Wrestlers earn state berths

PITTSBURG — The Iola High Mustangs qualified two more wrestlers Saturday for the upcoming state tournament on a successful day on the mat for the IHS squad.
Bryce Misenhelter and Trey Colborn both earned state berths during the second day of action at the Class 4A regional tournament in Pittsburg. They will join teammate Stephen Colborn in Salina for state, which begins Friday.
What head coach Brad Carson deemed as “winnable matches” for Colborn and Misenhelter proved to be just that.
Misenhelter came out in full form against Kylan Dixon of Frontenac for the consolation semifinal match in the 182-pound division. A close first round had both wrestler with six points from reversals and near-pins. Misenhelter came out fighting in the second round, and it proved to be too much for his opponent. He flipped Dixon on a hard move and had his shoulders on the mat, midway through the period.
Colborn’s match went a similar direction.
A slow first period left Colborn and Field Kindley High’s Austin Ryder scoreless. The second period was another story. Colborn made a quick move underneath, putting Ryder on his heels. Another quick move earned Colborn the pin.

THE FINAL matches in the consolation bracket did not affect the qualifications, but proved to be a good test for both of the qualifiers.
“Brice has been battling sickness all day, and I could see it in his match,” Carson said.
Matt Lofing of Osawatomie made quick work of Misenhelter for the third-place match with a quick pin.
“The matches were a lot tougher than I expected them to be,” Misenhelter said of his fourth-place finish. “I got a little nervous.”
Misenhelter said he did better than expected, and hoped to carry the momentum to Salina.
Colborn’s third-place match in the 285-pound division was slow for the first two rounds. Both wrestlers danced around the mat — vying for better footing and position.
The third round began much the same, until Colborn made his move. A quick lurch under Chanute’s Will Divine put Colborn right in the position he needed to be. He turned his opponent and pinned him with under one minute left in the match, securing a third-place win.
“I honestly don’t think I would have made it without (Stephen ) McDonald pushing me in practice,” Colborn said. “He always pushes me to be better,” Colborn said.
Colborn said he focus more on his conditioning if he is going to place in state. He said he was excited to see how things turn out in Salina.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said with a grin.
Stephen McDonald opted out of wrestling for the championship match in the 220-pound division, in order to rest his healing shoulder before the state matches in Salina. Pittsburg’s Gershom Avalos won first place by injury default.
“It was my decision, with the help of my family and coaches,” McDonald said.
Coach Carson had some input on the decision.
“We figured it was better, he was wincing a couple of times,” he said. “The ultimate goal is what happens next week. He is already in.”
Carson said the qualifiers are ready to compete and give it their all.
“You’ve got to leave it all out on the mat,” he said. “Nobody is satisfied with just getting there.”

FOR THE MUSTANGS’ other wrestlers, it was a mixed day on the mats.
Cody Conner had a quick pin over Anderson County’s Stephen Kaufman in the second round of the consolation bracket at 145 pounds. Zeph Larney won his first 152-pound match of the day as well. A hard fought match brough a fourth-round against Frontenac’s Trace Baldwin, and Larney edged out the win with a flip to give him a 12-10 point advantage as time expired.
Brice Aiello was elimited in a 6-0 loss to Ashton Poage in the 160-pound division.
Andrew Garber won in fine style against Louisburg’s Cooper Smeed in the 170-pound division with a second-round pin.
Conner started the third round of the consolation bracket with another win over Frontenac’s Ethan Hess with a pin in the third period.
Larney lost a 6-3 decision to Andy Blanton of Osawatomie, knocking him out of the tournament. Garber then was eliminated in a hard-fought match against Dunkan Watrous of Paola, dropping a 6-4 decision.
The semifinal round of the consolation bracket pitted Conner against Paola’s Daniel Dees. The match had most of the action turned against Conner. He lost the match on a 17-5 decision, after multiple hard hits on the mat from his opponent, eliminating him from a near state berth.
“Cody is right there,” Carson said. “He was one match away from state, and still has a lot to learn.”
Carson said he was happy with his wrestler performances, ansd saw a lot of growth from his team during the season.