Honnold sets new career wins record as No. 5 Wolverines finish spotless at home

Not only did the Wolverines win three more home wrestling duals last Tuesday, the Nodaway Valley program also crowned a new career wins leader.

Senior heavyweight Ashton Honnold went 3-0 with two falls and, in the process, recorded his 178th career victory, surpassing the school record set last year by former teammate and practice partner Trent Warner, who now plays football at Northwest Missouri State University.

A University of Northern Iowa wrestling signee, Honnold also earned his 100th career pin on the night and enters this week six falls shy of the school record in that category.

“I’ve broken the school record for wins, and that’s nice, but you need to keep going and find the next best thing,” Honnold said. “That’s how I’ve always looked at wrestling — finding the next best thing. That’s how you become a better version of yourself in life and as a wrestler.”

Honnold has accumulated wins at a rapid pace. He reached 100 career victories Dec. 5, 2024, at a meet in Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center, then eclipsed 150 wins just two days shy of a year later after finishing his junior season undefeated. That season culminated with a pin-filled run to the state semifinals, where he narrowly defeated Cody Wright of Woodbury Central before earning a 7-0 decision over Maquoketa Valley’s Nathan Beitz to claim his second consecutive 215-pound state championship.

The Earlham dual last week as part of a home quad — where Honnold reached both milestones — came down to the wire, a scenario the heavyweight said he embraces.

“It’s nice that everybody on our team was able to get it done in the end,” Honnold said. “It was a little scary there for a second, but it’s nice to know we got that win, and it took everybody to make it happen.”

Nodaway Valley’s senior class of four never lost a home dual during its four years, and coach Brad Honnold completed his fifth season at the helm undefeated at home.

Now ranked fifth in Class 1A by IAWrestle, the Wolverines entered this week riding a 16-dual win streak. Ashton Honnold said sustained success requires a collective effort.

“It takes a team, it takes a whole community to rally behind each other and rattle off wins,” he said. “There are always ups and downs, but right now we’re on a really good upswing, and hopefully we can keep riding that.”

Brad Honnold praised his son’s accomplishments but noted this marks the third time Nodaway Valley has produced a new career wins leader during his five seasons as head coach.

“We hope that record doesn’t stand very long — we want it to be broken again,” he said. “Before that happens, Ashton has his sights set on more than just 178 wins.”

In addition, Ashton Honnold also holds school records for wins in a season, takedowns in a season and takedowns in a career.

The coach added it is mathematically possible for his son, who has won over 100 matches in a row, to reach 200 career victories.

“Before we talk about that, we have to focus on win 179, then 180 — one at a time,” he said. “As a coach and a dad — and I think Ashton would agree as a wrestler — the individual accomplishments are great, but he wants the team to have just as much success. Ideally, those go hand in hand — like, we also want to qualify as a team for state duals.”