Lisbon’s Cade Happel adds to storied family’s state hardware haul

DES MOINES — Cade Happel estimates he has attended about 15 state wrestling tournaments.

The Lisbon senior has been a participant, a teammate and warmup partner and a fan rooting his brothers on the mat.

After all those trips in various roles, Happel can now walk away with a state medal of his own.

Seventh-seeded Happel added to the family’s hardware haul, earning a top-six finish with a 9-6 victory over Alta/Aurelia’s No. 2 Jaxson Page in the 126-pound quarterfinals of the Class 1A state wrestling tournament Friday at Casey’s Center.

“It’s awesome,” Happel said. “I’ve worked for this forever. It’s a great feeling.”

Lisbon Coach Aaron Helmrich said coaches set goals and have expectations for each wrestler. Happel has his own aspirations but he has taken all of the input and ran with it.

“His ceiling is as high as he wants to go,” Helmrich said. “I love his attitude. I love the way he wrestles. He just keeps going and is never out of position, which is an amazing thing to be in wrestling.”

Happel’s dad, Dean, was a three-time state champion, while brothers, Carter and Cael, were four-time titlists and Quincy placed fourth in 2022. He qualified with his younger brother, Kyler, a 106-pound junior.

With a few seconds remaining, Happel celebrated with a slight fist pump. He secured a spot on the podium and improved the 2-2 performance from last year. His only other appearance here.

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“I was just excited,” Happel said. “These coaches are awesome. They push us in the room every day. My teammates are awesome. It just feels amazing.”

Happel has already outwrestled his seed. He said he knew he was better than the numbers projected. His hard work and his conditioning would carry him beyond some of his foes.

“I was locked in,” Happel said. “I was confident. I knew I should have been higher than a (No.) 7 but keep that in the back of your mind and go here and work hard for six minutes.”

Page scored the first takedown but Happel began to chip away. He answered with an escape and tied it, 3-3, with a second-period reversal. An escape put Page up one, entering the third. Happel pulled away with two takedowns in the first 15 seconds of the last frame and rode out the clock.

“I’ve got a good gas tank,” Happel said. “Most of these guys can’t go six minutes with me. I trust in that.

“A shaky first period but it’s all right. Just got to stay confident. Never panicked. Just go hard the full six minutes and the results will come.”

The Lions finished with four medalists. Jack Gogel (113) and Jackson Knapp at 144 rebounded from quarterfinal losses. Gogel notched a 17-2 technical fall over Sumner-Fredericksburg’s Zakari Willems and Knapp posted a 10-1 major decision over Riceville’s Chance Christensen to move into the top eight. Lisbon’s Ryder Meeks won his third straight consolation match and is assured of a top-eight placing.

The Lions are in third-place with 62 1/2 points.

“We push getting into deep water,” Helmrich said. “We wrestle hard all practice long for the entire time. It’s going to be a shorter practice but we’re going to wrestle more intense. It has helped us a lot this year, winning matches in the third. Our guys don’t get tired and keep pushing.”

Jesup finished the Friday morning session in second place with 70 points and two semifinalists. The J-Hawks trail Don Bosco by 33.

Cooper Hinz (132) became a four-time state medalist, earning a top-six finish with a hard-fought 4-3 decision over Westwood’s Braylon Peters. Hinz was joined in the semifinals by 144-pounder Kaden Lange, who knocked off Belle Plaine’s No. 2 Aidan Timm with an 11-3 major decision.

Iowa Valley maintained its perfect tournament with three semifinalists. Twin brothers, Chance and Mason Hoyt, and multisport standout Nolan Kriegel won quarterfinal bouts, combining for a 6-0 start to the tournament.

Chance, the No. 6 seed at 150, beat Dyersville Beckman’s No. 3 Preston Hunter, 4-1, for his second straight medal. Mason topped Lawton-Bronson’s No. 5 Lane Mitchell, 12-4, for his first trip to the award stand. Third-seeded Kriegel led throughout in a 6-2 decision over Ridge View’s Blake Myrtue at 190.

Starmont advanced two into the semifinals, including one of the lower seeds to advance. No. 12 Jax Tommasin forged his way into the top six at 138. He used a reversal in the second and a takedown in the third to edge Lawton-Bronson’s No. 4 Breighton Carlson, 5-4.

Starmont’s Keaton Moeller returned to the semifinals. He handled Southeast Warren/Melcher-Dallas’ Tucker Dierking, 21-6, at 190. Moeller is attempting to become the third in school history to win multiple state crowns and the first since Kent Streicher won the last of his three titles in 1989.

South Winneshiek’s top-seeded Kyle Kuboushek (165), Montezuma’s No. 2 Braxton Plants at 215 and Cascade’s Bryce Carroll advanced to Friday night’s semifinals.

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