Districts, regional duals next for MV

     The success of the Maquoketa Valley wrestling team at the Class 1A sectional meet Feb. 2 at Starmont was twofold.

     First, three Wildcats advanced to individual district competition by finishing in the top two in their weight classes.

     Michael Feldmann won the 220-pound championship by pinning Louis Hamlett of Starmont in the finals, in 48 seconds. Qualifying by finishing second were Parker Sternhagen at 145 pounds and James LeGassick at 170.

     And second, MV earned a spot in the regional duals tournament by finishing second out of seven teams. Don Bosco won the meet with 309 points, and the Wildcats scored 151.

     “Overall I thought the guys fought hard and did a great job of representing Maquoketa Valley,” MV coach Tim Andrews said. “Qualifying for regional duals is always a goal of ours, and to do that once again shows how far this team has come this year.

     “I’m also proud of the guys that met their individual goals of moving on (to districts), as well as the rest of the guys that earned key points for the team.”

     Placing third were Anthony March at 106, Carter Kruse at 182 and Evan Elgin at 195.

     The Wildcats were scheduled to face Wilton in a regional dual semifinal match Feb. 5 at Lisbon.