HIGH SCHOOL JOURNALISM: There's a first for everything for Williamsburg

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By Travis Gorsch, Williamsburg senior

WILLIAMSBURG - The Williamsburg Raider wrestling team will take six wrestlers to the IHSAA state tournament in Des Moines., which starts Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena.

Williamsburg crowned two champions and had four runners-up at the Class 2A district in Fairfield. This is the first time the Raiders have sent six wrestlers to state. The previous record was held by the 2010 and 2011 teams with five wrestlers each year

 Out of the six qualifiers this weekend, four have never been to state. The Raiders took second place in the district team race behind a Mediapolis team that scored 118 points, 10 more than Williamsburg.

Trevor Knepper (46-7),  a senior captain, will be making his second straight trip to Wells Fargo. Knepper was the district runner-up this year at 132 pounds behind Washington's Mitchell Hora. Knepper won an exciting first round match by the score of 3-2 over Bradley Conley of Mediapolis, putting him in the finals with Hora. He fell to Hora, 9-4.  In Knepper's junior year, he won the district championship at 119 pounds. After a disappointing finish to his junior campaign at state, he is determined not to let it happen again. In his second trip to Wells Fargo, he looks to avenge his 0-2 finish at state in 2011 with a much more successful finish to his high school career.

JC Vercande (49-1), also a senior captain, is no stranger to Wells Fargo. Vercande will make his fourth straight appearance at the state tournament after winning his first district championship at 145 pounds over Washington's Parker Turner. As a freshman, Vercande placed eighth in the 103 pound division. He  followed that with a sixth-place finish as a sophomore, also at 112, and a sixth-place his junior year at 130.

Vercande is ranked third at 145 pounds heading into state. He hopes to cap off his high school career with a state championship, joining three others in Williamsburg history. He is on track to break a record held by former teammate Austin Blythe in his quest for a state title. Blythe was 52-1 his sophomore year when he captured the 2A state heavyweight championship. This record stands as the best winning percentage in a season by any Raider wrestler.

Spencer Dale (40-13), another senior captain, made quick work of Fairfield's Quinton Bradfield, pinning him in 1:23 during his wrestle back to fill one of the 16 available spots in the 152  bracket. This is Dale's first time qualifying for the state tournament. Dale won his first round bout with New London's Marty Linz with a first period fall in 1:08, putting him in the championship match. He  faced 10th-ranked freshman Steven Holloway from Mediapolis, losing 8-6.

Travis Gorsch (44-8),  also a senior captain, punched his ticket to the state tournament by avenging a sectional loss to Washington's Brad Skubal with a 5-1 victory. Gorsch joins Dale as a first-time  qualifier with a district runner-up finish behind the top-ranked 160-pounder in 2A, Adam Drain of Mediapolis. Gorsch lost his first round match against Drain, 9-3. Winning the next match was a must to keep the dream alive. It took only 19 seconds in the second period before Gorsch scored a pin against New London's Tanner Gipple. In order to qualify, Gorsch needed Drain to defeat Scubal forcing a wrestleback. Drain's pin over Skubal in the championship gave Gorsch one last chance. This was the opportunity he needed and took advantage of it.

Corbin Blythe (46-3), a junior, took the district title at 220 pounds by defeating Fairfield's Jacob Mineart, 5-0. Blythe will make his first appearance at state. Blythe won his first round district match against Dylan VanDusen of West Libery by fall in the second period in 2:14. Blythe is ranked fourth in at 220 heading in to the state tournament.

With high expectations going into this year's tournament, Blythe is hoping to continue the family tradition. The last four years he has had a brother in the state finals on Saturday night. Holden was a state champion in 2008 and Austin finished second. From 2009 through 2011, Austin claimed  three state championships at heavyweight. Corbin looks to add a fifth straight state championship in the family at 220 pounds.

Dillon Blythe (31-19), also a junior, needed all six minutes, plus overtime, in his first round match against Juan Martinez of West Liberty before he finally pulled ahead for good to win 3-2. That match  proved to be crucial in his quest to qualify for state. This first-round victory put him in the championship match against Fairfield's Alec Stoner. Blythe was not able to avenge his sectional loss to Stoner, falling 12-4, but when  Martinez defeated Travis Simmons of Louisa Muscatine, it sealed the deal for Blythe. Blythe became the fourth Raider to claim his first state appearance as a district runner-up at heavyweight.

At 126 pounds, sophomore Aaron Schultz lost his first round match against No. 6 Drew Foster of Mediapolis, 7-0. He won his second round match, 9-0, over Clear Creek Amana's Nate Langreher. However Foster was defeated by Louisa Muscatine's fifth-ranked Kody Krenz in the championship, sealing the fate of Schultz. Schultz qualified for the state last year as a freshman, wrestling 112 pounds.

At 138 pounds, junior Cody Marine was pinned by Drew Buster of Mediapolis in 4:58 in the first round. Marine battled back, winning by fall in the second round over Tyler Scneider of New London in 1:28. Buster was defeated in the 138 pound championship by Amman Shaner of Fairfield. Marine still in search of his first state appearance with only one year left in his wrestling career. He has fallen just short the past two years, finishing third at districts both times.

At 170 pounds, senior Cody Severns lost by decision to Blake Beckman of Mediapolis, 8-2, in round one. In the second round, Severns was pinned in 1:04 by Lousia Muscatine's Stephan Kruse in 1:04. Severns finished his high school career with a fourth place finish.

At 182 pounds, senior Garrett Harrison lost his first-round match by technical fall to Erik McKillip of West Liberty, 15-0. Nearoth Peterschmidt of Mid-Prairie defeated Harrison, 11-3, in the second round, leaving Harrison fourth at districts.