Mustangs sweep home-opening quadrangular

MONROE — Prairie City-Monroe’s not all the way back to full strength. But the top-ranked Mustangs are getting close.

Top-ranked and defending state champion Lucas Roland and sophomore Landon Fenton both made their season debuts, and the added firepower led PCM to a sweep during a home quadrangular on Thursday night.

The Mustangs opened the night with a pair of wins over Heart of Iowa Conference foes and then finished the evening with a 48-25 victory over Jasper County rival Colfax-Mingo.

PCM defeated Gilbert 46-24 and cruised past Roland-Story 68-12.

“It was tough to go from the high of the football season then to being preseason ranked No. 1 and then not being able to have everyone available,” said Roland, who went 3-0 on the night. “I know the rankings don’t mean anything, but it still stinks to lose duals we may not have lost if we were all healthy. It was disheartening for awhile, but we worked through it. We have most of our guys back now, and I think some really good stuff is going to start to happen.”

Colfax-Mingo began its night with a 47-34 win over Roland-Story. The Tigerhawks lost 42-31 to Gilbert before losing to the hosts in the finale.

“I thought we did a pretty good job up and down the lineup,” Colfax-Mingo coach Erin Hume said.

“We needed a little bit more from our younger wrestlers, but I thought everyone did a good job showing up tonight for the most part.”

While Roland and Fenton made their season debuts, the Mustangs are still without senior Chance Palm, who PCM coach Jeff Nicholson said should fill in at either 138 or 145 when he’s available.

The Mustangs also were without junior and eighth-ranked Payton Drake (126) for contested matches because of an injury. Drake did take a forfeit at 132 against Roland-Story.

Nicholson doesn’t expect to have Drake for this weekend’s tournament at Southeast Polk. And the plan all along was to rest Roland and Fenton for that tournament. He hopes all three guys are on the mat when the Mustangs host Newton on Tuesday.

“The knee feels good,” said Roland, who tore his ACL in the spring. “I have been in the room with the boys. It felt fine. It will be sore sometimes. It doesn’t bother me though.

Fenton has only been cleared to wrestle for a week and has only practiced full go three or four times.

“He’s only been going live for three or four practices,” Fenton said. “Conditioning was a factor today. He got through it because he’s a tough kid.”

PCM had enough to win all three duals in its home opener. The Mustangs were 8-4 in contested matches against Gilbert, 6-1 against Roland-Story and 7-5 in the win over the Tigerhawks. Roland-Story handed the Mustangs six forfeits.

Colfax-Mingo (9-5) opened its final dual against PCM (9-5) with three straight wins.

Tigerhawk freshman Kenny Schlosser rallied from a 10-5 deficit to pin PCM junior Jace Smith at heavyweight.

After a double forfeit at 106, C-M junior Noah Strohmeyer recorded a 35-second pin against PCM freshman Trey Thomas at 113. That put the Tigerhawks up 12-0.

In the most anticipated match of the dual, Class 1A No. 7 Cauy Fitch took on Fenton at 120. Fitch scored first and controlled the match during an 11-5 victory. That put Colfax-Mingo in front 15-0.

“I just had to keep moving. The last time I wrestled a stronger guy, I stopped moving and didn’t take a lot of shots,” Fitch said. “Tonight, I took shots and kept moving the whole time.”

Hume and Nicholson agreed that the match between Fitch and Fenton, who started the season ranked in 2A at 113, benefited both guys, and each will be better from it.

“It’s good for Cauy to get a quality opponent like Landon. He’s a quality wrestler,” Hume said. “He’ll probably be a 13 pounder by the end of the year, but it was good for both of them to get some good mat time early in the season.”

Nicholson wasn’t originally going to let Fenton wrestle Fitch only because he wanted to make sure the leg he broke during football season was fully healed and ready to go.

“It’s a match that I didn’t think would happen. I didn’t want Landon to go out there and not be able to give 100 percent,” Nicholson said. “Landon wanted the match so I gave him the match.”

PCM sophomore Brian Nicholson put PCM on the board when he pinned C-M freshman Mariah Webster in 54 seconds.

C-M junior Cyden Fitch pushed the Tigerhawks lead to 19-6 with a 14-0 major decision over PCM senior Clay Van Wyk. Cyden Fitch improved to 11-0 this season.

“I put in a lot of time this offseason and it’s paying off so far,” Cyden Fitch said. “I am more energetic and more physical. I am trying to stay pumped up and into the match.”

Colfax-Mingo’s 13-point lead would quickly vanish as the dual moved into the toughest part of PCM’s lineup.

Mustang freshman Kaleb Ives opened a stretch of seven straight wins with a pin over C-M freshman Gabriel Gwinn at 138.

PCM sophomore and fifth-ranked Colby Tool then pinned C-M junior Tim Carroll at 145, PCM senior Cody Wallace got a pin against C-M junior Andrew Meinhart at 152, PCM senior and second-ranked Wes Cummings pinned C-M junior Josh Smith at 160 and PCM senior and second-ranked Jarron Trausch recorded a pin over C-M junior Trystin Ross at 170.

With the dual already wrapped up, PCM got a forfeit by sophomore Kinser Sloan at 182.

Roland then moved up to 195 to face C-M senior Damir Gumerov. Roland won the match by fall in 1:25.

The Tigerhawks ended the streak with a win in the final bout. C-M senior Skyler Aikin pinned PCM junior Seth Greiner late in the first period to cap the scoring at 48-25.

Hume doesn’t shy away from putting his wrestlers on the mat against ranked opponents. Ross and Gumerov both lost, but it was a good way to get a gauge of where they are at at this point in the season.

“That will help them know where they are at. If they want to be on the medal stand at the end of the year, they have to be strive to be as good as those guys,” Hume said. “They both wrestled some tough kids, and that will help them down the road.”

Ives, Tool, Wallace, Cummings, Trausch and Roland all went 3-0 on the night for PCM. Fenton and sophomore Brian Nicholson both were 2-1 and Drake, Kinser Sloan, Smith, Greiner, sophomore Cooper Sloan and freshman Trey Thomas all had wins by forfeit. Van Wyk’s lone win came by decision.

For Colfax-Mingo, Cauy Fitch. Cyden Fitch and Strohmeyer were all 3-0, and Ross, Gumerov, Aikin and Schlosser were each 2-1. Carroll won a match by fall and Gwinn took a forfeit against Roland-Story.

Greiner, Smith, Drake, Ives, Roland and Cooper Sloan all took forfeits in PCM’s win over Roland-Story.

Fenton, Nicholson, Wallace and Trausch all won by fall, and Cummings got a 15-0 technical fall win.

The feature match came at 145 where Tool, ranked fifth in 2A, took on seventh-ranked Koby Hassebrock. Tool controlled the match from the start and won 7-1. He is now 16-1 on the season. It was Hassebrock’s first loss of the year.

“I am trying to get better at each practice,” Tool said. “I am not where I want to be yet. I need to be better with my offense. I did a better job scoring tonight though.”

The Mustangs trailed Gilbert 12-0 and 24-12 but rallied behind their stout middle part of the lineup. PCM won seven straight matches from 132 to 182 and won 46-24.

Van Wyk started the run with a 2-1 win at 132. Ives then got a 32-second pin at 138 and Tool pinned Jackson Conway in 1:08 at 145.

Wallace won his match by major decision at 152, winning 12-4.

Wallace is not ranked and has never qualified for the state tournament but is off to a strong start in his final season. His three wins Thursday improved his record to 15-3.

“It’s the year to do it. I only have one more year to go,” Wallace said. “I did some freestyle and went to a few different clubs. All that helped me improve.”

Coach Nicholson feels good about what Wallace has done so far this season and is excited that he’ll get to play a big part in what the Mustangs hope is a special season.

“He spent the last two offseasons training. He made a big step last year, but it’s even a bigger step this year and he’s got the urgency because it’s his senior year,” Coach Nicholson said about Wallace. “He’s put his time in. It’s his time to shine.”

Cummings (15-1) followed Wallace’s win with another pin, Trausch (16-2) got a 12-8 decision and Roland pinned Aiden Carr in 21 seconds.

“It’s fun set of weights to coach. When you come through that, it’s going to be tough for any opponent,” Coach Nicholson said. “There won’t be many matches through that stretch that we will lose this year. That’s for sure.”

Trausch, Cummings and Roland continue to climb the ladder in career wins at PCM. Trausch moved into third all-time, and is now 141-22 in his career. Cummings ranks fifth at 134-12 and Roland is sixth at 131-5.

Colfax-Mingo opened its night with a win over Roland-Story. The Norse had a 5-3 advantage in contested matches, but the Tigerhawks took five forfeits.

Strohmeyer won his match by fall in 56 seconds, Cauy Fitch defeated Joe Hovick by technical fall and Cyden Fitch pinned Colin Street in 40 seconds.

Strohmeyer is now 12-1 on the season and Cauy Fitch improved to 10-1.

“Noah came on late last year in his first season. He’s starting this season like he ended last year,” Hume said. “He’s staying in good position and works on things that are basic and things every wrestler can be good at.”

Taking forfeits against the Norse were Gwinn, Ross, Gumerov, Aikin and Schlosser.

The Tigerhawks were 5-7 in contested matches against Gilbert and took one forfeit.

Strohmeyer, Carroll and Ross (15-2) all won their matches by fall, Gumerov (14-4) won his match 12-5 at 195 and Cauy Fitch defeated Brody Bents 15-3. Cyden Fitch took a forfeit at 132.

Cauy Fitch improved his career record to 118-15.

The Mustangs compete in the Red Owens Holiday Classic hosted by Southeast Polk at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Altoona.

The Tigerhawks wrestle in the North Polk Invitational at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday in Alleman.

PCM 48, Colfax-Mingo 25

285: Kenny Schlosser (COMI) over Jace Smith (PCM) (Fall 2:54) 106: Double Forfeit 113: Noah Strohmeyer (COMI) over Trey Thomas (PCM) (Fall 0:35) 120: Cauy Fitch (COMI) over Landon Fenton (PCM) (Dec 11-5) 126: Brian Nicholson (PCM) over Mariah Webster (COMI) (Fall 0:54) 132: Cyden Fitch (COMI) over Clay Van Wyk (PCM) (MD 14-0) 138: Kaleb Ives (PCM) over Gabriel Gwinn (COMI) (Fall 1:21) 145: Colby Tool (PCM) over Tim Carroll (COMI) (Fall 1:46) 152: Cody Wallace (PCM) over Andrew Meinhart (COMI) (Fall 0:52) 160: Wes Cummings (PCM) over Josh Smith (COMI) (Fall 1:10) 170: Jarron Trausch (PCM) over Trystin Ross (COMI) (Fall 1:26) 182: Kinser Sloan (PCM) over (COMI) (For.) 195: Lucas Roland (PCM) over Damir Gumerov (COMI) (Fall 1:25) 220: Skyler Aikin (COMI) over Seth Greiner (PCM) (Fall 1:54)

PCM 46, Gilbert 24

195: Jacob Steenhoek (GILB) over Cooper Sloan (PCM) (Dec 7-1) 220: Cayden Meskan (GILB) over Seth Greiner (PCM) (Fall 1:53) 285: Jacob Torresi (GILB) over Jace Smith (PCM) (Dec 6-4) 106: Trey Thomas (PCM) over (GILB) (For.) 113: Eli Branson (GILB) over (PCM) (For.) 120: Landon Fenton (PCM) over Brody Bents (GILB) (Fall 0:54) 126: Cael Ihle (GILB) over Brian Nicholson (PCM) (Fall 2:39) 132: Clay Van Wyk (PCM) over Jake Shedarowich (GILB) (Dec 2-1) 138: Kaleb Ives (PCM) over Aiden Gibbons (GILB) (Fall 0:32) 145: Colby Tool (PCM) over Jackson Conway (GILB) (Fall 1:08) 152: Cody Wallace (PCM) over Kruz Pierce (GILB) (MD 12-4) 160: Wes Cummings (PCM) over Justin Adolphson (GILB) (Fall 1:00) 170: Jarron Trausch (PCM) over Carson Johnson (GILB) (Dec 12-8) 182: Lucas Roland (PCM) over Aiden Carr (GILB) (Fall 0:21)

PCM 68, Roland-Story 12

220: Seth Greiner (PCM) over (ROST) (For.) 285: Jace Smith (PCM) over (ROST) (For.) 106: David Grimes (ROST) over Trey Thomas (PCM) (Fall 0:59) 113: Joe Hovick (ROST) over (PCM) (For.) 120: Landon Fenton (PCM) over Jay Sanderson (ROST) (Fall 0:51) 126: Brian Nicholson (PCM) over Colin Streit (ROST) (Fall 0:26) 132: Payton Drake (PCM) over (ROST) (For.) 138: Kaleb Ives (PCM) over (ROST) (For.) 145: Colby Tool (PCM) over Koby Hassebrock (ROST) (Dec 7-1) 152: Cody Wallace (PCM) over Eli Thorson (ROST) (Fall 4:28) 160: Wes Cummings (PCM) over Reynaldo Torres (ROST) (TF 15-0 2:36) 170: Jarron Trausch (PCM) over Jon Sobotka (ROST) (Fall 1:44) 182: Lucas Roland (PCM) over (ROST) (For.) 195: Cooper Sloan (PCM) over (ROST) (For.)

Colfax-Mingo 47, Roland-Story 34

106: Noah Strohmeyer (COMI) over David Grimes (ROST) (Fall 0:56) 113: Joe Hovick (ROST) over Ilia Hostetter (COMI) (Fall 0:53) 120: Cauy Fitch (COMI) over Joe Hovick (ROST) (TF 15-0 3:37) 126: Colin Streit (ROST) over Jaycie Webster (COMI) (MD 14-3) 132: Cyden Fitch (COMI) over Colin Streit (ROST) (Fall 0:40) 138: Gabriel Gwinn (COMI) over (ROST) (For.) 145: Koby Hassebrock (ROST) over Tim Carroll (COMI) (Fall 1:05) 152: Eli Thorson (ROST) over Andrew Meinhart (COMI) (Fall 0:33) 160: Reynaldo Torres (ROST) over Josh Smith (COMI) (Fall 2:24) 170: Trystin Ross (COMI) over (ROST) (For.) 182: Jon Sobotka (ROST) over (COMI) (For.) 195: Damir Gumerov (COMI) over (ROST) (For.) 220: Skyler Aikin (COMI) over (ROST) (For.) 285: Kenny Schlosser (COMI) over (ROST) (For.)

Gilbert 42, Colfax-Mingo 31

106: 113: Noah Strohmeyer (COMI) over Eli Branson (GILB) (Fall 2:25) 120: Cauy Fitch (COMI) over Brody Bents (GILB) (MD 15-3) 126: Cael Ihle (GILB) over Mariah Webster (COMI) (Fall 0:30) 132: Cyden Fitch (COMI) over (GILB) (For.) 138: Jake Shedarowich (GILB) over Gabriel Gwinn (COMI) (Fall 2:54) 145: Tim Carroll (COMI) over Jackson Conway (GILB) (Fall 0:27) 152: Kruz Pierce (GILB) over Andrew Meinhart (COMI) (Fall 3:56) 160: Carson Johnson (GILB) over Josh Smith (COMI) (Fall 2:41) 170: Trystin Ross (COMI) over Justin Adolphson (GILB) (Fall 1:20) 182: Aiden Carr (GILB) over Chloe Forck (COMI) (Fall 0:28) 195: Damir Gumerov (COMI) over Jacob Steenhoek (GILB) (Dec 12-5) 220: Cayden Meskan (GILB) over Skyler Aikin (COMI) (Fall 3:07) 285: Jacob Torresi (GILB) over Kenny Schlosser (COMI) (Fall 1:52)