Four Cardinals snare Classic medals

Scheduled early in the season, Newton High’s Cardinal Classic gives the Cardinal wrestlers a good gauge of what they need to work on for the rest of the season. In Saturday’s 2016 Cardinal Classic, the Cardinal wrestlers faced quality Class 3A and 2A competitors from seven other schools.

Newton seniors Tanner Petro and Brady Smith captured second-place medals in their respective weight classes.

Senior Alex Miller, who lost to two ranked wrestlers at 285, came back to claim the third-place medal. Freshman Blake Iske avenged one of his two losses on the day for third place at 120.

“Our kids have had really good fight all year, and today they competed well up and down the lineup. We have some sickness going through the team, but the kids didn’t let that affect us,” Newton head coach Andy Swedenhjelm said.

The Cardinals had two more of the 11 who wrestled Saturday in position to earn third-place medals. Sophomore Reece Caves and junior Blayden Rhone came up short at 138 and 182, respectively, in their third-place matches.

Newton finished fifth as a team with 107.5 points. Johnston and Class 3A No. 10 Indianola battled atop the team standings all day with Johnston winning the Cardinal Classic title with 194 points and Indianola in second with 184.

Iowa City High was third with 167 points and Mount Vernon placed fourth with 127 points. Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson was sixth with 106.5 followed by Knoxville with 94.5 and Davenport West with 44 points.

There were more than 10 ranked wrestlers competing in the tournament.

Smith and Petro had the same response when asked what went well for them during the tournament. Both essentially said everything but one match.

Smith lost to Iowa City High’s Jacob Dykes, who is ranked seventh in 3A, 4-3 in the first round of the 195-pound round robin competition. Smith went on a five-match win march to second place.

“My mindset was good all day. I just wrestle who is in front of me on the mat,” Smith said. “I lost to the one guy with 10 seconds left in the match. It made me mad and motivated me. I realized in that match how good I was and can be this year.”

Smith won his next five matches by decisions including an 8-1 win over Indianola’s Reece Bowlin at the end.

“It feels amazing to get a medal here at home, but I don’t believe it will feel as good as being on the podium at the state tournament. That has been my goal through high school, which is why I play football and lift weights,” Smith said. “It’s all for wrestling and being a state placer.”

Petro went 3-0 in the 170-pound round robin, moving into the championship bracket. He got past Knoxville’s Coby Meyers on a 3-2 decision to advance to the first-place match. Indianola’s Kade Kolarik defeated Petro, 8-4, in the title match.

“My first four matches went well,” Petro said. “I was focused all day. Now, I’m motivated to come back and beat this kid in the conference tournament.”

“I worked on my double-leg takedowns. It’s great to medal here since I didn’t get to wrestle in this last year,” Petro said.

Petro recorded two pins and two close decisions to reach the 170-pound title match.

At 285, Miller’s losses came against Class 3A fourth-ranked Eagan Lickiss, Indianola, by a pin and eighth-ranked Jake Ryan, Johnston, by a 3-2 decision. Ryan upended Lickiss in the championship match.

“It means a lot to medal here at home since I was wrestling heavyweight today against a lot of good guys. I’ll be wrestling at 220 the rest of the season,” Miller said.

Iske won his first two matches of the day then lost two. The second lost was to 3A fourth-ranked Koby Pritchard of Indianola. Iowa City High’s Ryan Ceynar defeated Iske 7-6 in round-robin action, but Iske beat Ceynar 6-3 for third place.

“Winning a medal feels pretty good today,” Iske said.

Caves and Rhone placed fourth at 138 and 182 as did sophomore Coltin Whitten at 152 pounds.

Sophomore Blake Cockerton and junior Ross Hull finished fifth for the Cardinals in the 113 and 126-pound classes, respectively.

Taking sixth were junior Tristin Langmaid at 160 and freshman Noah Cook at 132 pounds.

“I was pleased with the way all of our kids wrestled today,” Swedenhjem said. “We have to work on setting up our shots, and just cleaning up our techniques.”

Newton, which is 2-1 in duals, has the week to prepare for Friday and Saturday’s Council Bluffs Wrestling Classic hosted by Council Bluffs Lewis Central.

2016 NHS Cardinal Classic

113 - Blake Cockerton (3-5) placed 5th

Round 1 - Ryan Clark (Mt. Vernon) dec. 5-3 over Cockerton

Round 2 - Michael Santoro (Iowa City High) pinned Cockerton (Fall 1:51)

Round 3 - James Edwards (Johnston) maj. dec. 14-6 over Cockerton

Round 4 - Connor Sexton (Indianola) maj. dec. 16-7 over Cockerton

Round 5 - Cockerton pinned Colton Jones (Knoxville) (Fall 3:13)

120 - Blake Iske (4-4) placed 3rd

Round 1 - Iske dec. 2-0 over Devin Sayles (Johnston)

Round 2 - Iske pinned Connor Bilden (Mt. Vernon) (Fall 2:44)

Round 3 - Ryan Ceynar (Iowa City High) dec. 7-6 over Iske

Championship Bracket - Kobey Pritchard (Indianola) pinned Iske (Fall 0:39)

3rd Place Match - Iske dec. 6-3 over Ceynar (Iowa City High)

126 - Ross Hull (5-3) placed 5th

Round 1 - Lance Bormann (Iowa City High) pinned Hull (Fall 1:46)

Round 2 - Hull dec. 9-6 over Wyatte Shade (Davenport West)

Round 3 - McGwire Midkiff (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson) pinned Hull (Fall 2:34)

Consolation Bracket - Hull pinned Graham Bradbury (Mt. Vernon) (Fall 0:41)

5th Place Match - Hull dec. 13-12 over Wyatte Shade (Davenport West)

132 - Noah Cook (2-6) placed 6th

Round 1 - Cade Moss (Johnston) pinned Cook (Fall 1:15)

Round 2 - Lance Runyon (Indianola) pinned Cook (Fall 1:43)

Round 3 - Cesar Salazar (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson) pinned Cook (Fall 0:31)

Consolation Bracket - Cook pinned Nash Linsley (Knoxville) (Fall 0:48)

5th Place Match - Cesar Salazar (CBTJ) pinned Cook (Fall 0:57)

138 - Reece Caves (3-5) placed 4th

Round 1 - Caves pinned Jax Bellon (Knoxville) (Fall 0:55)

Round 2 - Caves pinned Jacob Milem (Davenport West) 2-2 (Fall 3:13)

Round 3 - Sterling Brunk (Johnston) pinned Caves (Fall 1:22)

Championship Bracket - Zach Fisher (Indianola) pinned Caves (Fall 1:05)

3rd Place Match - Jack Anson (Iowa City High) pinned Caves (Fall 2:24)

152 - Coltin Whitten (2-6) placed 4th

Round 1 - Whitten dec. 6-4 over Mason Webster (Davenport West)

Round 2 - Elliot Pohlmeyer (Johnston) pinned Whitten (Fall 1:38)

Round 3 - Andrew Louwagie (Mt. Vernon) dec. 4-3 over Whitten

Round 4 - Riley Spaur (Knoxville) dec. 8-1 over Whitten

Round 5 - Coltin Whitten dec. 8-6 over Senica Callhoun (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson)

160 - Tristin Langmaid (2-4) placed 6th

Round 1 - Kyle Hefley (Iowa City High) dec. 5-0 over Langmaid

Round 2 - Collin Hushagen (Johnston) pinned Langmaid (Fall 1:43)

Round 3 - Langmaid, bye

Consolation Bracket - Langmaid maj. dec. 12-3 over Nolan Hinrichs (Mt. Vernon)

5th Place Match - Jesus Rubio (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson) dec. 5-1 over Langmaid

170 - Tanner Petro (6-2) placed 2nd

Round 1 - Petro pinned Davryn Stewart (Iowa City High) (Fall 2:49)

Round 2 - Petro pinned Jake Axtell (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson) (Fall 1:55)

Round 3 - Petro dec. 5-4 Coy Martin (Mt. Vernon)

Championship Bracket - Petro dec. 3-2 over Coby Meyers (Knoxville)

1st Place Match - Kade Kolarik (Indianola) dec. 8-4 over Petro

182 - Blayden Rhone (5-3) placed 4th

Round 1 - Rhone pinned Cody Shives (Knoxville) (Fall 1:50)

Round 2 - Rhone pinned Anthony Stock (Davenport West) (Fall 4:26)

Round 3 - Rhone pinned Emin Okic (Johnston) (Fall 3:05)

Championship Bracket - Brock Hunger (Iowa City High) pinned Rhone (Fall 0:27)

3rd Place Match - Emin Okic (Johnston) dec. 8-2 over Rhone

195 - Brady Smith (7-1) placed 2nd

Round 1 - Jacob Dykes (Iowa City High) dec. 4-3 over Smith

Round 2 - Smith dec. 7-6 over Matthew Landsperger (Knoxville)

Round 3 - Smith dec. 5-3 over Bobby Piagentini (Johnston)

Round 4 - Smith dec. 5-1 over Sam Moore (Mt. Vernon)

Round 5 - Smith dec. 8-1 over Reece Bowlin (Indianola)

285 - Alex Miller (5-3) placed 3rd

Round 1 - Miller pinned Jacob Murry (Iowa City High) (Fall 5:23)

Round 2 - Miller won by tech fall 17-2 (3:43) over Garrett Brooks (Davenport West)

Round 3 - Jake Ryan (Johnston) dec. 3-2 over Miller

Championship Bracket - Eagan Lickiss (Indianola) pinned Miller (Fall 0:51)

3rd Place Match - Miller pinned Preston Shultz (Mt. Vernon) (Fall 3:38)

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com