Skoneczka drops top-ranked foe for title at home

VAN HORNE - Benton Community's Chase Skoneczka took center stage for six minutes, and he gave his hometown fans a performance they could applaud.

Skoneczka scored a takedown in the final minute to defeat Davenport-Assumption's top-ranked Nick Georgean for the 152-pound title of the Bobcat "Jerry Eckenrod" Invitational on Saturday at Benton Community High School.

The Bobcats went more than a decade of crowning a champion at their own tournament before Skoneczka's friend and former teammate, Justin Lopata, won last year. Skoneczka followed in his footsteps by also beat Georgean in the finals. After the whistle blew to end his 4-3 decision, Skoneczka modestly raised his arms and pumped his fists.

"It was the happiest thing ever," said Skoneczka, who was voted the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler. "I just got done beating the No. 1 rankeed guy in the state in my weight division.

"It felt pretty good."

It didn't started so good as Georgean opened the scoring with a slick double-leg for a 2-0 lead. being takedown so easily served as a wake-up call for Skoneczka.

"It kind of shocked me," Skoneczka said. "This guy's not going to mess around. He's No. 1. (I) Better get after it."

The tournament almost came to a stand still with fans converging on Skoneczka's mat as it became the last match being competed before a scheduled break for an awards presentation. He received a boost as he noticed as the crowd surrounding his mat grew as Skoneczka cut the lead to 3-2.

"From the second to third period I looked up and saw the whole Benton fans stand up and all my teammates standing right there," Skoneczka said. "It really gave me boost of confidence and more energy to keep going."

It harnessed that energy in the final minute scoring the go-ahead takedown with 55 seconds to go and riding Georgean out. Skoneczka closed that gap and hit his favorite move on his feet, tip-toing the boundary before pulling him in to finish the shot.

"The sweep single is my main move. It's my bread and butter," Skoneczka said. "I hit that. I was hoping he wouldn't flee off the mat and I took him down."

North-Linn's Logan Mulnix also had a dramatic win, capturing the 135-pound title with a 2-0 overtime win over Fort Dodge's Brayton Taylor. Mulnix had lost two prior meetings to Taylor.

"I knew he was a tough kid," top-ranked Mulnix said. "I stuck with my strategy."

Mulnix wanted to play to his strengths, which meant utilizing his quickness, anticipation and riding ability. After Taylor rode Mulnix the entire second period, Mulnix returned the favor in the third. Mulnix gained confidence while he was on top when he felt Taylor break.

"I knew I had him because I saw him gassing," said Mulnix, picking up on it with 45 seconds left in regulation. "I knew I could ride him out and take him down in overtime because I felt him get a little weaker."

Mulnix (18-1) looked to have the winning takedown on his first shot, but a stalemate thwarted his chance. His skill at reading people came into play as he hit the same move for the win with four seconds left in sudden victory.

"He was stuttering his feet a little bit. he wasn't moving as good," Mulnix said. "I hit my quick pull and I knew that foot was stepping and I timed it. I caught it twice and the second time I got the takedown."

Lynx teammate Zach Welter also reached the finals. Welter finished second to Assumption's Tony Dvriese at 103.

Georgean's loss was only one of two championship losses for the Knights, who crowned five champions and won the tournament with 243 points, beating runner-up Fort Dodge by 73.  West Delaware was third with two finalists and 150 points.

It's not the wins that matter but how they were earned against tough competition that included six ranked teams and 40 ranked wrestlers in all three classes.

"There's plenty of wins that we get but you're so satisfied because how it happened," Assumption Coach Pete Bush said. "Obviously, you want to pat the kids on the back, but this tough of a tournament gives you an opportunity to find out what you need to work on, because we're finally going against good competition."

Heavyweight Tyler Swope, ranked No. 2, capped the tournament in impressive fashion, scoring a takedown in overtime to beat Williamsburg's top-ranked Austin Blythe, 3-1, in overtime. The pair exchanged escapes in regulation before Swope body-locked Blythe for the winning score, avenging an earlier loss to the defending state champ.

"If you had to go with the athlete we wouldn't have a prayer," Bush said. "Tyler is salty enough and has been around enough he knows angles to create a competitive situation. We're happy to get away with the win."

Blythe was the second Raider to drop an overtime bout. Don Bosco's Tony Becker scored a takedown in overtime for a 6-4 win in the 215-pound final over Williamsburg's Tom Malloy.

Independence was perfect in championship matches, receiving titles from Nick Fuller and Blaize Cabell. Fuller didn't allow a single point in the tournament, pinning Eddyville-Blakesburg's top-seed Brett Roberts in 58 seconds in the 160 final. Fuller improved to 21-2, which is a product of hard work.

"He's worked his butt off," Independence Coach Michael Doyle said. "He deserves what he's getting because he's put in a lot of time.

"I'm proud of him. He's a great kid."

Top-ranked Cabell steamrolled the 189-pound bracket with three straight technical falls. Cabell needed just 2:10 for a 17-2 win over West Delaware's Dean Broghammer. The unbeaten Cabell hasn't been challenged.

"He's taken what he's got," Doyle said about competition. "He's very offensive and has an attacking style. We have to make sure he keeps doing that."

Union Community also placed two in the finals and crowned a champion. State finalist Logan Thomsen beat Eddyville-Blakesburg's Nathan VanZante, 5-4, for the 130-pound title, and teammate Dylan McLaughlin was second at 145.

Teams - 1. Davenport Assumption 243; 2. Fort Dodge 170; 3. West Delaware 150; 4. Don Bosco 148.5; 5. Independence 112.5; 6. Williamsburg 100.5; 7. Union 96; 8. Eddyville Blakesburg 71; 9. Maquoketa 58; 10. Centerville 57; 11. North Linn 50; 12. Benton Community 40; 13. Anamosa 37; 14. Vinton-Shellsburg 27; 15. Belle Plaine 12

103 pounds - 1. Tony Devriese (DA) dec. Zach Welter (NL), 6-1;

112 - Matt Birnbaum (FD) dec. Kyle Springer(DA), 10-5;

119 - Topher Carton (DA) pinned Dylon Rhoads (DB), :44;

125 - Eric Clarke (DA) dec. Zach Muller (WD), 10-9;

130 - Logan Thomsen (U) dec. Nathan VanZante (EB), 5-4;

135 - Logan Mulnix (NL) dec. Brayton Taylor (FD), 2-0 (OT);

140 - Kyler Risher (Cen) pinned Dakota Snyder (Maq), 5:15;

145 - Brody Grothus (DA) pinned Dylan McLaughlin (U), 4:51;

152 - Chase Skoneczka (BC) dec. Nick Georgean (DA), 4-3;

160 - Nick Fuller(I) pinned Brett Roberts (EB), :58;

171 - Levi Peters (FD) dec. Jake Crosby (EB), 10-4;

189 - Blaize Cabell (I) tech. fall Dean Broghammer (WD), 17-2;

215 - Tony Becker (DB) dec. Tom Malloy (WB), 6-4 (OT);

285 - Tyler Swope (DA) dec. Austin Blythe (WB), 3-1 (OT)