Trojans send 8 wrestlers to state
The boys wrestling team hosted and won the Class 3A District 5 wrestling meet on Feb. 13 in addition to qualifying eight wrestlers for the state tournament.
Parker McBride ’22 flexes after winning the district championship at 120 pounds on Feb. 13.
February 13, 2021
For the second year in a row, Athletic Director Craig Huegel and the boys wrestling team welcomed area schools to the West High gym for the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A District 5 wrestling meet where wrestlers would have the chance to qualify for the sacred Iowa High School State Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Head Coach Nate Moore and the Trojans won the district title with a team score of 237 and qualified eight wrestlers for the state tournament on Feb. 13.
106 pounder Braden Doyle ’24 opened up the afternoon with a 9-8 decision over Oskaloosa’s Ryllie Siroky ’21 to advance to the semifinals. Doyle lost by fall and moved into the consolation bracket where he battled all the way back to place third.
Undefeated junior Parker McBride found himself in the championship at 120 pounds after winning back-to-back matches by fall. McBride faced off with City High’s Carsen Newton ’24 for the district championship where he added one more pin on the day 3:04 into the match.
After a third-place finish last year at the state tournament, now 12-0 Grant O’Dell ’22 joined the pin party with three consecutive wins by fall to qualify for state at 126 pounds.
After receiving an automatic bye into the semifinals, newcomer Kael Scranton ’22 made his Trojan district meet debut at 132 pounds with a 36-second win by fall over Ottumwa’s Braylon Griffiths ’24 in the championship match to add his name to the list of West High wrestlers set to compete in Des Monies next week.
Reigning state champions Hunter Garvin ’22 and Graham Gambrall ’21 made things quick themselves at 138 and 152 pounds, respectively, to bring home yet another Trojan district championship.
Iowa State University commit Ashton Barker ’21 easied his way into the championship match where he pinned Ottumwa’s Trevor Summers ’22 in 73 seconds to pick up his second state qualification as a Trojan.
Coming into the day with a 5-2 record after not wrestling for a whole year, junior Mason Applegate upset Liberty’s Darius Willis Newell ’22 in the semifinals with a major decision of 13-3 to set himself up with a chance to join many of his Trojan teammates in Des Monies. Applegate won by fall in 3:42 to secure the district title at 182 pounds.
The boys wrestling team wasn’t done yet. Brett Pelfrey ’22 got warmed up in the quarter-finals with a 11-second fall, before defeating City High’s Fritz Spencer ’21 to wrap up the afternoon and bring home a championship and some bragging rights.
All eight of the Trojan wrestlers that qualified for state this afternoon at West will be back in action at the state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Monies next Thursday, Feb. 18.
