Creston/O-M builds early lead in winning DC-G title

GRIMES — A dominant quarterfinal round pushed Creston/Orient-Macksburg into an insurmountable lead on the way to winning the Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational Saturday.

Creston/O-M, ranked No. 2 in Class 2A by The Predicament, went 12-2 in the quarterfinals, allowing for a dozen Panthers placing in the top four, on the way to scoring 221.5 points in the 13-team event. Class 3A Ankeny Centennial was second with 185.5 points and Webster City was third with 163.

Ten teams won at least one individual title. Only Webster City (3), Creston/O-M (2) and fourth-place West Marshall (2) had multiple champs.

Creston/O-M champions were Wyatt Thompson (138 pounds) and Seth Maitlen (195). Joey Huntington (152) also reached the finals, placing second to Carroll’s Sam Kastle.

“We won 12 of 14 in the quarters, most by fall, and that gave us a lot of points,” said Panther coach Darrell Frain. “The way they set up the tournament, you had to win that quarterfinal to stay on the front side (with a chance to place third or fourth), and having that many get through that side made the difference for us.”

The Panthers achieved the championship without two key regulars in the lineup — No. 1-ranked Chase Shiltz is sidelined with a broken hand, and heavyweight Trevor Downing gets MRI results back today on an injury believed to be a dislocated kneecap, which could result in being sidelined until January.

Among those finishing in the top four were wrestlers filling those spots in 170-pounder Brody Frain and heavyweight Zach Hoffman.

“Guys filling in are getting us points, and that’s big right now,” Frain said.

Taking third place were Cade Vicker (106), Cameron Leith (160), Jackson Mikkelsen (182) and Kadon Hulett (220).

Placing fourth were Kelby Luther (120), Trevor Marlin (132), Mitchel Swank (145), Frain and Hoffman.

Other placewinners for the Panthers were Jacob Goodson, sixth at 113 pounds, and Carson Wheat seventh at 126.

“Going in, I told coach (Cody) Downing, we could end up anywhere from first to third as a team,” Frain said. “The quarterfinal round did it.”

The Panther coach wasn’t even sure Friday night if Thompson would wrestle, having aggravated a shoulder injury that occurred at the summer team camp at the University of Missouri.

“He never tweaked it or anything Saturday and dominated every match,” said a relieved Frain. “He had three falls in the first period, and the West Marshall kid was pretty good.”

Thompson (5-0) pinned Zack Owens of Ankeny Centennial in 1:47 after decking West Marshall’s Levi Randall in 59 seconds in the semifinal.

Like Thompson, Maitlen is ranked second in the state and had only one serious challenge on his way to the title at 195. After a 35-second fall in the quarterfinals, Maitlen edged Logan Buck of Dallas Center-Grimes, 4-3, in the semifinals.

“I didn’t know anything about the kid except that he was a good linebacker on the Dallas Center-Grimes football team,” Frain said. “Seth got ahead, then he (Buck) closed the gap. In the finals Seth dominated from the start.”

Maitlen (5-0) rolled to a 10-1 major decision over Alex Schaper of West Marshall in the title match.

Creston/O-M’s Huntington won by a fall and 13-3 major decision before Carroll’s Kastle won a 10-6 decision in the finals at 152.

“Kastle got us on his feet a few times,” Frain said. “Joey feels that is a match he should have won, and he’ll be working on the things he needs to do to make that happen.”

Three of the team’s third-place finishers were involved in weight divisions loaded with ranked wrestlers with state meet experience.

One of the most impressive performances of the day was turned in by Leith at 160 pounds. He held off Class 3A sixth-ranked Alec Helmkamp of Ankeny Centennial, 5-4, before dropping a 3-1 sudden victory decision to Class 2A top-ranked Zach Johnston. The ADM senior is a two-time state runner-up, including last year against Creston/O-M’s Chase Shiltz.

Johnston was then defeated in the finals by Class 1A third-ranked Sal Arzani of Interstate 35, 9-6. Leith (4-1) pinned Carroll’s Eric Bruenning for third place.

“Cam won that match with Helmkamp of Ankeny in the first 20 seconds when he got the initial takedown,” Frain said. “Then it was a nonstop battle for the 5-4 win. He gave Johnston everything he could handle, just couldn’t get enough offense to score in a 3-1 loss. Cam expects to be in that type of match. He knows what he has to do to be successful.”

Likewise, Mikkelsen navigated through a rugged field at 182 pounds, which included Class 2A fifth-ranked Cole Bennett of ADM, Class 1A sixth-ranked Jared Johnson of West Marshall and Class 1A No. 10 Dante Arzani of Interstate 35.

Mikkelsen won his first two matches by falls before getting edged 3-1 in overtime tiebreaker by Johnson in the semifinals. Mikkelsen picked up his second victory of the week over Arzani by a 7-1 decision for third place, while Bennett was winning the title by fall over Johnson.

“Jackson wrestled well, he could have been in the finals,” Frain said. “In overtime he just couldn’t ride out the guy after (Johnson) rode him. He really wrestled well against Arzani.”

The 220-pound class was loaded, with five state qualifiers and four ranked wrestlers, including Creston/O-M’s Hulett, No. 3 in Class 2A.

After a quarterfinal pin in 55 seconds, Class 3A sixth-ranked Christian Heimer of Ankeny Centennial beat Hulett, 9-7. Hulett rebounded to take third place by fall against Class 2A seventh-ranked Hunter Gibson of ADM. Heimer was beaten in the finals by Class 2A top-ranked Gavin Dinsdale of Webster City, 7-4.

“In the semifinal Kadon got behind and battled back,” Frain said. “He had a chance to tie late. All four of the semifinalists placed at state last year.”

Hoffman took fourth in a heavyweight class with two wrestlers ranked in the top four of 2A. Cooper Lawson of Webster City beat ADM’s Nathan Heath 5-3. Heath pinned Hoffman after the Panther senior won by a fall in the quarterfinals.

“Zach knocked off the four seed in the quarters,” Frain said. “He used a freight train double (leg) to his back and pinned him. He rolled Heath to his back in the semis and scared him for a second.”

The Panthers travel to Atlantic Thursday for a Hawkeye 10 double dual against Clarinda and the host Trojans, wrestling in the first two duals. Action starts at 5:30 p.m. The varsity competes in the Central Decatur Invitational Friday night at Leon, while the JV participates in the Bedford/Lenox varsity tournament Saturday.

DC-G Invitational

Team scoring — 1. Creston/Orient-Macksburg 221.5; 2. Ankeny Centennial 185.5; 3. Webster City 163; 4. West Marshall 145; 5. Dallas Center-Grimes 130; 6. Adel-DeSoto-Minburn 126; 7. Interstate 35 121.5; 8. Carlisle 100.5; 9. Carroll 82; 10. Des Moines East 76.5; 11. Greene County 34.5; 12. Prairie City-Monroe 34; 13. Nevada 32.

106 — 1. Hunter Pfantz (WM) pinned Carter Logue (Carl), :33; 3. Cade Vicker (C/O-M) dec. Eric Owens (AC), 6-2.

113 — 1. Drake Doolittle (WC) pinned Max Tracy (DC-G), 5:27; 5. Steve Stych (AC) dec. Jacob Goodson (C/O-M), 10-6.

120 — 1. Mathew Jordan (DME) dec. Brayden Egli (I-35), 4-2; 3. Trey Rouse (AC) major dec. Kelby Luther (C/O-M), 9-0.

126 — 1. Bryce Murano (DC-G) dec. Zac Willey (I-35), 11-7; 7. Carson Wheat (C/O-M) pinned Nic Price (WM), :40.

132 — 1. Cole Needham (WM) dec. Zane Mulder (DC-G), 10-6; 3. Luke Rohmiller (WC) dec. Trevor Marlin (C/O-M), 6-3.

138 — 1. Wyatt Thompson (C/O-M) pinned Zach Owens (AC), 1:47.

145 —1. Xavier Miller (PCM) dec. Cooper White (WM), 4-2; 3. Jace Williams (AC) dec. Mitchel Swank (C/O-M), 5-1.

152 — 1. Sam Kastle (Car) dec. Joey Huntington (C/O-M), 10-6.

160 — 1. Sal Arzani (I-35) dec. Zach Johnston (ADM), 9-6; 3. Cameron Leith (C/O-M) pinned Eric Bruening (Car), 3:05.

170 — 1. Ben Berber (Carl) pinned Dakota Neer (AC), 2:29; 3. Alex Winter (DC-G) dec. Brody Frain (C/O-M), 3-1.

182 — 1. Cole Bennett (ADM) pinned Jared Johnson (WM), 2:55; 3. Jackson Mikkelsen (C/O-M) dec. Dante Arzani (I-35), 7-1.

195 — 1. Seth Maitlen (C/O-M) major dec. Alex Schaper (WM), 10-1.

220 — 1. Gavin Dinsdale (WC) dec. Christian Heimer (AC), 7-4; 3. Kadon Hulett (C/O-M) pinned Hunter Gibson (ADM), 6:00.

285 — 1. Cooper Lawson (WC) dec. Nathan Heath (ADM), 5-3; 3. Christian Lewis (DME) pinned Zach Hoffman (C/O-M), :20.