Marion’s Colin Conway finally clinches state berth

CEDAR RAPIDS — Colin Conway said he felt like he was on top of the world.

It is a much better place than where the Marion senior ended the last three seasons, suffering the disappointment of not reaching the state wrestling tournament.

'I wasn't going to take anything other than first,' Conway said. 'I've been in bad places for three years. Never made it, so this was my time to shine.'

He hogged the spotlight in the toughest weight class at the Class 3A district Saturday at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. Fifth-ranked Conway defeated two ranked wrestlers, en route to the 152-pound title, qualifying for the state tournament Feb. 16-18 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

He battled nerves Friday night, trying to sleep, but those subsided before competition.

'I could hardly sleep,' Conway said. 'When I got here and warming up all the nerves were gone. I was loose and ready to go. I was barely thinking about what was on the line.'

Conway (41-3) was seeded third behind Dubuque Hempstead's fourth-ranked Alex Ward and Linn-Mar's No. 6 Jacob Wempen. He downed both by a combined score of 15-3.

'We were prepared for it,' Marion Coach Jason Haag said. 'We knew we had to go through both of them.'

In the final, Conway and Ward were tied, 2-2, with less than a minute left. Conway scored the decisive takedown with about 40 seconds to go, adding three nearfall for insurance.

'I had a good idea of what to do coming in,' Conway said. 'He's very solid. I knew I had to hustle and he'd open up.'

Haag said Conway has gained confidence each week this season and a big Wamac tournament win over South Tama's 2A second-ranked Isaac Judge helped with his postseason preparation.

'He's had a great two weeks of practice,' Haag said. 'Mentally, he's in a great place.'

Conway was one of three Marion champions. The Indians didn't have one state qualifier in Haag's first five seasons as head coach, but had four in a resurgent season.

Third-ranked Caleb Conway, Colin's twin brother, scored a takedown 20 seconds into sudden victory to beat Cedar Rapids Xavier's No. 4 Josh Gerke, 4-2, for the 145-pound title. Caleb Conway remained unbeaten, taking a 44-0 mark to state.

The Indians first title and Haag's first state qualifier came at 113. Sophomore Gaven Hiler cinched up a cradle in the final for nearfall and an 8-6 victory over Hempstead's top-seeded Hunter Foht. Hiler (32-18) avenged two losses, including an earlier 10-6 decision to Foht, for the district championship.

Interestingly, Hiler's father was a year behind Haag in high school at Monticello.

'Four qualifiers is not bad for not having one in six years,' Haag said. 'It's kind of cool my first state qualifier is connected to my hometown.'

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's second-ranked Ben Sarasin won his first district title and is one of four Cougars heading to the state tournament. Sarasin scored four takedowns and defeated Jefferson's third-ranked Tavian Rashed, 9-3.

'We've wrestled a lot,' Sarasin said. 'We always have a good match. It's a great way to prepare me for the state tournament.'

Sarasin (30-1) was runner-up a year ago to the eventual state champion and placed fourth in Des Moines. His lone loss was a decision to top-ranked Marcus Coleman, of Ames, which provided a boost of confidence and strengthened faith in his training.

'I think I can win it,' Sarasin said. 'That's what I've worked for all year.

'I came in to (the regular-season loss to Coleman) knowing how tough he was. I wrestled my heart out in that match and I knew I could hang with him.'

Kennedy's Garrett Kubovec (30-4) won the 182-pound title. The Cougars' Cam Shaver (120) and Sam Pape (195) also advance with runner-up finishes.

The host J-Hawks crowned two champions and advance three to the state meet. Top-seeded Zach Main (132) and Matt Culver (160) won titles.

Main qualified as a sophomore, but lost and suffered an injury in last year's district semifinal.

'It's been a fun journey,' Main said. 'It's been a long time coming.'

Main (20-8) advanced to the championship match with two pins and then beat Hempstead's Jacob Faber, 7-3. Main said he's excited to wrestle at Wells Fargo Arena again and contend for a spot on the awards stand.

'Of all the seasons, this is probably the best I've had,' Main said. 'Individually, I think I've won the most matches and got a lot of pins.

'I'd like to place.'

Cedar Rapids Washington's Will Foreman captured the 126-pound title. The fourth-ranked junior earned his second straight state trip, beating Xavier's Patrick Chambers, 11-3, in the final. Foreman improved to 31-1 and will try to improve last year's sixth-place state finish.

'He's had to overcome some things,' Washington Coach Matt Hatcher said. 'He's coming into his own. He's ready to peak at the right time.'

Three Saints advance, including Alex Francois at 220.

Hempstead won the team title with 218 points and led the district with nine state qualifiers. The Mustangs also crowned a tournament-high four champions, beating runner-up Linn-Mar by 55 points.

The Lions had two qualifiers, including 195-pound champion Brayden Schultz (32-9). Sixth-ranked Alex Streicher (160) placed second for Linn-Mar.

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