Comet senior Leah Stewart nationally ranked among 190-pound female wrestlers

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Leah Stewart is ranked just outside the top 20 female high school 190-pound wrestlers.

We’re not talking merely statewide, but nationwide.

And it isn’t just one organization that has bestowed her with such an honor.

This came from a recently released preseason listing compiled in a collaborative effort by USA Wrestling, FloWrestling and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Museum.

Yet such a distinction apparently hasn’t gone to the Charles City senior’s head.

“Rankings don’t really mean much for me,” said Stewart, who at No. 21 is the only Iowa wrestler ranked among the nation’s Top 30 190-pounders.

“They based a lot of that on how well you did at the (U.S. Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals held this past mid-July in Fargo, North Dakota), and that was a freestyle tournament,” Stewart said. “I prefer folkstyle … high school wrestling over freestyle. I don’t like having to start every period from the neutral position in freestyle. I rather have the option of choosing up or down.

“And you don’t win matches with rankings. You’ve got to win them on the mat.”

Stewart has won her share of matches going into her third season with the Comet girls wrestling team. Last season, her second varsity, Stewart compiled a 37-7 record culminating with a fifth-place medalist finish at the State Girls Wrestling Championships. Stewart would have likely been perched higher on the awards podium hadn’t it been for a little bad luck.

After losing a hard-fought match against West Lyon junior Jana TerWee in the semifinals, Stewart faced East Buchanan sophomore Brooklyn Graham in the subsequent consolation semifinals. Leading Graham 2-1 well into the third period, Stewart — circling her opponent — tripped and fell prone to the mat. Graham took immediate opportunity and pounced on Stewart for the 2-point takedown and 3-2 lead.

When the match was restarted within “short time”, Stewart — from the bottom position — managed to get to her feet and was in the process of breaking free of Graham, who was trying to ride Stewart out of bounds. It looked as if Stewart got free just as she crossed the circle boundary and the match ticked off its final regulation second. But the officials didn’t award Stewart the would-be tying point.

During the latter evening session, Stewart won a rematch with Steines with a 3-0 decision in the fifth-place bout.

This season is the third sanctioned by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union. Due to continual growth in the sport, there are now two classes in girls wrestling — Charles City is in Class 1A.

Stewart is not too excited about this two-class system.

“I think it stinks,” she said. “If I’m going to be a state champion, I don’t want to be one of two state champions.

“But I guess it gives them more chances to sell out (Xtreme Arena in Coralville), and there are good wrestlers in my class that I’m looking forward to facing.”

Charles City head coach Rob Pittman is also looking forward to seeing how well Stewart does her final prep wrestling season.

“Leah has put in a lot of time during the offseason and she did very well at the Fargo Nationals before she got injured,” Pittman said while mentioning Stewart’s elbow injury sustained in the latter rounds. “She has wrestled more than 30 matches this summer and she had the maturity of a returning state-medalist this season.”

Stewart was able to recover from her injury just in time for football season, where she was a returning letterwinner for the Comets. Though the subject of biological males competing with and against females has become a heated issue that may have helped determine outcomes of several recent local and national elections, girls playing high school football has had a long history.

But what has made Stewart stand out from other female football players is her actual impact on the playing field.

Stewart was involved in two of the biggest plays during the Comets’ past season. One includes a partially blocked punt to help give Charles City a short field for an eventual touchdown during a road win against South Tama; another was a key block during John Bruening’s 94-yard kickoff return that helped give the Comets a second-half lead during an eventual loss to Webster City.

Of course, we would be remiss not to mention that Stewart holds Comet all-time records for females in the discus and shot put after eclipsing record throws that stood for decades.

Midway through her final school year in high school, Stewart is unsure if she is going to throw in track and field, wrestle or (this may be a stretch) play football if she plans to continue her education in college.