By Mark Schafer
The News-Review
DES MOINES – His first round he seemed to be in total control of everything that was happening.
Showing no fear Sigourney-Keota junior Owen Menke walked out to the mat for his first round match and immediately went to work.
Squaring off against a junior from Postville, Menke seemed to have complete control. Anything Menke wanted to do, he was able to do.
Neither wrestler scored in the first minute of the match, but Menke was able to score a three point takedown late in the first period for the first three points of the match. Menke continued to improve his position and was able to lay his opponent flat on the mat in the closing seconds of the period. The only thing that kept the match going was time running out for Menke to get the pin.
Still, the junior led 7-0 after the first period.
The second period was almost an exact copy of the first. Both wrestlers moved around the mat. Late in the period Menke was able to take his Postville wrestler to the ground for a three point take down. Menke once again had a chance at a pin, but the period ended before the pin counted and Menke had another four point nearfall.
Just seconds into the third period Menke was ready to pounce. He once again took down his opponent early, but this time the three points ended the match.
The final take down gave Menke a 17-0 lead, which ended the match after 4:37 with a tech fall.
That advanced Menke into the second round of the championship bracket where he took on Hinton wrestler Jacob Bishop.
Menke was taken down to the mat early in the match. After nearly escaping one pin attempt from Bishop, Menke wasn’t able to get out of the next hold. As a result Menke was pinned in 1:01.
Bishop would go on to finish fourth overall in the tournament. That sent him to the consolation bracket on Thursday afternoon.
In the first consolation round Menke was paired with Starmont’s Owen Recker, a senior.
Early in the first period Recker trapped Menke and brought him down to the mat for a three point take down.
Menke was able to reverse the move and it appeared that Menke had offense going for him.
Recker quickly reversed the reversal and took advantage. From there Menke was trapped and pinned, ending his State tournament run.
Overall Menke finished the season with a 38-11 record. He was the only wrestler from SK to make it to the State tournament.
Photos by Mark Schafer
