Independence wrestling places fifth at State Duals

DES MOINES — When their possible path to the finals came to an early end, Independence refocused on the next best thing.

The Mustangs accomplished it, while helping head coach Michael Doyle reach a coaching milestone.

Independence matched its seed, beating Washington, Iowa, 34-24, to finish fifth at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 2A State Duals wrestling tournament Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Arena. The final victory resulted in Doyle's 300th career dual win.

'We told the kids you can't change what happened,' Doyle said. 'You can only change things going forward and you have to respond and come back to win the next two duals. They did it.'

The Mustangs romped to a 30-6 lead against the Demons, receiving three straight pins from Nick Holt (170), Elliott Ryan (182) and 195-pounder Matt McMillan during a six-match win streak. They were able to coast to their second straight fifth-place finish here, following third two years ago.

'We wish we could have finished better as a team,' Holt said. 'In the end, it was pretty good. Three top-five finishes in high school is pretty decent.'

Independence (25-7) handled Albia, 51-24, in the consolation round. They opened with a disappointing 36-33 loss to runner-up Clarion-Goldfield-Dows, causing them to think of what might have been.

'The first dual was really close,' Doyle said. 'There were a lot of places it could have gone either way.'

Doyle is in his 17th year as Mustangs head coach, following four years as an assistant. As a competitor, Doyle said you want to win as much as possible and that doesn't end as a coach. He received more satisfaction from this senior group, which had five 100-win wrestlers.

'You want to win as many duals as you can,' Doyle said. 'To get 300, it's a special time.'

Holt described Doyle as a great coach and a better person. He said he was happy to be a part of the memorable moment.

'It was real fun,' Holt said. 'Being able to wrestle under a guy like Doyle is amazing.

'He pushes us all to limits that we wouldn't be able to come to. It makes us feel like we can do whatever we want if we work hard.'

The Demons made their State Duals debut and ran into a buzz saw with second-seeded Davenport Assumption. Washington won four weights, including two by forfeit, in a 40-18 setback in the opener.

Washington bounced back, receiving a pin from 132-pounder Kyle Anderson and a major decision Austin Hazelett (138) in the last two matches for a 37-29 victory over No. 6 Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

'We started a little flat and then came back and battled tough against Sergeant Bluff,' Washington Coach Brent Van Weelden said. 'We battled back in the last dual against Independence and made it respectable.'

The Demons (32-3) field just three seniors in their starting lineup. The appearance is a good first step for the program.

'I'm real proud of the guys,' said Van Weelden, praising the seniors for their leadership. 'This was a great experience for them. It's something to build on and next year maybe we can do a little bit better.'

The Knights (20-1) continued their State Duals dominance, advancing to the finals for a seventh straight year. Assumption beat Clarion-Goldfield-Dows for the second time this season. The Knights captured their fifth dual crown in the last six years and ninth overall with a 36-27 victory.

The Cowboys weren't fazed by jumping a class this season after winning the last two 1A crowns. They made a third consecutive final, ending with a record of 20-4.

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