Solon’s Lucas Feuerbach’s hatred for losing springboards him into state boys’ wrestling finals

DES MOINES – Refuse to lose.

Solon’s Lucas Feuerbach isn’t settling for anything that doesn’t result in his hand being raised high above his head. The mentality has manifested a shot at a championship.

Feuerbach didn’t give North Polk’s Christensen a chance, handling him from start to finish in a 10-4 victory in the 215-pound semifinals of the Class 2A boys’ state wrestling tournament Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Feuerbach is the first Spartan to reach the finals since Gage Marty in 2022.

“I'm coming for it all this year,” Feuerbach said. “I'm not leaving any chances.”

Last year, Feuerbach went 2-2 at state and missed the podium in his first appearance. The ending enhanced his dislike of disappointment.

“I hate losing,” Feuerbach said. “It’s my least favorite thing. I’ve said it over again. I just hate it. I'm not going to do it.”

He proved it against Christensen, tallying a takedown in each period and added an escape in the last. Feuerbach (46-3) hasn’t trailed for one second of the tournament, opening with a pin and scoring double digits the last two rounds.

Interestingly, he gained confidence from the initial handshake and used his strength as an advantage.

“I knew he was good,” Feuerbach said. “I just knew I was better. Got to be the aggressor the whole time not just in the beginning.”

After securing his finals berth, he ran to the stands and hugged his mom, Natalie, in the stands. Nothing like a wrestling mom that lives through every move on the mat and the demands off it.

“She helps me with everything,” Feuerbach said. “She’s my biggest supporter. She did this for me. I just thanked her so much.”

Feuerbach’s father, Jacob, was a state champion at 171 in 2000 for Belle Plaine. Feuerbach is just a win away from matching him. A goal he is determined to achieve.

“It's like a lot of family commitment comes with this sport,” Feuerbach said. “Everything about it.”

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Not far down Highway 1, Mount Vernon was celebrating a finalist again. Top-seeded 144-pounder Jase Jaspers returned to Saturday night for the third straight season. He thumped Atlantic’s Aiden Smith, 17-3, in the semifinal.

“It feels good,” Jaspers said. “It’s what I’ve worked for ever since last year when I lost in the finals. It feels good but it doesn’t feel great, yet. I need one more to get my goal.”

Any celebrations were paused until he reaches that top podium step. He was runner-up at 126 as a freshman and 138 a year ago, losing both by a combined three points.

“This is cool and all but this isn’t why I came here,” Jaspers said. “I didn’t come here to be in the finals again. I came here to win it.”

Jaspers was businesslike against Smith, racking up four takedowns and closing the technical fall with a four-point nearfall. He pulled away with 14 points in the last 3:42.

“I think it’s a few things,” Jaspers said. “I figured the guy out. Once I figure my opponent out it’s big for me. Another thing is my pace. A lot of people can’t stand with my pace. If I stay on my attacks, stay on good defense, that tires people out. I don’t think they can stay with me the full six minutes.”

Jaspers (46-0) faces a familiar foe in Independence’s Tyler Wieland, who beat Central Lyon/George-Little Rock’s Ragen Hasche, 1-0.

Anamosa’s No. 2 190-pounder Austin Scranton also took on a familiar foe to return to the championship bout. He faced West Delaware’s Brent Yonkovic in a rematch of last year’s 175-pound semifinal. Like last year, Scranton was victorious. This time he scored all his points in the final period for a 4-0 decision.

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“It’s always a good match,” Scranton said. “I just knew I had to keep the pressure on him. Make him have to work with me. I just wrestled and attacked with my shots. I worked with my coaches on what I need to do.

“The two pins in the first two rounds are nice but it feels good to win a hard-fought one, especially when you’re wrestling all the best kids.”

Scranton (51-2) has a chance to become Anamosa’s second two-time state champion. Moza Fay won titles in 2003 and 2004 for the Blue Raiders.

“It’s awesome,” Scranton said. “Chasing records, but I think it’s better for the people in the town, putting us on the map.”

Scranton will face Benton Community’s Brenden Heying in the final. Heying dropped Humboldt’s Broedy Hendricks, 4-1, in the other semifinal. Heying reached his first state final but has beaten Scranton two of three meetings this season.

“I’ve seen Brenden a few times,” said Scranton, noting he has always beaten Hendricks. “He beat me twice. I beat him once. Hopefully, I can even the score. We’ve seen each other for years – me, Brenden and Brent.”

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Williamsburg’s Nile Sinn and Mount Vernon’s Mikey Ryan have battled many times, including the 150-pound semifinal. Sinn hadn’t beaten Ryan until Friday night’s epic. They exchanged escapes in regulation and a tiebreaker. Sinn was able to escape with eight seconds left in the 30-second ultimate tiebreaker for a 3-2 win and a state finals.

Sinn was able to explode out after a restart at the 14-second mark.

“You need to go quick,” Sinn said. “Being able to get straight to my feet, I know I can do that to about anybody. I was just fortunate enough to kick out and get the one (point) at the end.”

The match was bloody and lasted 8:22. They have had a long rivalry, even though it was one-sided until Friday. Sinn kept telling himself he just needed one win and it came at the right time.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Sinn, who gave a large swinging fist pump toward the Raiders crowd afterward. “No one else I’d rather be against. Mike is amazing. He’s been the one guy I’ve always been able to chase in my career. I’ve never beaten him before. He’s always been that guy I can chase and work every day to try to beat, so I want to thank him for that, too.”

Union Community’s two-time state champions Brayden Bohnsack and Jace Hedeman earned a chance at a third state title. The duo won titles as sophomores and will look to close their careers with golds together.

“He’s been my best friend since Kindergarten, so we have all the memories in the world together,” Hedeman said. “I think winning state together is probably one of the best I’ve ever had. I get more excited watching him than I do wrestling myself.”

Bohnsack (49-4) led when he threw Crestwood’s Mitchell Schmauss to his back for a pin in 4:19.

“We had already been in that underhook and front headlock a few times,” Bohnsack said. “I just felt it. I should have finished my shot but he squared back up. It was just there. He tried to sit through.”

Bohnsack was eighth as a freshman and can wrap things up with three straight titles.

“I’m excited,” Bohnsack said. “I’m used to the nerves down here. Just wrestle. It’s my last year here. Just have some fun with it.”

Hedeman (54-0) was just as dominant, needing just 3:12 for an 18-3 technical fall over Davenport Assumption’s Steele Diercks. Hedeman became the 78 th four-time finalist in Iowa history and just the second Knight to do it, joining four-time state champion and current assistant Max Thomsen.

It’s just another day in the office,” Hedeman said. “There are bigger things ahead. Right now, this is where I’m at, so another state title would be huge but I’m looking for bigger, better things.”

Union is still in the trophy hunt. The Knights were fifth with 81 but only 6½ behind Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Burlington Notre Dame leads the team race with 109 points with second-place Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont at 102½.

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