March 29, 2024

Panthers celebrate ‘Incredible year’

Three standouts share Abel MVP Award

Tuesday was a celebration night on many fronts for the Creston/Orient-Macksburg wrestling team.

Another Hawkeye 10 championship, undefeated dual regular season, fourth in the state duals, tied for second in the traditional state tournament, two state finalists and a state champion were just some of the accomplishments from the 2014-15 season observed at the team banquet Tuesday night at Creston High School.

And, of course, the remarkable recovery of senior Tayler Pettit from a near-fatal episode with an undetected heart condition during the state dual tourney was the most treasured memory of an eventful winter.

“We had an incredible year. We did a lot of things,” coach Darrell Frain said.

“Tayler stepped up as a leader for us, and he won the biggest match of all — life — and I’m very proud to have him on there,” Frain added, introducing the 2015 additions to the Mike Abel Most Valuable Wrestler Award that is displayed in the school commons.

Other recipients of the award named after the late Mike Abel, an outstanding Panther wrestler, are senior Spencer Wray and sophomore Chase Shiltz.

“Chase fought back from a (football) knee injury to start wrestling after Christmas and had an undefeated season for us,” Frain said. “Spencer stepped up as a leader for us and did all of the little things we needed, and the fact that he was in the state finals was just an extra reason why he was chosen.”

State runner-up

Creston/O-M won tournament titles at Dallas Center-Grimes, Central Decatur, Centerville, the John J Harris Invitational, Panther Invitational and Hawkeye 10. The Panthers also won the Atlantic JV tournament title.

The Panthers finished the season by sharing second place in the traditional state tournament with Union (LaPorte City). Those two were passed by champion Mediapolis when Steven Holloway secured his second state title at 195 pounds.

Along the way, Shiltz won an 11-3 major decision at 160 pounds for Creston/O-M’s 27th state championship in history. After placing second as a freshman, Shiltz became the 16th Creston wrestler to stand atop the state tournament medal stand this year.

The next day, Pettit was discharged from Mercy Medical Center after undergoing surgical procedure for a heart defect that had not surfaced until after wrestling at the state dual tournament four days earlier.

“We got a trophy, we got a state champion and Tayler is coming home,” coach Darrell Frain said on championship night. “That’s a pretty good ending to our week.”

After placing fourth in the state dual tournament, Creston/O-M — unranked all season as a tournament team — became involved in a four-way battle for the 2A championship with a record nine state qualifiers. (Eight wrestled, as Pettit was hospitalized prior to the tournament.) The nine state qualifiers topped the Class 2A field.

At state, Wray made it to the 138-pound finals, where he was defeated by No. 1-ranked Brady Jennings of Osage, 7-3. Seth Maitlen (195) and Wyatt Thompson (132) placed fourth and Kadon Hulett (220) placed sixth.

Two other Panthers wrestled on the tournament’s second day and were eliminated in second-round consolations. They were Joey Huntington (145) and Jake Gutschenritter (285). Trevor Marlin (120) also competed at state.

Creston has one team championship in history (2007) and has now finished second three times. The others were 1975 and 2008. With two awards this year, Creston/O-M has earned 16 state trophies since 2002.

The team’s mantra this year was “Gunnin’ for Gold” and the Panthers made a run for state hardware with its dominating performance at the Atlantic district tournament, as well as sweeping through Missouri Valley and Atlantic in the dual regional in their own gym.

Marlin, Wray, Huntington, Shiltz, Maitlen, Hulett and Gutschenritter claimed district championships, while Thompson and Pettit qualified for state as runners-up.

The Panthers also won the sectional tournament at home, sending 11 wrestlers (seven championships) to the district meet. Mitchel Swank (126) and Cameron Leith (152) joined the nine state qualifiers in district competition.

The Panthers also won their fourth straight Hawkeye 10 Conference Tournament title, edging out Lewis Central, 245-235. The Panthers’ depth paid off, as LC had more champions (five) than Creston/O-M (three).

The Panthers rode the wave of 11 semifinalists and seven finalists to the team title. Creston/O-M also won the program’s fourth conference dual title in five years by going unbeaten through the regular season. Creston/O-M also won its fourth straight John J Harris Tournament crown in Corning with five individual champions.

Tuesday night, Frain noted that the accomplishments by Wray and Shiltz gave the program someone in the state finals for 13 of his 15 years as head coach.

The team has competed in state duals 11 times, including the state semifinals six of the past nine years.

Frain said this year’s team had 11 district qualifiers, nine state qualifiers, five state placewinners, two finalists and a state champion.

“That’s pretty darn impressive,” Frain said. “We try not to brag about things too much, but sometimes it’s time to let people understand we have some high character kids doing some great things. Last year, our team GPA was at the highest level of the state recognition, and in the top two of the school for all sports. This year we have three academic all-conference selections and six guys nominated for academic all-state.”

Seniors eligible for Hawkeye 10 academic recognition are Alex Fargo, Tayler Pettit and manager Tanner Webb.

Shiltz became just the third wrestler under Frain to finish a season undefeated. The others were Andrew Long and Kalab Evans, who won multiple state championships.

Longtime assistant Matt Long spoke of the program’s tradition as well.

“This program has been a good program, and it’s learning how to be a great program,” Long said. “It’s taken a bunch of years to get to the expectation level that we have here.”

Frain mentioned the quality of the staff, saying assistants Cody Downing, former Mount Ayr head coach Eric Ehlen and Long rank with the best in the state. He also praised the lower level coaches, including Jeff Sand, Casey Tanner and Dannie Stephens at the middle school and a group of Express club volunteers organized by Dennis Leith.

Long also spoke of “the miracle” granted in the recovery of Pettit at the state duals. Emergency medical response at the arena and transport to nearby Mercy Medical Center stabilized Pettit’s condition.

“I spoke to the (tournament) doctor several times since the incident, and he said his take on it was, that was way bigger than all of us,” Long said. “God will perform miracles, and right there is one of them.”

Seniors honored at the banquet were Alex Fargo, Tyler Helm, Chad Lamb, Gutschenritter, Pettit, Wray and the late Dalton Hribal, a member of the team when he died in an auto accident two years ago. Also honored was three-year senior manager Tanner Webb.

Special recognition was given to Webb’s paraprofessional at school wrestling activities, Steve Wilson, retiring KSIB sportscaster Gary Bucklin and CHS athletic trainer Chris Leonard. It was Leonard who first alerted Frain at state duals that Pettit had an irregular heartbeat and called for further medical assistance. EMTs and the tournament doctor quickly jumped into action after prompted by Leonard’s concerns.

On the school’s all-time wins chart, Pettit is tied for 35th with 100 victories. Wray is tied with junior Joey Huntington with 111, and Maitlen is 23rd at 119 with one season left. Wray and Maitlen are tied for 17th with 61 career falls.

Pettit had 30 falls this season to tie for 19th in the school’s single season records. Gutschenritter and Kadon Hulett each had 45 wins to tie for 28th in a season. Maitlen and Hulett led the Panthers with 264 team points each.

Letterwinners

(Letters earned)

Seniors — Alex Fargo (4), Jake Gutschenritter (2), Tyler Helm (2), Chad Lamb (1), Tayler Pettit (4), Spencer Wray (4). (Also recognized was the late Dalton Hribal, a member of this senior class.)

Juniors — Darrian Fischer (1), Zach Hoffman (2), Joey Huntington (3), Cameron Leith (2), Seth Maitlen (3), Wyatt Thompson (3).

Sophomores — Brody Frain (2), Jacob Goodson (2), Kadon Hulett (2), Trevor Marlin (2), Jackson Mikkelsen (2), Chase Shiltz (2), Carson Wheat (2).

Freshmen — Trevor Downing (1), Mason Kinsella (1), Kelby Luther (1), Mitchel Swank (1), Kolby Tomas (1), Cade Vicker (1).

Managers — Alexis Baker (1), Jordan Moreland (1), Conner Pals (1), Cory Rathe (1), Tanner Webb (3).

Participation awards — Cody Tanner, So.; Garrett Dahl, Fr.; Kolten Phelps, Fr.; Blake Sevier, Fr. Managers - Matt Hoffman, Tyson Tucker, Colton Bolinger.

Hawkeye 10 All-Academic — Alex Fargo, Tayler Pettit, Tanner Webb (manager).

State participation — Trevor Marlin (120), Wyatt Thompson (132), Spencer Wray (138), Joey Huntington (145), Chase Shiltz (160), Tayler Pettit (170), Seth Maitlen (195), Kadon Hulett (220), Jake Gutschenritter (285).

State dual team wrestlers — Kelby Luther, Cade Vicker, Jacob Goodson, Carson Wheat, Trevor Marlin, Mitchel Swank, Brody Frain, Wyatt Thompson, Mason Kinsella, Spencer Wray, Joey Huntington, Alex Fargo, Cameron Leith, Kolby Thomas, Darrian Fischer, Chase Shiltz, Tayler Pettit, Chad Lamb, Jackson Mikkelsen, Seth Maitlen, Kadon Hulett, Zach Hoffman, Jake Gutschenritter, Trevor Downing.