May 06, 2024

Aebischer, Cupples lead five Cardinals at C-M Girls Tournament

Newton girls compete in 22-team wrestling tourney

By Troy Hyde

Newton sophomore Stella Cupples gets a win by pin during the Colfax-Mingo Girls Tournament on Saturday. Cupples finished fourth at 115 pounds and the Cardinals finished 19th in the 22-team field. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)

COLFAX — Some of the grapplers on the Newton girls wrestling team were held out of action at the Colfax-Mingo Girls Tournament on Saturday because of some minor injuries.

With regionals only a week away, Newton head girls wrestling coach Chad Garvis didn’t want to risk further injury.

Five Cardinals did compete in the 22-team tournament that featured seventh-ranked Osage and 18 ranked individuals.

Leading the way for Newton were Stella Cupples and Brianna Aebischer as the Cardinals placed 19th with 27 points.

Third-ranked Elizabeth Elliott (100), 10th-ranked Jessie Hutchinson (170) and Abby Chance (155) were held out of competition but should be ready to go for regionals next week, according to Garvis.

Newton junior Claire Breuer competes in the Colfax-Mingo Girls Tournament on Saturday. Breuer claimed a win at 135 pounds and helped the Cardinals score 27 team points. (Troy Hyde/Newton News)

However, Emma Lopez-Garcia (135), Brilea Moffitt (155) and Ella Machin (190) will not return after suffering season-ending injuries.

Seventh-ranked Osage won the tournament with 244 points. The rest of the top five featured Raccoon River-Northwest (129), Mid-Prairie (112.5), Pella (107) and West Fork (102). Host Colfax-Mingo placed eighth with 98 points.

Both Cupples (115) and Aebischer (145) were fourth at their weights. Cupples (18-10) won her first match by fall but finished 1-2 for the day after back-to-back losses, including a 5-2 defeat in the third-place match.

Aebischer (14-9) finished 2-2. She won her first two bouts before losing to top-ranked Emma Peach of Iowa Valley in the semifinals. She also lost 6-0 in the third-place match.

Peach has never lost a high school match and is now 31-0 this season.

Claire Breuer (135), Grace Guy (170) and Ashlyn Van Manen (170) also competed for Newton.

Breuer finished 1-2. She lost 9-6 to start the day then won 8-2 before losing by fall. Guy and Van Manen both were 0-2. One of Van Manen’s losses came against ninth-ranked Leah Grimm of Osage.