Iowa City High continues to improve

CEDAR RAPIDS — Iowa City High Coach Cory Connell likes the strides the Little Hawks have made since he took over five seasons ago.

He has stressed a specific message in practice as he attempts to fully resurrect City High's status as a wrestling power.

'Stop being good,' Connell said. 'Start being great.'

City High nearly captured the team title at the Five Seasons Wrestling Invitational Saturday at Cedar Rapids Kennedy. The Little Hawks crowned one champion and placed second with 192 points, finishing 2 1/2 back of champion Cedar Rapids Prairie.

'We still need to get a lot better,' Connell said. 'There's a lot of positions we need to improve in. I think as a team we did pretty well.'

City High pushed four to the finals with 14 getting sixth or better, including eight in the top three of their respective weight classes.

'They are good kids,' Connell said. 'We want to get to another level. They are getting there. They are being coachable and working hard.

'From top to bottom, we're a good team. We have to keep building to become great.'

Jordain Buckland won the 220-pound title, pinning Linn-Mar's Isaiah Garman in 2:56. Buckland pinned both of his opponents, ending the semifinal against Alex Heisdorffer in 1:16.

'I'm very happy,' Buckland said. 'I'm just trying to build confidence for state, trying to beat the best and be the best.'

Buckland, ranked ninth, was a state qualifier last season. He was leading his first-round match but got pinned and then went home without a victory. He has been motivated for redemption.

'It kind of haunts me a little bit,' Buckland said. 'I'm trying to forget about it and looking forward. Forget about the past.'

Michael Santoro (113), Bryan Berg (138) and Alex Kooker (145) placed second for City High. Buckland has a 10-0 start, displaying a lot of confidence.

'He's a tough kid,' Connell said. 'I'm very proud of the way he's been competing. If he keeps that up, he could do special things this year.'

Prairie fielded a depleted team, missing a handful of starters to injury, unspecified medical issues and an ACT exam. The Hawks received titles from Conrad Braswell (106) and 113-pounder Johnny Washburn, whose pin over Santoro proved to be the difference in the team race.

'We had some back-up guys wrestle pretty hard,' Prairie Coach Kane Thompson said. 'Our light guys wrestled well.'

The host Cougars and Linn-Mar matched Prairie with two champs apiece.

Kennedy's second-ranked 170-pounder Ben Sarasin and Garrett Kubovec at 195 claimed championships. Sarasin beat Alburnett's Tanner Sloan, who is top-ranked in Class 1A.

'I was impressed with the way he wrestled,' Kennedy assistant Craig Mallicoat said. 'He came after him on his feet.'

Sarasin scored takedowns in each of the first two periods for a 4-2 lead and added another in the third, fighting Sloan off late for the win. The first two scores were key, but Sarasin has been successful in neutral against the state's best.

'When you score first against those good kids it makes a big difference,' Mallicoat said. 'Your confidence goes up. You feel more positive. That's a huge thing.'

Jacob Wempen (152) and Alex Streicher won titles. Wempen decked Pleasant Valley's Dermott Weldon in 26 seconds in the final. Streicher beat Alburnett's Tucker Franklin, 7-2, for the 160 championship.

Alburnett's Ben Moyer claimed the 126-pound title with a 9-5 decision over Kennedy's Dylan Falck.

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