Iolan takes third at state meet

SALINA — In his six years of competitive wrestling, Bryce Misenhelter had never been in an experience quite like Saturday’s.
The Iola High senior was locked in a scoreless duel with Spring Hill’s Dylan Thompson.
The match appeared destined for overtime as Misenhelter — who opened the third and final period with the top position — struggled to find a way to put Thompson on his back, while preventing an escape.
The seconds slipped away with Misenhelter on top, struggling to score a point.
Then the unexpected happened.
“He dipped his head,” Misenhelter said. “That was my chance.”
With Thompson on his side, Misenhelter twisted until his opponent was nearly on his back when the clock expired and the whistle sounded.
The crazy part?
The move was a first for Misenhelter in a competitive setting.
“I knew how to do it, but I’d only done it in practice,” he said.
Misenhelter then wondered if he had done it in time, as did his opponents.
Spring Hill’s coach and fans howled in protest as the referee credited Misenhelter with a two-point near fall — and consequently a 2-0 win in Saturday’s third-place match in the 195-pound division of the Class 4A State Wrestling Championships.
Misenhelter responded in dominating fashion in Saturday’s consolation rounds after being eliminated from title contention one day earlier by eventual runner-up Skyler Hittle of Concordia.
He won four straight consolation matches without allowing a point.
He shut out Columbus’ Bradley VanHoose, 7-0, Luke Carey of Tonganoxie, 5-0, and Wellington’s Taylon Lamkin, 2-0, to set up the third-place showdown with Thompson.
It was a fitting way for Misenhelter to end his high school wrestling career, Mustang head coach Brad Carson agreed.
“Here’s somebody who showed up every day in the offseason for weights and conditioning,” Carson said. “That’s what made these achievements possible.”
“This was a good way to go out,” Misenhelter said, particularly after he vowed to return to state after qualifying, but not winning a match in Salina, to end his junior season.
He seamlessly moved up a weight class at midseason this year, from 182 pounds to 195.

IN HIS consolation semifinal against Lamkin, Bryce couldn’t get any points through the first two periods.
But neither could his opponent. Misenhelter withstood a series of escape attempts by Lamkin in the second period, a key moment in the match.
When Misenhelter opened the third and final period on bottom, he quickly pulled himself around to the side, getting a 2-point reversal, and the only points he needed.
Lamkin’s last-ditch attempt at a reversal or escape occurred moments after the final whistle sounded.

MISENHELTER easily dispatched VanHoose in his first consolation match, before a gratifying quarterfinal win over Carey — the same wrestler who eliminated Misenhelter from the 2013 state tournament when both were at 182 pounds.
That match was scoreless through the first two periods, until Misenhelter — who started the third round on bottom — finally wriggled free and grabbed Carey from behind to get a two-point reversal with 41 seconds left. He held that advantage, earning a 3-point near fall as the seconds drained away to seal the 5-0 victory.
 
MISENHELTER was joined in the limelight over the weekend by classmate John Whitworth.
Whitworth capped his first and only full year of high school wrestling on a high point, having won a state wrestling match on Friday before being eliminated by Goodland’s John Peden Saturday morning.
Peden had entered the tournament unbeaten, but lost in the championship quarterfinals to face Whitworth in Saturday’s consolation match.
Whitworth got the early advantage, scoring two points for a takedown 30 seconds into the match.
Peden, however, earned a penalty point for Whitworth’s illegal hold, then evened the match, 2-2, with an escape seconds before the first-period clock expired.
Peden chose the top position in the second period, and took full advantage, forcing Whitworth onto his back after 40 seconds of maneuvering.
With 80 seconds left in the period — an eternity for a wrestler facing a near pin — Whitworth lurched and writhed viciously with the hopes of preventing such a fate.
Alas, it was to no avail. Whitworth tired, and Peden got the pin with 34 seconds remaining.
“I was proud of John,” Carson said. “He fought like heck to get out of that last hold. He had a great season, making it to state and winning a match out here. He accomplished a lot and helped us as a team. He just had a tough draw.”
“I knew the match might be my last, so I went as hard as I could,” Whitworth said. “That way I would be satisfied, win or lose.”
Whitworth reflected on his progression as a wrestler.
“At the start of the season, I just relied on my athleticism,” said Whitworth, who will play football next season at Hutchinson Community College. “Then I learned more about technique and different moves. Just going through practice this season will help me as an athlete.”
“This match showed just how close John was to some of the better wrestlers around,” Carson said.

CARSON hopes the effort shown by Misenhelter and Whitworth serves as an inspiration for Iola’s younger wrestlers.
One year after Iola’s Steven McDonald earned the school’s highest-ever final ranking, a second-place finish in 2013, Misenhelter gave the IHS program medalists in two consecutive years.
“It’s no coincidence those two kids were so successful,” Carson said. “They put their heart and soul into their work, and it paid off for both of them.”