Iowa boys’ state wrestling 1A quarterfinals: Lisbon 4-sport state qualifier Wes Sadler advances, Cascade’s Brock Morris works his way back

DES MOINES — Lisbon’s Wes Sadler is no stranger to state competition.

After all, the four-sport athlete estimates he’s participated at state in seven straight seasons, consisting of cross country, track and field, baseball and wrestling. Sadler has bridged all those experiences to his benefit.

“I put a lot of work in for four sports,” Sadler said. “A lot of that can transfer, like never giving up.”

Success breeds success and Sadler produced a little more of it. He scored two points in the final period to defeat Logan-Magnolia’s Crosby Yoder, 2-1, in the 106-pound quarterfinals of the Class 1A state wrestling tournament Thursday night at Wells Fargo Arena.

Sadler (38-9) secured his second straight state medal and first semifinal appearance.

“I’m always grateful that I’ve gotten the opportunity,” said Sadler, who faces Wilton’s No. 10 Liam Adlfinger in Friday’s semifinals. “Just keep pushing myself. I look forward to the next match to see if I can get even higher than I was last year.”

Constant movement and pressure helped overcome a stingy Yoder, who led 1-0 after two periods. Sadler’s action yielded stall warnings on Yoder in the second and with 1:10 to go, tying the score. A decisive escape came two seconds later.

“Great coaches get us peaking at the right time of the year,” said Sadler, noting that wrestling and cross country demands the same mental toughness. “It always helps with the gas tank.”

Coaches congratulated Sadler, lauding his ability to win close, hard-fought matches. Sadler was battle-tested during the regular season.

“I’ve been there so many times,” Sadler said. “Probably half of my matches have gone the full six minutes. Almost half my matches are against ranked kids. It helps to have that competition because you know what to expect when you get in tight matches like this.”

Sadler contributed to a state team title in track and field, a state runner-up finish in baseball, a seventh-place team finish in cross country and a second-place finish at the state duals as a freshman. Does the string of state accomplishments get old?

“Nope,” Sadler said. “I always love the grind. I keep working hard. Every season, I get more motivation.”

Lions teammate Tiernan Boots joined Sadler in the semifinals. No. 5 Boots (144) trailed early but stormed back to take the lead and toss North Tama’s Kolt Knaack to his back for a fall in 3:11. It was Knaack’s first loss. Boots returned to the state podium after placing fifth at 132 in 2022.

Cascade’s Brock Morris is making a winning return to state

  Buy Photo

Like Boots, Cascade’s Brock Morris placed two seasons ago and missed out a year ago. Morris didn’t even make it to state. He responded by dedicating himself in the offseason. He reaped the rewards with a 7-3 decision over Ogden’s No. 2 Kolton Munson in a 126 quarterfinal.

“It means a lot,” Morris said. “I’ve put in a lot of work over the summer. It’s kind of starting to pay off.

“It was tough seeing everybody else go and I’m stuck back. I worked hard and that’s where I’m at now.”

Morris produced bracket takedowns in the first and third, adding a reversal and escape in between. A product of the offseason work.

“Definitely, taking my shots and escaping from bottom has been big,” Morris said. “I’ve made a big improvement.”

Jesup’s Cooper Hinz gets closer to goal

  Buy Photo

Jesup’s strong campaign added two semifinalists to its string of achievements. Cooper Hinz (113) and 175-pounder Kile Bucknell earned top-six finishes. Hinz is making his second straight trip to the semifinals, where he lost last year. He’s been waiting for another crack to reach Saturday night’s final.

“Yes, every day,” Hinz said about looking forward to a semifinal return. “My background on my phone is ‘2024 state champion.’”

Hinz had to gut out a 3-2 victory over WACO’s Gage Samo in the ultimate tiebreaker. He trailed 2-0 when he scored a tying reversal with less than 10 seconds left in the third.

“He put a leg in and we practice five and roll a lot,” Hinz said. “Just roll and hopefully end up on top. It was the last chance. It worked.”

After a scoreless sudden victory and ride outs in the first tiebreaker, Samo chose up for the final 30-second period, attempting another ride out to win. Hinz willed his way to an escape that previously eluded him. The situation made the difference.

“If I didn’t get out, I didn’t win,” Hinz said. “It wasn’t like that in the other periods.”

Alburnett No. 12 seed Reece Klostermann wins again

Alburnett advanced three wrestlers into the semifinals. Top-seeded duo Rowdy Neighbor (120) and Tayten Coufal (126) and 150-pounder Reece Klostermann each won by pin.

Klostermann entered the tournament seeded 12th but moved into the top six, sticking Oakland Riverside’s Taven Moore in the first period.

“I think it’s pretty crazy,” said Klostermann, who will face Starmont’s No. 1 Keaton Moeller next. “I never came to state in AAU or high school.”

Klostermann looks right at home. He has been calm and cool in an intense atmosphere that has overwhelmed many wrestlers. Not bad for a state newcomer, who is at his natural weight after wrestling 160 and 170 the last two seasons.

“I’m trying to keep myself calm and not be nervous about matches and stuff,” Klostermann said. “I’m not looking at anything (else).”

East Buchanan and Maquoketa Valley each had two semifinalists. The Buccaneers’ Clay Wilgenbusch (165) and No. 2 heavyweight Cody Fox won by fall. Fox will face West Branch’s Logan Wright for a finals berth.

The Wildcats’ Nathan Beitz at 190 and top-seeded 215-pounder Brady Davis advanced.

Class 1A state wrestling Top 10 team scores after Thursday

1. Don Bosco, 95 1/2

2. Alburnett, 80 1/2

3. Wilton, 72 1/2

4. Jesup, 54

5. Underwood, 47

6. West Hancock, 44

7. Lisbon, 43

8. Earlham, 41

9. Hinton, 39

10. Wapsie Valley, 37

Thursday’s Class 1A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling quarterfinal results

106 pounds

Hayden Schwab (Don Bosco) pinned Ethan Humphrey (West Branch), 4:27

Atlee Dewitt (Alburnett) dec. Ayden Bergman (Jesup), 7-0

Wesley Sadler (Lisbon) dec. Crosby Yoder (Logan-Magnolia), 2-1

Liam Adlfinger (Wilton) dec. Lucas Oldenkamp (Lake Mills), 4-2

113

Mason Shirk (Wilton) dec. Tommy Booth (Pleasantville), 6-1

Dallas Canoyer (Earlham) dec. Brock Shaha (Mount Ayr), 8-3

Gavin Landers (Denver) dec. Nic Brase (Nashua-Plainfield), 8-1

Cooper Hinz (Jesup) dec. Gage Samo (WACO), 3-2 UTB

120

Rowdy Neighbor (Alburnett) pinned Max Pollock (Wayne), 5:35

Tegan Slaybaugh (Guthrie Center ACGC) dec. Eli Becerra (Missouri Valley), 3-0

Cael Morrow (Akron-Westfield) dec. Luke Guseman (Highland), 6-3

Ayden Beck (Baxter) dec. Dawson Jacobsen (Central Springs), 3-1

126

Tayten Coufal (Alburnett) pinned Owen Adlfinger (Wilton), 4:47

Jesse Lewis (West Sioux) pinned Brayden Scheffers (Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas), 4:28

Caleb Swedin (Ruthven GTRA) dec. Jaxon Larson (Don Bosco), 6-2

Brock Morris (Cascade) dec. Kolton Munson (Ogden), 7-3

132

Tanner Arjes (North Butler/Clarksville) tech. fall Brand Beaver (Woodbury Central), 16-0

Jadyn Friedrichs (Akron-Westfield) dec. Carson Thomsen (Underwood), 7-6

Brody Brisker (Wilton) pinned Ryan Groom (North Mahaska), 1:37

Dawson Youngblut (Don Bosco) pinned Landon Price (Lake Mills), 1:45

138

Blake Allen (Underwood) dec. Steve Brandenburg (Lake Mills), 8-1

Gabriel Brisker (Wilton) dec. Holden Mathis (MFL MarMac), 5-1

Teague Smith (West Hancock) major dec. Caleb Cook (Pleasantville), 11-3

Ethan Christoffer (Don Bosco) pinned Preston Klostermann (Alburnett), 1:59

144

Corbin Reisz (Logan-Magnolia) major dec. Zane Mullenix (Pleasantville), 11-2

Tiernan Boots (Lisbon) pinned Kolt Knaack (North Tama), 3:11

Collin Holm (South Winneshiek) major dec. Jordan Dusenberry (Wilton), 12-0

Boden White (Denver) dec. Charlie Veit (East Sac County), 10-4

150

Keaton Moeller (Starmont) major dec. Carter Metcalf (Pleasantville), 12-3

Reece Klostermann (Alburnett) pinned Taven Moore (Oakland Riverside), 1:43

Jacob McGargill (Shenandoah) tech. fall Kaden Abbas (Ackley AGWSR), 15-0

Danny Kinsella (Treynor) dec. Easton Krall (Wapsie Valley), 3-1

157

Kyler Knaack (Don Bosco) pinned Jackson Carey (Nashua-Plainfield), 2:42

Kayden Baxter (Avoca AHSTW) dec. Will Buckholdt (Underwood), 5-3

Kanen Decker (Wapsie Valley) dec. Owen Laughlin (Shenandoah), 3-2

Kellen Smith (West Hancock) major dec. Wyatt Vanderwerff (Jesup), 14-1

165

John McGill (Colfax-Mingo) major dec. Bode Stanley (Interstate 35), 12-4

Clay Wilgenbusch (East Buchanan) pinned Lincoln Blickenderfer (Central Springs), 3:08

Ryan Stiles (Earlham) dec. Justin Wirtz (Emmetsburg), 7-4

Maddox Nelson (Underwood) dec. Jackson Kounkel (Hinton), 8-4

175

Kaiden Knaack (Don Bosco) dec. Jayden Dickerson (Shenandoah), 11-6

Kile Bucknell (Jesup) dec. Creighton Kelly (West Hancock), 4-2

Jace Nelson-Brown (Emmetsburg) major dec. Zach Robbins (Treynor), 12-2

Titus Evans (Nashua-Plainfield) pinned Gatlin Rogers (Wilton), 2:35

190

McKade Bloker (North Butler/Clarksville) pinned Kale Zuehl (West Hancock), 0:50

Landon Fernandez (Don Bosco) dec. Tate White (Nashua-Plainfield), 9-7

Nathan Beitz (Maquoketa Valley) dec. Taite Peach (Iowa Valley), 10-8

Louden Huisenga (WACO) major dec. Tate Haffner (Southwest Valley), 14-5

215

Brady Davis (Maquoketa Valley) pinned Kyler Sallis (Don Bosco), 2:53

David Smith (West Hancock) dec. Emmitt Fleshman (Alburnett), 3-2 UTB

Eli Green (Interstate 35) dec. Parker Timp (South Winneshiek), 10-3

Ashton Honnold (Nodaway Valley) major dec. Jack Hiland (Bellevue), 11-3

285

Mason Knipp (Waterloo Columbus) dec. Michael Block (Sibley-Ocheyedan), 5-2

Trenton Warner (Nodaway Valley) dec. Aiden Salow (Maquoketa Valley), 3-1 SV-1

Logan Wright (West Branch) dec. Gage Jorgenson (Emmetsburg), 7-1

Cody Fox (East Buchanan) pinned Payton Jacobe (Guthrie Center ACGC), 4:17

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com