Prairie comes up short of goal, finishing sixth at State Duals

DES MOINES — The result was not what Cedar Rapids Prairie wanted or expected.

Matches could have been reversed and different decisions made. The effort can't be faulted and the Hawks will switch their focus to other goals.

Fifth-seeded Prairie posted a 1-2 mark and placed sixth at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Duals wrestling tournament Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena. The Hawks earned their fourth consecutive top-six finish.

'This may not have been our best,' Prairie senior Marcus England said. 'The guys still went out and fought hard. Sometimes it doesn't go your way.'

The Hawks (20-5) had goals to come away with a team trophy, but fell short.

'We legitimately wanted to be a top-three team,' Prairie Coach Kane Thompson said. 'We thought that's where we were at. I think that pushed them to come back.'

Prairie closed with a seesaw affair against Waverly-Shell Rock, falling 37-36 to end the dual season. The teams split 14 matches, but Trevor Byram's major decision at 170 helped lift the Go-Hawks (25-5). Prairie still had a chance late to win it, but the Go-Hawks pinned a reserve at 132, won a tossup match at 138 and mandatory blood time prevented Casey Hogan from trying to finish a pin in the last bout at 145.

'I thought the way we shifted the lineup would make it close,' said Thompson, noting that he would likely change his decision to rest top-ranked 132-pounder Sam Uthoff in the finale. 'It didn't work out that way.

'We were a bloody nose away. You can't control that either.'

Prairie had its string of three straight quarterfinal victories snapped, winning just five of 14 weights against No. 4 Johnston. Thompson challenged the Hawks, following a 34-25 loss in the first round.

'What I told them after that round was you've got to be kidding me if you think not winning a dual is fun down here,' Thompson said. 'Let's see what we can do and come out and win.'

Uthoff said some of the team was not mentally prepared for the start of the day but they rebounded with a 46-36 victory over Clinton. Trenten Wennermark (126), Uthoff and Chase St. John closed the dual with 16 team points. St. John secured the victory with a 14-1 major decision over River Kings state qualifier Jess Chapman.

'We just had to come focused and ready to wrestle,' Uthoff said. 'I think it did change.'

Fourth-ranked England went 3-0, moving up to 120 for a win against the Go-Hawks. He didn't hesitate taking the mat each time. The opportunities to compete as a Hawk are dwindling, so he wanted to take advantage of any chance.

'I knew the team needed points,' England said. 'I wanted to go give my best effort.'

The day had its positives. In addition to St. John's win against Clinton, Hogan avenged a district loss against a state qualifier.

'We had two guys beat state qualifiers,' Thompson said. 'It lets those guys know they can compete with those guys.'

Prairie still produced a solid season and the finish didn't overshadow it, according to Thompson.

'I think it was a great dual season,' Thompson said. 'It shows the balance that we had.'

Southeast Polk advanced to the championship for the fourth straight year, looking for its second straight title and third in the last four seasons. The Rams faced West Des Moines Valley. The Tigers reached the championship with a lopsided 72-6 win over Dubuque Hempstead, which sat most of its starters in the semifinal.

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