No. 10 NV second to ranked Hinton at Tri-Center

NEOLA — Riding the momentum of three dual wins earlier in the week, the Nodaway Valley boys wrestling team carried its strong form into Saturday’s Tri-Center Invitational.

The Wolverines finished second among 15 scoring teams, staying within striking distance of the team title. Nodaway Valley produced five finalists and three champions in a deep, competitive field.

Hinton edged the Wolverines for the team crown with 208 points, while Nodaway Valley totaled 181 — five points ahead of Lawton-Bronson. Eight teams finished with more than 100 points.

The tournament also provided Nodaway Valley with valuable competition against four other ranked Class 1A dual teams. The Wolverines, ranked No. 10, were joined by No. 6 Hinton, No. 14 Lawton-Bronson, No. 18 Westwood and No. 18 AC/GC.

“As a whole, this is the best we have wrestled together and the results showed,” Nodaway Valley coach Brad Honnold said. “We still have some mental things to clean up, but collectively we competed at a high level. Even when we didn’t win, our kids were competing and doing the things we’ve been working on.”

Senior Keyin Steeve (138), junior Caleb Christensen (190) and senior Ashton Honnold (285) claimed individual titles for the Wolverines.

Christensen turned in a dominant performance at 190 pounds, earning the championship while recording the 100th victory of his career. The top seed, Christensen went 4-0 with four first-period pins.

He opened the tournament with a pin in 48 seconds, followed by pins in 27 seconds in the quarterfinals and 1:21 in the semifinals. In the finals, Christensen pinned second-seeded Evan Carrier of West Monona in 1:52 after securing an early takedown.

“Caleb was dominant all day with four falls, including one in the finals over a state-ranked kid,” Honnold said. “He also surpassed the 100-win mark, meaning we now have four wrestlers with 100 career wins.”

Steeve, the top seed at 138, also cruised to the title. After a first-round bye, he pinned the ninth seed in 41 seconds and the fourth seed in 1:38 to reach the finals. There, Steeve pinned second-seeded Taylor Hall of Lawton-Bronson in 2:20 after building an early lead with three takedowns and a nearfall.

Honnold, the top seed at heavyweight, followed a similar path. He pinned the eighth seed in 56 seconds and the fourth seed in 1:59 before meeting AC/GC’s Jack Sheeder in the finals. Honnold secured the championship with a pin in 2:14 after leading 12-3.

Two additional Wolverines reached the finals.

Josh Nelson, the second seed at 106, advanced with a pair of pins before finishing runner-up. He led 13-9 late in the third period of the finals before top-seeded Hunter Hussing of Missouri Valley earned a pin with 41 seconds remaining.

Strode, the second seed at 132, opened with a 30-second pin and followed with a technical fall over Hinton’s Quentin Smith. In the finals, Strode dropped a narrow 4-2 decision to top-seeded Riley Watts of Lawton-Bronson.

Other Nodaway Valley placewinners included Jett Christensen, fifth at 126; Derek Raasch and Matthew Nelson, sixth at 175 and 157; and Quentin Shaull, eighth at 215. Mason Johnson (144) and Clay Raasch (165) also competed.

The next IAHSAA dual team rankings will be released Tuesday.

The Tri-Center Invitational began a challenging stretch for the Wolverines. Nodaway Valley will compete Saturday at the Creston Panther Invitational, followed by the two-day John J. Harris Invitational on Jan. 23-24. The month closes with the AC/GC Charger Invitational at Guthrie Center.