March 19, 2024

Tigerhawks finish home quad on a high note

COLFAX — With his team down five points with one match to go, Colfax-Mingo junior Garrett Chapman had the perfect scenario at redemption Thursday night.

Earlier this season, Chapman led his match with West Central Valley’s Carsen Schneller throughout, but got caught in a bad position in the final seconds and lost by a fall.

The two 220-pounders squared off again, this time with the dual on the line.

And this time, the Tigerhawk junior didn’t let a lead slip away.

Chapman needed a pin to score the team win and his fall with six seconds to go in the first period sent the Tigerhawks to a 36-35 win in the second of three duals here.

Colfax-Mingo began the night with a 45-30 loss to North Polk and ended the evening with a 42-34 victory over Moravia.

“It was nice for him to get an opportunity to avenge that first loss,” Colfax-Mingo coach Bryan Poulter said of Chapman’s dual-clinching win. “It was a great confidence booster for him to help us in that spot.”

Overall, Poulter was happy with his team’s performance, but wanted to see more out of them in the opening dual. The Tigerhawks (6-7) fell behind the Comets 33-0, but ran out of matches to complete the comeback.

“We had an opportunity in the first dual but I didn’t feel like we went to the mat ready to wrestle,” Poulter said. “Later in the night, Moravia beat North Polk. That gave us the indication that we should have been more in that match.”

Tigerhawk senior Richard Blom highlighted the night for the home team. Blom improved to 10-2 on the season with two more pins. He was handed a forfeit in the win over the Wildcats and all 10 of his contested wins have come by way of the pin.

Poulter said Blom’s success has come simply from being in the right position and not giving his opponent any cheap points.

“He is not an overpowering wrestler, but technique and his mat sense have been very good so far this year,” Poulter said. “He doesn’t give his opponent anything that they don’t deserve and he takes advantage when they put themselves in bad position.”

Chapman ended up 2-1 on the night as he also was given a forfeit in the win over Moravia. Cameron Warner (160) and Jac Fisher (120) also went 2-1 with a win by fall and a win by forfeit.

Colton Lourens (145) had his hand raised three times but all three came by way of forfeit.

Blom is taking every practice and every match in stride. After suffering a wrist injury that ended his season early a year ago, the senior knows his wrestling career could come to an end on any day and in any match.

“I think the big thing that has changed for me this year compared to past years is that I started to slow down and think through my moves,” Blom said. “I have also started to go through the thought process of knowing that any match at any time could be my last match.”

Moravia and West Central Valley both put up strong showings Thursday despite forfeiting seven and six weight classes, respectively.

The Tigerhawks had a big advantage of the Wildcats in the second dual, but West Central Valley rallied with five straight wins before Chapman scored the winning pin.

“I think it goes to show how the team is progressing over time,” Blom said of Chapman’s redemption win. “We started out with a lot of younger guys and we don’t have a lot of experience. I think we are building up from where we were and getting better every day.”

It has been a busy week for the Tigerhawks. Poulter sent several of his wrestlers to a junior varsity tournament at Des Moines East last Saturday and the squad competed in a triangular on Tuesday.

The final competition date before the holiday break is Saturday at the Lynnville-Sully Dual Tournament.

Poulter and his coaching staff are finding out where the team is mentally during this grueling portion of the schedule.

“The mental fatigue is coming into play and we are learning how the kids react to that,” Poulter said.

“It needs to be a teaching point to them, that their minds tell them that they are tired, but the body will allow them to go a lot further.

“If we can get through this point and get them to see that there is more in the tank than their mind tells them, it will be a big hump for when we get into the part of the season when it’s not as grueling.”

The Tigerhawks will have a week of rest from Dec. 21-26. Poulter hopes the team can rest up while still maintaining focus for what lies ahead in the second half of the season.

“I want to think it’s a good thing. Hopefully they come back with more energy,” Poulter said. You hope that they keep their focus too though, but it’s a balancing act.”