North Fayette Valley post best team finish

DES MOINES — Going 1-3 in the first round of the Class 2A state wrestling tournament certainly wasn't the outcome North Fayette Valley coach Jacob Pedersen was hoping to see.

But the distinctive image left in Pedersen's mind following that session is how those three wrestlers competed to earn a spot on the podium. The TigerHawks poised themselves for their first-ever top-seven finish as a team, going into the finals in fifth with 58 points.

'Ever since I met the kids when I came in, they've been working their butts off and this is just another step,' Pedersen said. 'They came here, they're building confidence and they're on the big stage so they're definitely building that confidence and it's fun to watch.'

NFV 170-pound junior Nick Baumler advanced to Saturday's championship match where he'll take on Union's defending state champion Jacob Holschlag. NFV senior Zach Bruns notched a sixth-place finish at 152 pounds, senior Tyler Johansen recorded his highest finish-ever at third for 220 and sophomore Ethan Lape placed fourth at heavyweight.

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'I don't think we've ever been this high as a program and as a school,' Pedersen said. 'Just getting this high right now and taking that home is going to be a huge confidence builder from our kid program, to our junior high and to the rest of our high school kids. We're hearing a lot of support from back home so it's been very exciting for the team.'

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