By Mark Schafer | The News-Review
SIGOURNEY – The first wrestle of the year is always imperfect.
Last Tuesday two area teams opened up their wrestling season as Sigourney-Keota hosted 22 other schools in a wrestling meet. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont would win the meet with 178 total points. Pekin finished third with 128 points. Sigourney would place ninth overall with 71 points.
Although the first wrestle of the year can often be filled with uncertainties, one thing that wasn’t uncertain was how well some of the Pekin wrestlers were able to show their skills.
Lexa Nelson, for example, seemed to build off her podium finish at the State wrestling meet. The 110-pound Nelson made quick work of all three of her opponents. Nelson started out the meet with a win in the quarterfinal round with a pin in 1:35.
In the semifinals, Nelson needed just 48 seconds to pin her Newton opponent.
The championship match was a close one, but eventually Nelson was able to pin her Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont opponent in 4:48 to gain the bracket win.
Hailey Pedrick was able to win most of her matches. Pedrick started her 140-pound bracket with a win by pin in the first round. She needed just 59 seconds to pin her Mid-Prairie opponent. In the quarterfinals, Pedrick pinned her Newton opponent in 26 seconds.
Pedrick continued the quick matches with a semifinal win in just 27 seconds over a Lisbon wrestler.
The championship match featured Pedrick taking on a North Mahaska opponent. However, Kia Pedrick was pinned in 4:32. She finished second overall.
In the 130-pound bracket, Lila Miller would place second overall. Miller was able to start her night with a win by pin in the quarterfinals over an East Union opponent. Miller was then able to pin her semifinal opponent in 24 seconds.
The championship match featured an EBF opponent pinning Miller in 3:21.
Reece Brisby placed fifth in the 125-pound bracket. Brisby was pinned in her fist match, but she won her first consolation round match with a pin in 4:23. She would then need just 3:27 to win in the consolation semifinal match. In the fifth place match Brisby needed 1:29 to pin her Centerville opponent.
Ella Rose wrestled in the 145-pound bracket. Rose won her first match by pinning her Columbus/WMU opponent in 2:34. After being pinned in the semifinals, Rose battled well, but was pinned in the first period against a Clear Creek-Amana opponent in the third place match.
Carly Clubb finished fifth in the 190-pound bracket. Clubb was pinned in 51 seconds in her first match. Clubb would then rebound by pinning a Lone Tree opponent in 1:11 in the consolation semifinals. In the fifth place match, Clubb pinned a Newton opponent in 3:05.
Rylee Frye finished fifth in the 235-pound bracket. Frye started her meet with a 48-second pin over a Louisa-Muscatine opponent. In the quarterfinal round Frye was pinned by a North Mahaska opponent.
Frye would win her first consolation round match via medical forfeit. She would win her consolation semifinal match by pinning a WACO opponent in 2:17. She would win fifth place after pinning a Baxter opponent in 38 seconds.
After a successful freshman year, Karley Greiner continued to build on that success with a third place finish in her first meet. Greiner started her 155-pound tournament with a 49 second pin over a Newton opponent.
In the semifinals, Greiner wrestled well into the second period before she was pinned. She moved to the third place match, which featured another second period match. This time Greiner was able to pin her Washington opponent in 3:45.
Kia Montgomery was one of the top placers for the Sigourney-Keota girls wrestling team. She wrestled in the 135-pound bracket and finished fifth overall.
Montgomery was pinned in her first round match. In the consolation bracket, Montgomery was able to start her tournament with a pin against a Centerville opponent in just 50 seconds. Montgomery then was able to win against a Louisa-Muscatine opponent, pinning them in 1:18.
In the fifth place match, Montgomery was able to pin a Moravia opponent in 42 seconds.
Izzy Heisdorffer would place fifth in the 145-pound bracket. After being pinned in 28 seconds in the quarterfinals, Heisdorffer would recover by pinning a Centerville wrestler in 26 seconds. The consolation semifinals featured Heisdorffer pinning Pekin’s Brinley Phillips in 35 seconds.
Heisdorffer capped off the night with a 1:17 pin in the fifth place match over a Grinnell opponent.
Photos by Mark Schafer
