Newton’s Lee ousted short of tourney goal

DES MOINES — It wasn’t where he wanted to finish, but when Newton junior Duncan Lee reflects on the 2013-14 wrestling season, there isn’t anything to be ashamed of.

He went 0-2 on Friday and ended his season at 35-12 in the 195-pound Class 3A weight class, but it’s a whole lot better than going winless at 160 pounds like he did last season.

And he was really close to finding a spot on the medal stand, too.

After getting pinned in 38 seconds by second-ranked Colin Kreiter, Lee needed to defeat Ottumwa’s Isaiah Cox to stay alive.

Unfortunately, Cox, who entered the tourney ranked No. 8 at 182, scored a takedown in the final period and held off Lee’s late rally for a 7-6 victory at the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena.

“He was still getting used to this atmosphere. He lost a match and that was tough to come back from,” Newton head coach Andy Swedenhjelm said. “It’s even harder when it’s your first time here. You have so many family members and friends and you just don’t want to let them down.”

Lee trailed 2-1 after one period and then got taken down by Cox early in the second period to fall behind 4-2. The Cardinal junior managed to tie the score at 4-all before the third period began, but that momentum wasn’t enough to record the win.

“I saw the momentum shift after he tied it with the takedown,” Swedenhjelm said. “Duncan got him into a stall call and he may have gotten another one if he would have been a little more aggressive. But he’ll learn that. We’ll work hard this offseason and get back here.”

The Cox win improved his record to 48-4 overall. Lee caps his year at 35-12.

Kreiter was a semifinalist last season. He came into Thursday ranked No. 2 and finished the season with a 42-2 record and third-place finish in the weight class. The North Scott senior lost 5-2 to eventual state champion and top-ranked Sam Cook of Fort Dodge in the semifinals.

“That’s a kid that went to the semifinals last year,” Swedenhjelm said. “He is comfortable and he knows what to do. Duncan is in unfamiliar territory.

“There is a lot of things going on in his head. The sky’s the limit for that kid next year though.”

One thing Lee can do this offseason to improve his standing at the state meet is to become smoother on the mat, according to Swedenhjelm.

“He does a lot of good things well,” Swedenhjelm noted. “With more experience, he’ll learn how to set things up better. He will learn a lot about what shot is there and what didn’t work.

“He is big and strong, and I love that, but he also is kind of choppy. Gaining more experience should help him become more smooth. I am pretty excited for him.”