With the dual on the line, No. 8 Mount Vernon was able to send out senior Jakie Haugse to wrap things up against No. 20 Solon on Thursday, Jan. 23, in Solon.
Just 25 seconds later, and the dual was won. Mount Vernon beat Solon, 38-32.
“I was nervous, knowing it came down to me,” Haugse said. “But I wanted to stay cool and wrestle my best; give it my all.”
Haugse took down Joshua Vazquez-Heri at 120 pounds and turned him almost immediately. A few second later, it was over.
“He gets a lot of bonus points,” Mount Vernon coach Vance Light said of Haugse.
Of course, a number of things led to the final match. Solon was leading the dual 32-28 after 12 matches. Sophomore Cooper Krob earned an 8-0 major decision at 113 pounds over Solon sophomore Evan Gleason.
“I think Cooper was 0-for-3 against that guy last year,” Light said. “So that was a great time to get it.”
Being Hwy. 1 rivals and in the same conference and often the same district, Solon and Mount Vernon wrestlers often face off multiple times in a season.
Such was the case for junior Jase Jaspers. He drew Solon senior Jordan Schmidt. They are ranked No. 1 and No. 5 in Class 2A at 144 pounds.
The two seemed to counter each other’s moves in the first two periods, but Jaspers finally got some points in the third period and won, 6-0.
“I think that was my fifth in two years (wrestling Schmidt),” Jaspers said. “We kind of just feel each other out in the first period. It was a tough ride in the second and third period.”
Schmidt got nailed for stalling on the bottom.
“I’m a little biased,” Light said. “But I think that kid was just trying to keep it close. When Jase rode him out whole second period, it kind of took the wind out of his sails.”
Mount Vernon got some nice bonus points from junior Caysen Curran at 190 pounds. Curran pinned Tripp Johnson in 3:45.
Curran has been heating up, of late. Ranked to start the season, Curran feel out of the rankings. He won gold at the Creston Invitational the Saturday previous.
“At the beginning of the season I was not feeling it that much,” Curran said. “I hit a wall, really. Then after Christmas, I started going uphill. I just felt better, and wrestled better.”
“I started to think about what I really want.”
Also contributing a pin for the Mustangs was Nolan Mercer (132). Mikey Ryan (150) had a technical fall. Cooper Hird (165) and Ethan Wood (285) added major decisions.
Mount Vernon (18-9) capped the week by going 3-2 at the Clyde Bean-Brad Smith Duals at Iowa City High.
The Mustangs beat Newton 53-26, Ottumwa 54-23, and City High 44-28, but lost to Clear Creek Amana 44-28 and then Cedar Rapids Xaiver 43-35 in the third-place dual. No. 4 Ankeny beat CCA for the title.
Jaspers led the Mustangs with five wins on the day, including four pins. Mikey Ryan (150) and Ethan Wood (285) each went 4-0 with a forfeit.
In a year that’s seen some big wins and some big setbacks, the Mustangs are still eyeing a spot at the 2A State Duals on Saturday, Feb. 8.
“I think 2A is kind of up for grabs, with seven, eight teams that maybe can contend for the title,” Light said.
“We’re coming together as a team,” Jaspers said. “We’ve become a family. And we’re looking dangerous for the postseason. I think a lot of teams don’t want to wrestle us.”
Mount Vernon will get another big test Thursday, Jan. 30, when they host Class 1A No. 1 Alburnett. Then a trip to Van Horne for the WaMaC Championships on Saturday, Feb. 1.
“I feel like we’ve all put a lot of work in,” Haugse said. “We’ve got a pretty good shot.”
Mount Vernon 38, Solon 32
126 – Jayden Steapp (S) pinned Jake Shady :58. 132 – Nolan Mercer (MV) pinned Justin Moore 1:28. 138 – Charlie Karam (S) tech. fall Chasen Caskey 16-0 4:03. 144 – Jase Jaspers (MV) dec. Jordan Schmidt 6-1. 150 – Mikey Ryan (MV) tech. fall Connor Dunn 17-1 1:29. 157 – Carson Kidwell (S) dec. Will Goodlove 9-3. 165 – Cooper Hird (MV) maj. dec. Teague Williams 16-7. 175 – Jackson Feuerbach (S) pinned Jaxon Anderson 5:28. 190 – Caysen Curran (MV) pinned Tripp Johnson 3:45. 215 – Lucas Feuerbach (S) pinned Kael Riniker 2:59. 285 – Ethan Wood (MV) maj. dec. Grant Wilson 12-3. 106 – Anderson Osgood (S) pinned Matthew Goodlove 2:11. 113 – Cooper Krob (MV) maj. dec. Evan Gleason 8-0. 120 – Jake Haugse (MV) pinned Joshua Vazquez-Heri :25.
CLYDE BEAN-BRAD SMITH DUALS
Team finish. 1. Ankeny. 2 Clear Creek Amana. 3. Xaiver. 4. Mount Vernon. 5. Iowa City High. 6. C.R. Prairie. 7. C.R. Kennedy. 8. Newton. 9. Oskaloosa. 10. Ottumwa.
Mount Vernon 53, Newton 26
106 – Kent Montgomery (N) pinned Matthew Goodlove :28. 113 – Abel Aldama (N) pinned Cooper Krob 1:00. 120 – Jake Haugse (MV) pinned J’Kwon Williamson 1:50. 126 – Kaiden Rogers (N) tech. fall Jake Shady 17-0. 132 – Nolan Mercer (MV) tech. fall James Murphy 17-0. 138 – Chasen Caskey (MV) pinned Sebastian Sorenson 3:30. 144 – Jase Jaspers (MV) pinned Zaine Robson 1:30. 150 – Mikey Ryan (MV) pinned Aiden Robson 1:16. 157 – Lane Rozendaal (N) dec. Will Goodlove 8-5. 165 – Cooper Hird (MV) pinned Asher Rhoads 2:59. 175 – Jaxon Anderson (MV) pinned Deshawn Boclaire 2:22. 190 – Caysen Curran (MV) pinned Zach Sheffield :38. 215 – Nick Nilburn (N) pinned Kael Riniker 3:51. 285 – Ethan Wood (MV0 pinned Coeby Revell 3:22.
Clear Creek Amana 44, Mount Vernon 28
113 – Wyatt Iburg (CCA) pinned Cooper Krob 1:14. 120 – Jose Mendiata (CCA) maj. Dec. Jake Haugse 18-4. 126 – Malachi Clement (CCA) pinned Jake Shady 1:22. 132 – Cale Nash (CCA) pinned Nolan Mercer 1:25. 138 – Jay Halverson (CCA) maj. Dec. Chasen Caskey 16-5; 144 – Jase Jaspers (MV) maj. dec. Nolan Howell 11-0. 150 – Mikey Ryan (MV) pinned Trace Roberttson 1:03. 157 – Ben Haughey (CCA) pinned Will Goodlove 1:24. 165 – Cooper Hird (MV) dec. JJ Patterson 12-6. 175 – Clayton Isham (CCA) pinned Watson Krob 1:15. 190 – Caysen Curran (MV) pinned Dylan Schrock 3:36. 215 – Kael Riniker (MV) dec. Carson Bromwell 4-1. 285 – Ethan Wood (MV) pinned Karl Westermann 1:05. 106 – Cole Kasparek (CCA) pinned Matthew Goodlove 1:20.
Mount Vernon 54, Ottumwa 23
126 – Jake Shady (MV) pinned Brock Garcia 2:55. 132 – Tayton Frueh (O) dec. Nolan Mercer 4-0. 138 – Chris Moore (O) pinned Chasen Caskey 5:46. 144 – Jase Jaspers (MV) pinned Efren Huerta 1:07. 150 – Mikey Ryan (MV) pinned Jonathan Wailes :29. 157 – Will Goodlove 9MV) pinned Madden Rouw :53. 165 – Cooper Hird (MV) won by forfeit. 175 – Jaxon Anderson (MV) pinned Neo Guida 1:04. 190 – Caysen Curran (MV) pinned Justin Ockenfels 1:31. 215 – Kael Riniker (MV) pinned Jackson Songer 1:29. 285 – Ethan Wood (MV) pinned Dylan Forney 2:56. 106 – Jomagne Mancol (O) pinned Cooper Krob 2:00. 113 – Andrew Bedner (O) tech. fall Matthew Goodlove 16-1. 120 – Ashton Grace (O) dec. Jake Haugse 6-1.
Mount Vernon 44, Iowa City High 28
132 – Nolan Mercer (MV) maj. Dec. Chris Davis 11-2. 138 – Donovan Gipson (ICH) maj. dec. Chasen Caskey 13-4. 144 – Jase Jaspers (MV) pinned Alex Holmes :51. 150 – Mikey Ryan (MV) won by forfeit. 157 – Will Goodlove (MV) pinned Laith Alawneh 5:09. 165 – Cooper Hird (MV) maj. dec. Marshall Sheldon 12-4. 175 – Mason Tilley (ICH) dec. Jaxon Anderson 8-1. 190 – Caysen Curran (MV) pinned Blaine Heick 1:48. 215 – Raphael Etuma (ICH) maj. dec. Kael Riniker 12-3. 285 – Ethan Wood (MV) pinned Kane Willey 2:39. 106 – Matthew Goodlove (MV) won by forfeit. 113 – Breckin Morrison (ICH) pinned Cooper Krob 3:40. 120 – Kendall Kurtz (ICH) tech. fall Jake Haugse 19-3. 126 – Chase Williams (ICH) pinned Jake Shady 3:58.
THIRD: Cedar Rapids Xavier 43, Mount Vernon 35
106 – Taitumn Deppe (CRX) tech. fall Cooper Krob 16-1. 113 – Austen Eich (CRX) pinned Matthew Goodlove 1:46. 120 – Jake Haugse (MV) won by forfeit. 126 – Max Valenta (CRX) pinned Jake Shady 3:01. 132 – Jack Foster (CRX) pinned Nolan Mercer 3:43. 138 – Chasen Caskey (MV) def. Kelso Brueck injury default; 144 – Jase Jaspers (MV) pinned Brady Leymaster 1:07. 150 – Mikey Ryan (MV) tech. fall Germaine Ngoma 18-2. 157 – Will Goodlove (MV) pinned Brady DeCamp 1:20. 165 – Marek McNamara (CRX) pinned Cooper Hird 1:34. 175 – Dane Melchior (CRX) pinned Watson Krob 1:41. 190 – Dusy Cook (CRX) dec. Caysen Curran 9-4. 215 – Jean Ngoma (CRX) tech. fall Kael Riniker 19-4. 285 – Ethan Wood (MV) won by forfeit.