Schoenherr battles his way to State

Wrestling

     Midland sophomore Brett Schoenherr lost a close match in the finals, then survived a wrestleback for the second place spot, to earn a trip to the State Class 1A Wrestling Tournament.

     Schoenherr took second place at 220 pounds in the district tournament Saturday, Feb. 11 in Wilton.

     Schoenherr, who sports a record of 40-12, made it to the finals before falling to Logan O’Connor of Lisbon by ultimate tie-breaker. Schoenherr then won a wrestleback for the true second spot, beating Kade McKinney of WACO 6-3.

     “Brett’s style is non-stop, grinding, and wearing down the opponent,” Midland coach Cody Goble said. “He did a real good job. In the finals match there was a controversial call out of bounds that gave the opposing wrestler an escape and sealed the win. In the match for true second, we knew it was going to be tough, but he was able to grind out a win.

     “Brett has shined as the matches get later, as his hard work ethic shows over kids that take reps off in practice.”

     Midland had four wrestlers at the district (not seven as was incorrectly reported here last week), and the other three all took third place. They included Griffen Gravel at 126, Kasper Heiken at 132 and Jalen Huston at 182.

     “It seemed that the steam our guys had at sectionals was a little flat after having a great week of practice,” Goble said. “It’s huge to be able to have four district qualifiers back next year, and adding a couple eighth-graders who bring in high level experience. This is something we are building on, and hopefully we’ll have continued success.”

     Schoenherr will begin competition at the state tournament during the Thursday, Feb. 16, 1:30 p.m. session at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Boys basketball

     A pair of losses ended the regular season for the Midland boys basketball team.

     The Eagles (4-6, 5-16) played host to Calamus-Wheatland Jan. 31, and lost by a score of 73-63. A 25-7 first quarter for the Warriors set the tone for the outcome. For Midland, Alex Martens and Fisher Bisinger each scored 20 points, and Connor Harms had 11. Alex Martens had six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Dawson Paulsen and Bisinger had three steals apiece. Harms also had six rebounds.

     On Feb. 7, Midland closed its regular season with a 53-48 home loss to Lisbon. Alex Martens had 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. Bisinger had 10 points. Trace Jensen had nine points and eight rebounds.