In the class 2A opening round at the state high school wrestling tournament Forest City junior Alex Spooner improved to 29-0 with a first period pin of J.C. Vercande from Williamsburg. Spooner says he was looking for a quick start, and the intensity that he’s had the whole season.
After a fifth place finish a year ago Spooner is looking for a place higher up on the victory stand. After winning the title at 135 pounds a year ago Seth Noble from Columbus Junction advanced at 140 pounds with an 8-1 victory over Jake Kopriva from Clear Lake. Noble improved to 40-0 with the win and said patience was the key.
Noble says Kopriva didn’t really go at him and that made it tough to score on him, but he says he kept good position and didn’t let him get anything. Noble says he loves the atmosphere of the tournament. He says all the people make it intense and he says it’s not hard to break a sweat.
At 160 pounds, Algona’s Nick Larson used a takedown in overtime to edge Jesse Johnson of Charles City 10-8. Johnson had rallied to tie the match with a takedown in the waning seconds of the third period. Larson says he got the ealry lead and kind of sat on it.
Larson says after giving up the lead he wanted to be the agessor in overtime. He says there was no way he was going to be taken down. Larson improves to 31-1 on the season.
For a good portion of the season it appeared as though Charles City junior Tanner Schmidt would not even get a chance to make a run at another state title. After winning the state crown at 103 pounds in 2008 Schmidt battled the flu and missed about a month of action late this season.
Schmidt says he came back and got sick right away again, but then started feeling a little better and knew he was ready. Schmidt returned to action in his conference meet and says it took a while for him to return to wrestling shape. He says he couldn’t practice much for the conference meet and says that hurt him.
Schmidt will compete in the 2A quarterfinal round on Friday morning after winning his 112 pound opener with a technical fall against PCM Monroe’s Brandon Teeple.