Iola High School Mustangs posted their first top-three finish in the program’s history at the Pioneer League Championship at Thursday’s regular season finale in Burlington.
Sophomore Kevon Loving, 144 lbs., headlined nine IHS grapplers reaching the medal podium. As a team, the Mustangs placed third.
“Overall, I feel good, but I’m a little disappointed because I feel we could have done better,” Iola coach John Taylor said. “Our goal was to win the whole tournament, but we finished third as a team, which is the highest we’ve ever finished, but we left a lot out there.”
As the top seed, following an opening round bye, Loving (28-9) posted a 22-6 technical fall over Santa Fe Trail freshman Jaystin Kelly (10-13).
Loving beat Anderson County freshman Westin Wright (22-9) to win the championship match. Loving was nearly pinned early on, but managed to roll out. After a contentious back-and-fourth, Westin mistakenly reversed directly into Loving’s shoulder, allowing Loving to snatch up a quick half-nelson and take the match.
“I feel pretty good. Every day I walk in the wrestling room I get to see my name on a banner,” Loving said. “I’m happy for myself and for the team. It was a lucky pin, but I’m happy.”
Loving now has his sights on qualifying for the state tournament for the first time. He seemed on track Thursday. He credited his ascendance to being fearless when it comes to shooting for takedowns.
“I really did one thing to change from last year to this year,” Loving said. “It was my neutral work and being confident in my shots and everything I do — just go out there and work hard.”
Senior Trapper Boren, 126 lbs., (25-14) opened with a first-period pin of Burlington freshman Brett Hinman to advance to the finals. Boren fell to Santa Fe Trail senior Tanner Sleichter (24-15) by first-period pin.
Junior Ruger Boren, 138 lbs., broke into the finals with a 16-1 technical fall of Wellsville junior Carsten Alverez (0-2), but fell to Osawatomie junior Caden Peterson in the finals by second-period pin.
Junior Franklin Kerr, 190 lbs., (15-15) reached the finals with a second-period pin of Santa Fe Trail sophomore Tristan Goltz (2-16), but fell to Wellsville senior Maddox Doherty in the finals by first-period pin.
In junior Beau Erickson’s bronze medal match, the crowd followed as intently as if it were that of a title match. Erickson opened with a loss to eventual runner-up Jake Martin, a 15-10 senior from Wellsville. He rebounded with a first-period pin of Burlington freshman Bo Thomsen (4-17), then held on for an 11-8 decision after taking the lead on near-fall points in the final second after running a half nelson.
“I could have done a lot better, but I’m happy with third place,” Erickson said. “It’s my first league medal but I could have done better. I was just trying to sink the half in deeper and get him to turn. It was just me driving to get him over as hard as I could.”
Returning state qualifier Kale Pratt (20-8) added a Pioneer League bronze medal to his collection after falling to Prairie View freshman Kale Page (21-11). He broke into the consolation semifinals with a second-period pin of Wellsville sophomore Kash Stevenson (8-9), then defeated Anderson County sophomore Lucas Mills for third place with a first-period pin. 
After moving up to 215 lbs. a few weeks ago, junior Rohan Springer continued having success at the higher weight class with a third-place finish Thursday. He took third in a four-man round robin after falling to eventual runner-up Cooper Oliphant (16-21) by first-period pin, then rebounded with a win over Osawatomie junior Ben Fields (4-11) by first-period pin before falling to eventual champion senior Gavyn Smith (20-5) of Santa Fe Trail by first-period pin.
Austin Nelson made the biggest jump up of all Iola competitors while giving up more than 50 lbs. as a heavyweight competitor. Wrestling at 215 lbs. for most of the season, the additional weight did not seem to bother Nelson. He opened with a loss to Wellsville senior Jacob McConnell by 26-9 tech-fall, but rebounded with a first-period pin of Prairie View freshman Wilber Alvarez (4-7). Nelson fell in the consolation finals by second period pin to Burlington freshman Landyn Shinn (13-13).
