Go-Hawks dominate J-Hawk Invitational (VIDEO)

CEDAR RAPIDS - Waverly-Shell Rock Coach Rick Caldwell wasn't trying to be arrogant or boastful, even though he had every right.The Go-Hawks have rumbled with some of the best wrestling teams in the state and country, and after those tough tests Caldwell was glad to see a win with a little more ease.Class 3A second-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock dominated the field Saturday at the J-Hawk Invitational at Cedar Rapids Jefferson, crowning eight champions and capturing the team title with 300 1/2 points. West Delaware was second with 204 1/2, while 1A sixth-ranked Alburnett was third.“We've had a brutal schedule so far this year,” Caldwell said. “It was nice to come to a tournament and dominate. We haven't done that all year. With our schedule, it's been a scrap and battle every single round.”The final round was where the Go-Hawks distanced themselves from the field. They posted an 8-1 record in championship matches and were 12-2 overall, placing all 14 wrestlers in the top five.“I think we wrestled great,” Go-Hawk junior 119-pounder Eric Devos said. “Honestly, it's the best we've wrestled all year for consistency.”Andrew Steiert and Spencer Derifield opened with titles at 103 and 112. Derifield scored a pin and technical fall before pinning Fort Dodge's fifth-ranked Matt Birnbaum in the first period. Seth Ebling (130), Jordan Rinken (140) and top-ranked heavyweight Cody Krumwiede added championship pins for the Go-Hawks. Cody Caldwell added a 12-0 major decision over Benton Community's third-ranked Chase Skoneczka for the 152 crown.Blake Seehusen, seeded sixth, bruised the 145-pound bracket. Seehusen pinned his way to the finals before scoring a 15-0 technical fall over Alburnett's Dylan Windfield, a freshman who advanced to the finals with a 13-11 over top-seeded Michael Burgos of Marshalltown.“It was nice to come in here and some of the guys that have been taking it on the chin a little bit had good days,” Caldwell said. “We had some championships and more matches than they normally do. It was a very positive weekend for all of us.”Devos capped the Go-Hawks march to the first three titles with a win in the tournament's top match-up. Devos scored five points in the third period to beat Alburnett's Tyler Shulista, 6-2, at 119 in a battle of defending state champions. Devos won the 3A 119-pound title last year, while Shulista won it in 1A.“I knew it was going to be a tough match going in,” Devos said. “Tyler's a good wrestler and I have a lot of respect for him.”Shulista actually grabbed the lead in the third with a reversal. Devos stayed in good position and worked to earn it back and then added a cradle for three nearfall. A strong turn of events for some not known for his mat wrestling.“I still had the leg hooked when he reversed me, so it was easy for me to jump his hips and get over,” Devos said. “It was kind of a crazy scramble situation where the opportunity presented itself and I went for it.”He took a look at the clock and was confident he was in control the rest of the way. The victory earned him Outstanding Wrestler honors of the tournament.“With a minute left you're not supposed to think anything's over, but I kind of knew in my head it was pretty well over,” Devos said. “Once you get a cradle hooked up it's hard to get out of it.”Alburnett didn't have to wait long for their title. Two-time state champion and three-time state finalist Christopher Halblom captured the crown at 125 pounds, pinning Boone's Alex Clark in 3:23 in the final.“I felt like I did pretty good,” said Halblom, who liked the competition from bigger schools but was dejected W-SR's top-ranked Tanner Werner didn't participate. “Overall, it was a pretty good day. Glad I was able to take care of business today.”Halblom has history with Jefferson. His father, Matt, wrestled for J-Hawks Coach Dick Briggs in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Halblom even started as a member of Jefferson's Bad Boys youth wrestling club. During the tournament, Halblom made his way to a hallway by the older gym and saw an old wrestling poster where his dad posed on a tow truck. The same one is at their home.Winning the tournament at his dad's alma mater was special.“It was pretty cool, knowing that my dad came here,” Halblom said. “He knows everybody.”Alburnett was the smallest school by far in the field. The Pirates placed ahead of Fort Dodge, who is ranked ninth in 3A. Alburnett Coach Kane Thompson stressed to his wrestlers that school size doesn't determine results. “They're weighing in at the same weight," Thompson said. "We work hard so we come out we're going to work hard against them.”The Pirates had runners-up in Colton Martin (130) and Alex German (140). Thompson was satisfied about the finish, despite concerns of his team being controlled in the final rounds.“Team wise I think we did very well,” Thompson said. “We knew we could compete top-three in this tournament. We have realistic goals where we could end up.”The J-Hawks' Conner Herman captured his first tournament title at his home tournament. Second-ranked Herman locked up his patented cradle for three back points in the third period for a 4-2 win over top-ranked Joe Scanlan of Johnston in the 215-pound final. It serves as a boost of confidence but Herman realizes there are more important titles.“It means a lot but it doesn't mean everything,” said Herman, who was the sixth-place heavyweight at state last year. “I found out that these tournaments matter they're not the most important. The most important are district and state.” Herman held a 1-0 lead when he hung over Scanlan, grasping his hands and turning on his back for the decisive move and 4-0 lead.“I locked the cradle up and it was a good feeling, because I've used it so much I can turn a lot of people with it,” Herman said. “I didn't have it cinched up as tight as I could get it, but I knew I could get him to his back.”West Delaware received a title from 189-poiunder Adam Reth, who pinned Oskaloosa's Dan Jones in 2:45 for the championship. Hard work is starting to pay off for the Hawks' sophomore.“We're just starting to see the tip of the iceberg," West Delaware Coach Jeff Voss said. "He has a lot of potential to do real well.”The Hawks, without a 152-pound wrestler, placed all 13 of its wrestlers, advancing four to the finals. Zach Less (103), Nolan Zumbach (160) and Sam Lahr (171) each placed second for the Hawks.“Our focus today was to fight against good competition, and I think we did that,” Voss said. “We won some good matches.”

J-HAWK INVITATIONAL

At C.R. Jefferson

Teams -1. Waverly-Shell Rock 300 1/2, 2. West Delaware 204 1/2, 3. Alburnett 166, 4. Fort Dodge 140, 5. Fort Madison 121, 6. Dubuque Hempstead 71, 7. C.R. Jefferson 66, 8. Marshalltown 56, 9. Benton Community 55, 10. Oskaloosa 53, 11. Johnston 51 1/2, 12. Boone 43, 13. Waterloo East 40.

Championship matches

103 pounds - Andrew Steiert (WSR) dec. Zach Less (WD), 6-0;

112 - Spencer Derifield (WSR) pinned Matt Birnbaum (FD), 1:28;

119 - Eric Devos (WSR) dec. Tyler Shulista (Alb), 6-2;

125 - Christopher Halblom (Alb) pinned Alex Clark (B), 3:23;

130 - Seth Ebling (WSR) pinned Colton Martin (Alb), 3:16;

135 - Brayton Taylor (FD) major dec. Kolton Rottink (WSR), 12-0;

140 - Jordan Rinken (WSR) pinned Alex German (Alb), 3:17;

145 - Blake Seehusen (WSR) tech. fall Dylan Windfield (Alb), 15-0;

152 - Cody Caldwell (WSR) major dec. Chase Skoneczka (BC), 12-0;

160 - Jeremy Helgeson (WE) pinned Nolan Zumbach (WD), 4:52;

171 - Levi Peters (FD) dec. Sam Lahr (WD), 6-2;

189 - Adam Reth (WD) pinned Dane Jones (Osk), 2:45;

215 - Conner Herman (CRJ) dec. Joe Scanlan (J), 4-2;

Hwt. - Cody Krumwiede (WSR) pinned Pedro Gomez (Mar), 2:48.