116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Werner's hard work pays off in big wins and a WSR title (VIDEO)
Dec. 11, 2010 7:06 pm
CEDAR RAPIDS - If Tanner Werner wasn't front and center for the Waverly-Shell Rock wrestling poster then coaches may want to schedule another shoot.
At the very least, he made a strong case for himself to be the program's poster boy Saturday.
Werner knocked off the top two ranked wrestlers at 125 pounds, powering Waverly-Shell Rock to the title at the Five Seasons Duals tournament hosted by Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Cedar Rapids Washington. The Go-Hawks (8-0) handled top-ranked Bettendorf, 41-23, in the championship dual at Kennedy High School.
Werner has progressed from a junior varsity as a freshman, qualifying for the state meet as a sophomore, to placing fifth at last year's state meet. Now, he is putting himself in position to contend for a state title.
“It's really exciting to me. It's real fun,” Werner said about being among the state's best. “I've been to all the practices. I've been wrestling my tail off for four years, so I don't know why can't this be my chance.”
Werner has never missed a practice, run lift or club practice. W-SR Coach Rick Caldwell said Werner's dues are paid and this is the return on his investment.
“Tanner Werner is a heck of a tough kid,” Caldwell said. “He's gotten better every year. The kid does what we ask him to do.”
Put him on the poster since he defines the intangibles the Go-Hawks want from a wrestler.
"He's a good example of Go-Hawk wrestling," senior Cody Caldwell said. "He's been working hard and doing what the coaches are asking. It's paid off. He's had success."
Werner beat top-ranked Connor Ryan, 6-0, posting one of the Go-Hawks' nine wins. He scored takedowns in the first and third periods with a reversal in the second for his first win over Ryan. It gave the Go-Hawks a 18-6 lead.
That win came after Werner had a vital victory in the Go-Hawks 33-31 win over Iowa City West in the semifinals. The win came after heavyweight Cody Krumwiede, Andrew Steiert (103) and Spencer Derfield (112) scored three straight pins and Eric Devos added a decision at 119 to put WSR up, 21-10.
The Go-Hawks senior edged the Trojans' No. 2 Jack Hathaway, 6-4, eclipsing a 4-0 deficit in the third. Werner scored a reversal and two two-point nearfalls with the final back points coming in the last five seconds. Werner said he knew he was the underdog in both matches.
“I really don't have anything to lose,” Werner said. “I went out and wrestled my style. I tried to control ties and rides and it turned out good.”
Kolton Rottink added another upset for W-SR, beating Bettendorf's Bubba Hernandez, 6-4, in overtime at 135. His win set up Jordan Rinken's fall at 140 that just about sealed the win.
“He wrestled the kid tough and smart,” Caldwell said of Rottink. “He made a couple breaks and won a couple scrambles. The thing that impressed me the most is he wrestled the whole time. he didn't stop.”
Top-ranked Cody Krumwiede was impressive pinning Bettendorf's No. 2 Brody Berrie in 1:37. Cody Caldwell (152) and Terry Stover (171) added a technical fall and pin for the Go-Hawks in the finals. W-SR blanked Washington, 84-0. in the opening round.
“Everybody went out there and took care of themselves and got the job done,” Cody Caldwell said. “It's a real good feeling.”
West failed to reach the finals of the meet for only the second time in Mark Reiland's 12 years at the school. The Trojans received one of four byes in the first round, causing by teams backing out late, including three canceling due to impending severe weather. West beat Urbandale, 48-19, winning nine matches. West (10-1) rebounded from the tough loss with a 52-18 win over Cedar Rapids Prairie for third.
“Obviously that wasn't the intent,” Reiland said about placing third. “I think we know where we're at and where we stand. We have things we have to work on.”
Prairie (6-2) returned to the event for the first time in Blake Williams' tenure as coach. The Hawks placed fourth, handling Davenport West, 59-13, and Kennedy, 46-19, before dropping its final two duals. Williams was happy with effort up to the final round.
“it was an OK day up until the last meet,” Williams said. “We battled hard the first three meets. The last meet we didn't wrestle with the intensity and fight we are used to. We kind of laid down for our competition the last meet, which was disappointing.”
Linn-Mar (6-2) went 3-1 with its only loss to W-SR in the quarterfinals. Linn-Mar beat Charles City in the first round and closed with a 38-21 win over No. 8 Urbandale and a 33-26 win over West Delaware for fifth. Lions' freshman Alijah Jeffery scored a big win in the quarterfinal dual, beating W-SR's top-ranked Steiert, 1-0.
The results weren't uploaded as clean as I wish, but here's an attempt to get you complete results.
2010 Five Seasons Duals Results held at C.R. Kennedy
2010 Five Seasons Duals results held at C.R. Washington
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