fourth in their bracket include Jacob Vais (120), Talan Weber (138), and Kayden Blunt (145).

Jordan Young (106), Nathan Lopez (126), Colton Crooks (160), Ethan Peterson (182) and Cade Williams (195) all placed fifth in their bracket for Charles City, which placed fifth as a team with 137 points behind W-SR, Crestwood, NHTV (189) and Decorah (177).

Decorah senior Jackson Rolfs won the 145-pound bracket for his fourth-straight NEIC title — only the 17th wrestler to achieve that in the century-old conference.

Other conference champions included Anderson Kittelson (113), Carter Fousek (126) and Hunter Bye (160) of Crestwood; and Jacob Reicks (195) of NHTV.

The Comets will return to Decorah next Saturday (Feb. 6) for the Class 2A sectional round of the state tournament.

Northeast Iowa Conference Meet

Jan. 30

AT DECORAH HIGH SCHOOL

Team Scores

1. Waverly-Shell Rock 287.5

2. Crestwood 206.0

3. New Hampton-Turkey Valley 189.0

4. Decorah 177.0

5. Charles City 137.0

6. Waukon 73.0

7. Oelwein 38.0

Bracket Placers

106

1st Place – Zane Berends (WSR)

2nd Place – Nathaniel Bigalk (C)

3rd Place – Kollin Henry (D)

4th Place – Kaiden Anderson (W)

5th Place – Jordan Young (CC)

6th Place – Landon Bruess (NHTV)

113

1st Place – Anders Kittelson (C)

2nd Place – Braxton Westendorf (WSR)

3rd Place – Edgar Nunez (NHTV)

4th Place – Danny See (D)

5th Place – Skyler Dugan (W)

120

1st Place – Bailey Roybal (WSR)

2nd Place – Jakob Regan (W)

3rd Place – Ethan Praska (NHTV)

4th Place – Jacob Vais (CC)

5th Place – Cole Schmauss (C)

6th Place – Chris Platter (O)

126

1st Place – Carter Fousek (C)

2nd Place – Carter Fecht (WSR)

3rd Place – Lane Rolfs (D)

4th Place – Peyton Anderson (NHTV)

5th Place – Nathan Lopez (CC)

6th Place – Lucas Byrnes (W)

132

1st Place – Ryder Block (WSR)

2nd Place – Brady Stille (D)

3rd Place – Carsen Jeanes (O)

4th Place – Ethan Govern (C)

5th Place – Burke Busta (NHTV)

138

1st Place – Cayden Langreck (WSR)

2nd Place – Cole Butikofer (C)

3rd Place – Austin Wilkins (D)

4th Place – Talan Weber (CC)

5th Place – Marcus Gibbs (W)

6th Place – Kael Meyers (NHTV)

145

1st Place – Jackson Rolfs (D)

2nd Place – Cade Murray (NHTV)

3rd Place – Robert Poyner (WSR)

4th Place – Kayden Blunt (CC)

5th Place – Bryce Shea (C)

6th Place – Jacob Homp (W)

152

1st Place – Aiden Riggins (WSR)

2nd Place – Roush Jaeger (CC)

3rd Place – Clay Schemmel (C)

4th Place – Colton Rochford (NHTV)

5th Place – Ben Wymer (Decorah)

6th Place – Regan McKeeman (O)

160

1st Place – Hunter Bye (C)

2nd Place – Ryan Pickar (NHTV)

3rd Place – Sean Mwangi (WSR)

4th Place – Garrett Lovstuen (D)

5th Place – Colton Crooks (CC)

6th Place – Logan Cockerham (O)

170

1st Place – Carson Babcock (NHTV)

2nd Place – Caden Collins (CC)

3rd Place – Walker Bathke (WSR)

4th Place – Brendon Dixon (C)

5th Place – Corbyn Palmer (D)

6th Place – Tanner Kiel (W)

182

1st Place – McCrae Hagarty (WSR)

2nd Place – Keenan Tyler (D)

3rd Place – Landen Schemmel (C)

4th Place – Braden McShane (NHTV)

5th Place – Ethan Peterson (CC)

6th Place – Austin Perry (O)

195

1st Place – Jacob Reicks (NHTV)

2nd Place – Jake Walker (WSR)

3rd Place – Cael Gulrud (D)

4th Place – Cullen Dickson (W)

5th Place – Cade Williams (CC)

6th Place – Landen Bergan (C)

220

1st Place – Luke Walker (WSR)

2nd Place – Treyton Burnikel (C)

3rd Place – Tino Tamayo (CC)

4th Place – Landon Moorman (NHTV)

5th Place – Cooper Smock (O)

6th Place – Brandon Gulrud (D)

285

1st Place – Layne McDonald (WSR)

2nd Place – Chase Crooks (CC)

3rd Place – Edwin Holyoake (D)

4th Place – Tyler Reicks (NHTV)

5th Place – Brayden Ishman (C)

6th Place – Alex Goetzinger (W)