Wilson earns pair of wins at state tournament

   After winning the district title in DeWitt on Feb. 14, Monticello freshman Wyatt Wilson made his first appearance at the Iowa High School state wrestling tournament at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines from Feb. 18-21.

   Wilson went 2-2 for the tournament, picking up two wins in the Thursday session to advance to the Friday morning session.

   “Overall, it was a strong tournament for Wyatt,” Panther coach Ryan Luensman said. “No matter how many big events a wrestler has been in, the state tournament is a tough environment. Nerves, excitement, expectations, etc. all wrapped into one.”

   Wilson, who was the no. 12 seed in the 126-pound bracket, started the tournament off with a 1-0 decision win over the no. 21 seed Owen Lewin, of West Delaware.

   “I was proud of Wyatt staying composed with a wrestler that wasn’t posing any offense,” Luensman said. “He just wanted to keep it close. Wyatt stayed in control and finished out the match strong, getting the victory.”

   In the second round, Wilson dropped a 6-1 decision to the fifth-seeded Ryan Rose, of Burlington Notre Dame.

   “Wyatt had some good opportunities to score, but couldn’t get the finishes he needed,” Luensman said. “It was a tight match until the very end with a deciding takedown in the third period.”

   In his third match of the day, Wilson picked up a 16-0 technical fall over Union’s Wesley Gaston, who was seeded 22nd.

   “Wyatt really started to open up his offense,” Luensman said. “He came out strong and finished with a decisive win. He had some good turns throughout the match as well. It was good to see Wyatt bounce back from the loss and make it to the second day of competition.”

   In the morning session on Friday, Feb. 20, Wilson dropped a 9-7 decision to Decorah’s Mason Glotfelty, the no. 13 seed. The loss dropped Wilson out of the tournament and put his season record at 33-5.

   “In his first match on Friday, Wyatt had a tough opponent from Decorah,” Luensman added. “He started a little slow, going down 5-0, but fought back to tie it up in the second period. In the end, one scrabble takedown was the deciding factor. Even in the loss, Wyatt really opened up and wrestled well.

   “We are very proud of Wyatt and everything he accomplished this season. We are very excited to watch him grow and get back to the state tournament next season. He definitely has some unfinished business,” Luensman said.

Feb. 18-21

(IHSAA State Championships at Casey’s Center)

MATCH RESULTS

126 – Champ. Round 1 – Wyatt Wilson (Monti) won by decision over Owen Lewin (West Delaware) (Dec 1-0); Champ. Round 2 – Ryan Rose (Burlington Notre Dame) won by decision over Wyatt Wilson (Monti) (Dec 6-1); Cons. Round 2 – Wyatt Wilson (Monti) won by technical fall over Wesley Gaston (Union, LaPorte City) (TF-1.5 3:22 (16-0)); Cons. Round 3 – Mason Glotfelty (Decorah) won by decision over Wyatt Wilson (Monti) (Dec 9-7)