Brandon Paez embraced a journey from Nevada to Lisbon and now 4 state wrestling finals appearances

DES MOINES — Brandon Paez appreciates the trek more than the destination.

He values the work, sacrifice and development more than any victory, record or medal. Success is an extra reward for all that effort along the road that led him to become Lisbon’s sixth four-time state finalist.

“I don’t really desire to be on top of the podium, the outcome or anything,” Paez said. “It’s really the journey that I really love. If being a four-time state finalist is part of the journey then it is what it is, but being part of that group is really special.”

Paez continued his dominant drive to another finals appearance, throttling Wilton’s Gabriel Brisker, 16-0, in the 120-pound semifinals of the Class 1A boys’ state wrestling tournament Friday morning at Wells Fargo Arena.

He is joined in the finals by Lions heavyweight Wyatt Smith and helped Lisbon move into fourth place in the team standings.

The journey has covered a lot of ground. Paez is originally from Nevada and moved to the Eastern Iowa’s fabled wrestling community right before high school. The experience has changed his life forever and not just as a competitor, for which he is grateful.

“Lisbon not only made me a better wrestler, but a better man,” Paez said. “I would move to Lisbon in the lifetime after and the lifetime after that.

“It’s a great opportunity Lisbon has given me because I could have been home watching TV in Las Vegas, not wrestling or not being at Wells Fargo on Saturday night.”

Lisbon’s Hall of Fame Coach Brad Smith has witnessed the growth from the time he met Paez. In addition to the talent on the mat, he has generated intangibles to impact the Lions off it.

“He’s become a better leader with the wrestlers,” Smith said. “He takes charge. He’s well liked. He’s just a great guy to have around the program.”

Paez has rolled through foes to reach the finals. He has outscored all three by a total of 40-0, notching back-to-back 16-0 technical falls. He was businesslike in his performances, scoring a takedown and nine nearfall in the opening period against Brisker. He only needed 33 seconds to add an escape, takedown and more nearfall to end it.

“Always business,” Paez said. “Going down here for four days it’s not a vacation. It’s to take care of business. This year, I really want to prove that gap (from the competition) I made in the offseason from last state finals to here. I want to prove that I made huge jumps in all the matches.”

Paez (52-0) has extended his win streak to 72 matches and joins Lisbon greats Jim Lord (1975-78), Scott Morningstar (1977-80), Shane Light (1987-90), Carter Happel (2013-16) and Cael Happel (2017-20) as four-time finalists. He could become the Lions’ seventh three-time champion and 11th to win at least three.

“He’s unbelievable,” Smith said. “He’s so quick and focused every tournament.”

Paez and Wyatt Smith (50-0) were both top seeds and reached the finals. Smith’s semifinal win was much more dramatic. He scored a takedown on the edge of the mat with two seconds remaining to beat Treynor’s Dan Gregory, 3-2.

Don Bosco is in control for its fifth straight team title, leading with 152 points. Wilton is second with 105 and Nashua-Plainfield had 99. Lisbon tallied 87, 3 1/2 ahead of fifth-place Alburnett.

The Pirates got a little rowdy to start the semifinal round. Sophomore 113-pounder Rowdy Neighbor paved his way to the title match. He used a reversal with 26 seconds remaining to upend Missouri Valley’s defending state champion and top-seeded Eli Becerra, 2-0.

“I know coming into this I was going to be an underdog,” Neighbor said. “I got sick last year. Had to settle for eighth. Ever since that happened I knew eighth place does not set well with me. I deserve better. I knew I could get better.”

After a scoreless first, Neighbor (47-2) kept it scoreless with a smothering ride, clinging to Becerra for the full two minutes. It put Neighbor in position to win late.

“I know I can put a ride on anybody in the state,” Neighbor said. “I showed I can do it against the best. It was very key.”

The reversal came on the edge of the mat in a scramble. He patiently worked behind Becerra, coming around behind just before going out of bounds. Then, it was a matter of staying in good position and defending Becerra’s grandby roll.

“I knew I could get up from him,” Neighbor said. “Strong kid. Cuts a lot of weight. I just stayed composed.”

South Winneshiek’s Collin Holm stopped the Pirates from advancing any more to the finals. He edged Alburnett’s No. 6 Brody Neighbor, 2-1, in the 138-pound semifinals.

The second-seeded junior has completed a unique journey of his own. Holm went from a non-qualifier to a state finalist in his first state appearance.

“Spent a lot of time and put in a lot of work to get here,” said Holm, who improved to 40-1. “Now, we’re finally here, it feels amazing. Nothing better.”

Holm said many have contributed to his success. He was surrounded by many of them, energized and happy, as he sat in the tunnel after his bout.

“I have a lot of great coaches and teammates that help push me to be the best I can every single day,” Holm said. “If it wasn’t for my coaches and teammates I would not be standing here right now.”

Holm used a penalty point in the second and an escape to become the Warriors’ first finalist since Landers Kuboushek placed second at 195 in 2016. He’s advanced with three nail-biting decisions by a total of six points.

“I think I do a good job of not getting overwhelmed in those tight matches,” Holm said. “Just staying calm and sticking to what I do best. I’ve been pretty successful doing that so far.”

He will face Underwood’s top-seeded Blake Allen (37-3) in the finals. A moment he has pictured many times and witnessed as a spectator.

“I’ve thought about it a couple times,” Holm said. “It just feels amazing to actually realize what it feels like now.”

Midland’s Caden Ballou entered the season as an unlikely finalist to most, except for himself and his coaches. They knew the No. 15-seed he was saddled with was inaccurate. He has spent the last three days and four matches making sure everyone noticed.

Ballou (45-3) handled Wilton’s third-seeded Kaden Shirk, 7-2, in the 182 semifinals.

“Coming into the tournament as a 15 seed you walk in with a chip on your shoulder and you just go prove people wrong,” Ballou said. “It feels great.”

Neutral attacks propelled him to a championship bout, tallying three takedowns in the first two periods. He faces top-seeded Carson Hartz of Waterloo Columbus.

“We executed,” Ballou said. “You have to look for opportunities to score when they’re there.

“We just have to keep rolling, like we’ve been. We go out there. We work hard every single match. We have to stay consistent. Just keep working, keep pushing and success will come.”

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