Three Panthers earn medals at state tournament

     History-making performances resulted in three Monticello Panthers standing on the awards podium at the State Wrestling Tournament Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 15-17 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

     Freshman Kain Luensman (113 pounds) and junior Chase Luensman (132) came away with fourth place finishes at State, while junior Lake Stahlberg finished eighth at 220.

     “This was a big step for our program,” Monticello coach Ryan Luensman said. “Throughout the entire season there were signs of a great finish, and these three showed the state what our program is all about.

     “The state tournament was a roller coaster ride of emotion as these three battled day in and day out. I feel we all will walk away from this tournament happy, but not satisfied. We will all learn from these experiences and come back as better wrestlers and coaches.”

     A look at the Panther trio and their medal-winning performances:

Kain Luensman

     Kain Luensman opened with a 5-2 win over Brock Beck of Grinnell Thursday morning, opening a 5-0 lead after two periods.

     In Friday morning’s quarterfinals against Jason Peta of Estherville-Lincoln Central, he led 2-0 after the first period, then scored reversals in both the second and third periods on the way to a 7-0 win.

     “His first two matches of the tournament were flawless in how he controlled his opponents and maintained a consistent attack,” coach Luensman said.

     That put him in the semifinals Friday afternoon against Nathaniel Genobana of Centerville. Luensman scored an escape with 1:43 left in the second period to lead 1-0, but was called for a hand-locking violation in the closing seconds of the third period, tying the match 1-1.

     “That was a tough call with only four seconds left in the match,” the coach said. “It was devastating to Kain, but he finished the match and dug deep in overtime to get what we thought was the winning takedown.”

     Neither wrestler was awarded a takedown in the first overtime. In the first tie-breaking period, Genobana was able to get an escape in his 30-second opportunity, but Luensman couldn’t escape in his turn.

     “He left everything on the mat, and for that we couldn’t be more proud,” coach Luensman said.

     Kain bounced back on Saturday morning to score a major decision win over Beck of Grinnell in a rematch of those two. That clinched a top-four finish, and he finished fourth after a 10-2 major decision loss to Grayson Kesterson of Williamsburg.

     “Saturday morning, Kain wrestled his best match of the tournament,” the coach said. “He opened up on his feet and looked sharp after making weight three days in a row. That was a big mental step for him.”

     Kain Luensman finished with a record of 50-3.

Chase Luensman

     Chase Luensman, too, made it to the semifinals. He opened with a dominating 7-0 win over Trey Lawrence of Southeast Valley. The key there was a big second period that included an escape, takedown and near-fall.

     In the quarterfinals Friday morning, he trailed Chase McLaren of Atlantic-CAM 1-0 after two periods, but scored an escape and a takedown to take a 3-1 lead with 1:40 left. McLaren escaped in the final minute, but Luensman held on for a 3-2 win.

     “Chase had a solid state tournament in a very tough bracket,” the coach said. “He was calm and collected throughout each match and never stopped attacking.

     “I think Chase’s best match was his quarterfinal match. The Atlantic kid had beaten us earlier in the year. Chase maintained his composure and took opportunities when available.”

     Against Matt Robertson of Davenport Assumption in the semifinals, Chase Luensman built a 3-1 lead midway through the second period, but Robertson scored a takedown with five seconds left to tie it 3-3. Robertson then scored an escape and a takedown in the third period to win 6-3.

     “Chase had a great semifinal match and was very close to beating a defending state champion from Assumption. He was right there.”

     Chase went on to decision Carson Hartnett of Webster City 6-0 on Saturday to earn a spot in the third place match, which he lost 9-5 to Gabe Ruepke of Chariton.

     “Chase just needs to keep doing what he is already doing. He will continue to get stronger and he will wrestle throughout the summer,” the coach said.

     Chase Luensman finished 49-5.

Lake Stahlberg

     Lake Stahlberg wrestled five matches in the tournament, winning two of them to finish eighth overall. He was pinned by Areon Day of NHTV in Thursday’s first round, but won a pair of consolation matches to earn a spot on the awards podium.

     “Lake did a great job for his first state meet experience, and took advantage of the opportunities in front of him,” coach Luensman said.

     The first of those was a 5-2 decision over Brandon Johnson of Humboldt later Thursday morning. They were tied 2-2 after two periods, but Stahlberg, starting in the down position, scored an escape with 1:39 left, and a takedown with seven seconds left, to win it.

     He then won 3-1 in overtime over Kaden Sutton of ADM. The two battled to a 1-1 tie in regulation. Then, Sutton attempted to shoot late in the first overtime period, and Stahlberg side-stepped it and got behind him for a winning takedown with 12 seconds left.

     That clinched a spot on the podium for Stahlberg, and he finished eighth after a Friday loss to James Cherry of Webster City, 4-3; and a 9-2 loss on Saturday to Day.

     Coach Luensman said he was proud of Stahlberg’s accomplishment, coming back late in the season after missing about a year due to injury, and earning a medal at State.

     “This is a story I will be able to tell athletes for years to come,” the coach said. “The bottom line is this: Lake listened and he never quit fighting. He improved each match mentally and physically. Having things taken away from him before might have sparked a different fire with this opportunity.

     “As a staff we are not surprised that Lake is a state medalist; we are only surprised by the manner in which he did it. Lake will only continue to get better.”

     Stahlberg had a final record of 29-9.

Feb. 15-17

State Class 2A

Wrestling Tournament

(at Wells Fargo Arena,

Des Moines)

MONTICELLO RESULTS

     113 – Kain Luensman (fourth place) dec. Brock Beck, Grinnell, 5-2; dec. Jason Peta, Estherville-Lincoln Central, 7-0; lost by tie-breaker to Nathaniel Genobana, Centerville, 2-1; won by major dec. over Brock Beck, Grinnell, 11-0; lost by major dec. to Grayson Kesterson, Williamsburg, 10-2.

     132 – Chase Luensman (fourth) dec. Trey Lawrence, Southeast Valley, 7-0; dec. Chase McLaren, Atlantic/CAM, 3-2; lost to Matt Robertson, Davenport Assumption, 6-3; dec. Carson Hartnett, Webster City, 6-0; lost to Gabe Ruepke, Chariton, 9-5.

     220 – Lake Stahlberg (eighth) was pinned by Areon Day, NHTV, 4:40; dec. Brandon Johnson, Humboldt, 5-2; won in overtime over Kaden Sutton, ADM, 3-1; lost to James Cherry, Webster City, 4-3.