Mount Vernon wrestling team was the district champion and qualified many wrestlers to the state tournament. (Contributed photo)
Mount Vernon boys’ wrestling won its Class 2A District Meet on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Ballard, and qualified nine wrestlers for this week’s state tournament in Des Moines.
Mount Vernon scored 233.5 points. Ballard was second with 169 points and PCM was third with 140.5.
Cooper Krob (106), Jake Haugse (120), Jase Jaspers (144), Mikey Ryan (150), Will Goodlove (157), Cooper Hird (165), Jaxon Anderson (175), Caysen Curran (190), and Ethan Wood (285) all punched their tickets to Wells Fargo.
“That was a few more than we anticipated,” Mount Vernon coach Vance Light said. “But the more the merrier.”
The big numbers could help the Mustangs contend for the team title in a fairly open 2A field.
“It just depends on how we wrestle,” Light said. “The only thing you control is how you do, then you see how the other teams do.”
If the Mustangs contend, they’ll be led by their three district champions – Jaspers, Ryan and Wood. They earned, respectively, a one, two and three seed at the state tournament.
Jaspers only had to wrestle twice Saturday, he pinned Adam Boeck of Van Meter in 1:25, and beat Colton Shaffer of Oskaloosa by technical fall, 19-3 in 4:14.
Ryan won three times, with two pins and a technical fall in the championships, 19-3 over Jayden Leland of Ballard.
Wood was behind Kaden Clark of PCM in the championship when he “caught the guy on his back” per Light, and pinned him in 5:20.
“They all wrestled well and concentrated on the little things,” Light said.
Most of the rest of the Mustang qualifiers had to battle for that state spot. Krob, Haugse, and Hird had to win a wrestleback after losing in the finals.
“We had six guys in wrestlebacks,” Light said. “A few guys came up a little short.”
Nolan Mercer (132) lost his wrestleback after losing in the finals to finish third. Chasen Caskey (138) and Andrew Dix (215) won their third-place match and tried to get to state by winning the wrestleback, but fell short. CJ Martin (126) also finished third.
For wrestlers not named Jaspers, Ryan or Wood, the path at state will be tougher.
“None of the rest are seeded in the top eight, they are scattered out,” Light said. “But you’ve got win some matches to place, so it really doesn’t matter.”
In a year where the lineup has fluctuated most of the season, and the Mustangs already collected a state duals banner, the ending is still unknown.
“The guys that made it to the end of the year deserve to be there,” Light said. “It’ll also help us out for next year. All but three (qualifiers) are underclassmen. It’ll be good for the younger guys to get experience, and get hungry for next year.”