Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Colin Falck pins his way to J-Hawk Invitational boys’ wrestling title

CEDAR RAPIDS — Colin Falck earned a state medal last season.

The hardware comes with more confidence, higher expectations and a determined attitude as the Cedar Rapids Kennedy wrestler chases his goal.

“The goal is always to get first at state,” Falck said. “I have a little chip on my shoulder because I placed last year, so I need to get it done again, this year.”

Falck was dominant, pinning his way to the 165-pound title at the 50th J-Hawk Invitational boys’ wrestling tournament Monday at Cedar Rapids Jefferson. The competition was originally scheduled for Saturday and postponed due to weather.

Falck posted a 5-0 record, ending each by fall in the first period. His longest match lasted just 1:37. Class 3A No. 7 Falck ended the day with a 1:04 pin over Marshalltown’s Dalton Zednichek.

“I didn’t do very well at the last tournament, so this is a good bounce back for me,” said Falck, who was runner-up at the Jack Mendenhall Invitational in Ames on Jan. 6. “I thought I wrestled well. I felt like I did what I needed to get done. I pinned my way through my bracket. I think that was good for me.”

The Mendenhall finish motivated him during practice as he worked on his endurance and technique. He was focused to improve his footwork and crate action with his motion, not relying solely on hand fighting to set up his offense. Falck responded well.

“We threw every coach at him,” Kennedy Coach Nick LeClere said. “I wrestled him this week. He gained some confidence, took it to another level to where we had to really start trying hard again. He started putting it to us a little and made us give him a harder go.

“If he wrestles like that, he’s going to be a handful coming down to the last stretch of the season. That’s what I saw today.”

LeClere said he was impressed by his level changes, creating opportunities to score. He opened opponents up for attacks just by moving his feet better in the short time he was on the mat. Falck has been receptive to changes to improve and get closer to his ultimate goal.

“He’s being coachable,” LeClere said. “He’s open to it. I think it’s working. We have to stay at it.”

Falck (25-4) is a two-time state qualifier and placed sixth at 160 last season. He has followed in the footsteps of older brothers, Dylan and Ashtin. Both were state qualifiers for the Cougars and set a strong example.

“They’ve shown me what needs to be done,” the younger Falck said. “They made a good path for me. They did very well in high school, so it’s a good competition between brothers.

“You’ve got to be better than the last one. I think I’ve got it going so far.”

Cael Smithhart (150) and 175-pounder Christian Gasper won titles for Kennedy, which placed second in the team race with 195 points, 42 1/2 behind champion Dubuque Hempstead.

Gasper improved to 20-10 with a 9-4 decision over Davenport Central’s Charles Ebeling. After seasons of having to move up weights to crack the lineup, Gasper has a more natural fit.

“Now, he’s at his true weight class,” LeClere said. “He’s always been undersized on varsity until this year. I think he’s settling into his weight class nicely.

“He’s looking the best we’ve seen him since he has been in high school. I’m very happy for him.”

The tournament opened with a tribute to the tournament’s rich history. Former Jefferson wrestlers Jim Balvanz and Tom Sadler and their coach, Bill McNiel, were recognized at the start.

Balvanz, Sadler and Jed Brown, who was unable to attend, were individual champions at the inaugural tournament in 1975. McNiel coached Jefferson to state titles in 1973 and 1974 before starting the annual invitational.

Along with McNiel, former Jefferson coaches Dick Briggs, Matt Orton and Tim Fowler were honored for their contributions to the event over the years. All three were former J-Hawk wrestlers. Fowler wrestled for Hall of Fame Coach Gary Kurdelmeier at Jefferson and the University of Iowa.

Martin was grateful they were able to hold the tournament this season, avoiding cancellation.

“It means a lot to me personally,” Martin said. “We are keeping up the tradition of our history of Jefferson wrestling, like all of those over the years.”

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