Late pins lift Jefferson over Hempstead

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Jefferson Coach Dick Briggs isn't much of a card player, but he knew how to stash a couple aces up his sleeve.

When the J-Hawks dual came down to the final two weights, he was optimistic in his trumps cards.

Brenden Baker and Joseph Sibomana closed the meet with consecutive pins, securing Jefferson's 35-27 win over Dubuque Hempstead Thursday night at home.

The lightweight duo are two of the top J-Hawk pinners.

'Obviously, it was two of our better kids,” Briggs said. 'We had a good feeling we'd get those pins. It's a pretty comfortable feeling.”

Baker stepped on the mat after Dillon Gottschalk's pin at 106 pounds gave a 27-23 lead. Baker, ranked fourth at 113, built a 9-4 edge before the first-period fall. Sibomana (120) followed with two takedowns, ending the final bout in 1:16.

'We knew it would be close,” Baker said. 'We knew we had to get bonus points for our team. We did it.”

Briggs used a little strategy to swing things in the J-Hawks' favor earlier in the dual. He altered his lineup, juggling a few wrestlers and weights. Most moves worked, including a jump for Nick Dreckman and Kelly May,

Dreckman bumped up to 182 and May jumped to 195, earning major decision and pin, respectively. Dreckman handled 10th-ranked Kevin Pape, 9-1.

'I knew I'd have to win and get it for the team,” Dreckman said. 'I had to keep going at it and not give up.”

Dreckman scored four takedowns, adding to Jefferson's 34-12 advantage in takedowns. The J-Hawks outscored Hempstead, 92-65, in total match points.

'He got after it and took it to him,” Briggs said of Dreckman. 'I was proud of him. He got to his offense and stuck with it.”

Kyle Briggs and Dylan Pappas switched weights at 132 and 138. Kyle Briggs recorded a major at the higher weight, tallying five takedowns in a 12-4 win.

The changes paid dividends.

'We knew it'd be a dogfight,” Briggs said. 'We made a couple switches to capture a point or two.”

Tavian Rashed was dominant, scoring 25 points for a technical fall at 152. Luke Sedlacek followed with an 18-6 major at 160 resulted in the first lead for the J-Hawks (8-4). Hempstead fell to 12-3.

AT C.R. JEFFERSON

C.R. Jefferson 35, Dubuque Hempstead 27

(Individual takedowns in parentheses)

126 pounds - Nathan Feldman (DH) dec. Seth Jellison, 7-5 (2,1); 132 - Rees Hauder (DH) dec. Dylan Pappas, 3-0 (1,0); 138 - Kyle Briggs (CRJ) major dec. Kaleb Phillips, 12-4 (5,0); 145 - Alex Ward (DH) dec. Matt Culver, 3-1 (1,0); 152 - Tavian Rashed (CRJ) tech. fall Cody Callahan, 25-7 (9,0); 160 - Luke Sedlacek (CRJ) major dec. Carter Kramer, 18-6 (8,0); 170 - Brandon Haas (DH) pinned Caleb Ziegenhorn, 2:51 (4,0); 182 - Nick Dreckman (CRJ) major dec. Kevin Pape, 9-1 (4,0); 195 - Kelly May (CRJ) pinned Adam Rang, :58 (1,0); 220 - Alex Freiburger (DH) dec. Erik Hovey, 3-1 (1,0); Hwt. - Gannon Gremmel (DH) dec. Dalton Kuehl, 8-3 (2,0); 106 - Dillon Gottschalk (DH) pinned Zach Main, :22 (1,0); 113 - Brenden Baker (CRJ) pinned Jacob Faber, 1:48 (4,0); 120 - Joseph Sibomana (CRJ) pinned Logan Ludovissey, 1:16 (2,0)

MEET STATISTICS

Takedowns - CRJ 34, DH 12; Reversals - CRJ 0, DH 3; Escapes - CRJ 14, DH 25; Nearfall points - CRJ 8, DH 8; Penalty points (awarded) - CRJ 2, DH 2; Total match points - CRJ 92, DH 65.

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