The Iola Mustangs made history Wednesday, sweeping a double-dual with Columbus and Fort Scott.
“We beat two teams tonight that we’ve never beaten before in school history. It was an exciting night for sure,” said Iola coach John Taylor, who made the most of his 175 lbs. weight class in the victories.
Senior 126 lbs. Trapper Boren put the Mustangs on the right path with a pair of pins in both opening matches. Boren (18-8) pinned Columbus senior Cal Saporito (14-14) in the first period and Fort Scott freshman Camden Wescoast (8-12) in the second period.
“Wrestling against Kevon Loving at practice is wearing me out,” Boren said. “He goes hard. I also got stronger in the offseason and that helped.”
One weight class higher, junior 132 lbs. Ruger Boren also had a perfect night with pins on Columbus freshman Denver Hughes in the first period, then Fort Scott senior Gavin Griffiths in the first period.
AS THEIR opening dual match against Columbus progressed, it got dicey for the Mustangs when sophomore 144 lbs. Kevon Loving (18-7) fell to Columbus senior Shade Schuberger (19-11) by an 8-4 decision. Shortly after, 165 lbs. junior Kale Pratt (12-4) also lost to Columbus junior Braun Stone (18-9) by a 4-0 decision.
A second period pin by junior 150 lbs. Beau Erickson over Columbus sophomore Ethan Wulf kept Iola in contention. Iola junior Evan LaCrone put Iola back in the driver’s seat after scooping up a pin before the first whistle in a win over Columbus junior Gabe Robinson. Iola junior 190 lbs. Franklin Kerr’s 4-0 decision over Columbus sophomore Logan McBride (9-5) sealed a 39-24 dual victory. 
STRATEGY played a factor in Iola’s second dual win of the night. Fort Scott rallied with first-period pins of Iola senior 138 lbs. Harley Blankenship and Erickson. Iola’s Pratt then pinned freshman Brennan Binford (2-12) to halt Fort Scott’s momentum.
Instead of opting for veteran LaCrone, Taylor realized Fort Scott freshman Marshall Willett had just been through a marathon with Columbus’ Robinson. Taylor thus opted for sophomore 175 lbs. B.J. Seance.
“Evan is more of a defensive wrestler, and B.J. is all offense,” Taylor said. “It gives me options when we go places. I scouted the other team beforehand and thought B.J.’s style matched up well against Fort Scott.”
Coming in fresh after not wrestling in the opener, and looking to prove himself after months of gains in the weight room, Seance blitzed through Willet. Willet made it to the second period before Seance locked up a pin, more a demonstration of Willett’s ability to survive than anything else, as Seance was the clear aggressor throughout the match.
“My coach came up to me before I wrestled and told me if I lost he was going to kick my butt,” Seance said. “I wasn’t really confident. He was pretty big, so I was kind of scared. But as soon as I hit the mat and took him down, I thought, ‘I can do this.’”
As for the Iola girls, with junior 190 lbs. Zoie Hesse limited on points and 130 lbs. sophomore Addilyn Wacker taking the night off out of precaution for any potential injury, the Mustangs only competed in a handful of matches. Freshman 135 lbs Bayleigh Scheibmeir and senior Gabriel Briggs fell in both of their matches by first-period pins. Freshman heavyweight Kailyn Rodriguez won both of her matches by forfeit.
