State’s best wrestlers battle in Charles City

North/South All-Star Meet held Saturday in Comet Gym

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — During spring break, Maxwell Forsyth went to a place that serves as a wrecking ball for wrestlers, boxers or anyone else who wants to maintain an optimal fighting weight.

Hawaii.

“Yeah, I came back overweight and out of shape,” said Forsyth, who had to whip himself back into form immediately after getting off the plane to get ready for the 38th annual North/South All-Star Wrestling Meet, that took place Saturday inside Comet Gym.

“I was able to sweat it off in the gym just in time for this,” said Forsyth, who earned a 10-4 decision over Brady Brott of Clarion in the event’s lone 145-pound bout.

“He placed second in my bracket at state, so I really wanted to win this one,” said the Charles City senior, who placed fourth in that same bracket.

“This was the only time I’ve faced him,” Forsyth said. “I ended up on the wrong side of bracket.”

Forsyth said he was grateful he was able to end his high school wrestling career in his home gym, where he was honored this past season for reaching 100 wins.

“To end it with a win makes it even more sweet,” he said.

Three other Charles City senior state qualifiers also ended their high school careers in Comet Gym during the meet: Austin Staudt (138), Nick Jacobs (195) and heavyweight Brody Tupy, who recorded one of four falls during the 15-bout card when he stopped Michael Young of AGWSR 1:41 into their match.

The meet served as a collision course for several same-weight state champions from different classes. One of the more anticipated matchups was the 120-pound bout featuring Josh Portillo of Clarion and Jack Wagner of Bettendorf. Both wrestlers have the distinction of being three-time state champions — Portillo in Class 2A and Wagner in Class 3A.

Wagner wanted to avoid a three-peat of another kind.

“I wrestled him twice before and he won both times,” said Wagner, who was able to break free from the down position during the sixth period for a 1-0 ultimate tie-breaker victory, “so I’m glad I finally beat him.”

Wagner said he has been in matches that have gone into the sixth period and beyond.

“And this was just a four-minute regulation match,” Wagner said of meet’s format of two-minute first periods followed by one-minute second and third periods. “I try to train myself to go this long if needed.”

Wagner — who will wrestle for the Iowa Hawkeyes — was one of three 2016 Dan Gable Mr. Wrestle Award recipients at the meet. Others included two-time Class 3A 220-pound state champion Ethan Andersen of powerhouse Southeast Polk, and two-time Class 2A state champion Carter Isley of Albia.

Anderson recorded a fall over Donovan Doyle of Iowa City West 1:55 into their 220-pound match; and Isley lost in overtime (3-2) to Class 3A heavyweight champion Gannon Gremmel of Dubuque Hempstead to conclude the meet.

The meet was sponsored by the Charles City Mat Club and the Iowa National Guard.

“It was originally started by the Charles City Jaycees (in 1978) with the help from area businesses,” said former Charles City wrestling coach Dave Williams, who was the meet’s organizer.

“It takes a lot people to put something like this on and get the best wrestlers in the state to come to Charles City,” Williams said. “We’ve got people from the National Guard helping out, as well as wrestlers and coaches from the high school and the (CC) Mat Club.

“I don’t know if this is going to be the last (varsity) event held in this gym,” Williams said of Comet Gym eventually being superseded by the new high school gym within the new middle school. “We’ll probably still use this gym for big events that need extra space, or when there are two varsity events here on the same day.”

For the record, the South Team — coached by Dick Briggs of Cedar Rapids Jefferson — defeated the North Team — coached by Nick Hemann of New Hampton — 31-27.

The North-South lines were loosely drawn as Staudt and Forsyth wrestled for the North and fellow Comets Jacobs and Tupy wrestled for the South.

Team Results

South 31, North 27

Bout Results

113 — Joseph Sibomana (Cedar Rapids Jefferson-South) over Marcus England (Cedar Rapids Prairie-North), Dec 2-1

120 — Jack Wagner (Bettendorf-South) over Josh Portillo (Clarion-North), UTB 1-0

120 — Brenden Baker (Cedar Rapids Jefferson-South) over Connor Cleveland (North Hampton-North), Dec 7-5

126 — Nolan Hromidko (Cedar Rapids Kennedy-North) over Gisaveri Niybizi (Perry-South), Dec 7-0

132 — Brice Everson (Camanche-North) over Briar Cochran (Moravia-South), Dec 4-0

138 — Clint Lembeck (Xavier-South) over Austin Staudt (Charles City-North), Major Dec 11-1

145 — Maxwell Forsyth (Charles City-North) over Brady Brott (Clarion-South), Dec 10-4

152 — Colton Clingenpeel (CB Thomas Jefferson-North) over Kyle Briggs (Cedar Rapids Jefferson-South), Dec 6-2

170 — Brandon Haas (Dubuque Hempstead-North) over Nicholas Holt (Independence-South), Dec 6-0

195 — Taylor Mehmen (Cedar Rapids Prairie-South) over Jamiir Moore (Waverly-Shell Rock-North), Fall 0:49

195 — Landers Kuboushek (South Winn-North) over Nick Jacobs (Charles City-North), Dec 2-0

220 — Ethan Andersen (Southeast Polk-North) over Donovan Doyle (Iowa City West-South), Fall 1:55

285 — Daniel Ramirez (Southeast Polk-South) over Rylan Richardson (South Central Calhoun-South), Fall 3:31

285 — Brody Tupy (Charles City-South) over Michael Young (AGWSR-North), Fall 1:41

285 — Gannon Gremmel (Dubuque Hempstead-North) over Carter Isley (Albia-South), TB-1 3-2