J-Hawks soar in win over Xavier

CEDAR RAPIDS — It was a night that jogged a lot of fond memories from the 33 years Dick Briggs has coached Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

He stood on the mat, handing out commemorative T-shirts, exchanging laughs and shaking hands of those who have been his assistant coaches over the years. They were former wrestlers turned coaches, men who were there his first year guiding his alma mater and even some from as far away as South Carolina.

'I'm honored that they would come back, first of all,' Briggs said. 'I'm so lucky to have had those guys as friends and colleagues and coaches. What a blast?'

After they strolled down memory lane, the Class 3A fifth-ranked J-Hawks rolled to a 53-27 victory over Cedar Rapids Xavier Thursday night at Jefferson.

The J-Hawks pulled away late, scoring 23 team points in the final four bouts. Kyle Briggs started the streak with a technical fall at 152. Tavian Rashed (170) and Matt Culver (182) bumped up from their normal weights and capped the night with back-to-back pins.

'I was really looking forward to putting on a show,' Culver said. 'I know everyone else was itching to get out here, too.'

Jefferson (9-3) scored points in bunches, notching four straight pins from Colten Mastin (113), Brenden Baker (120), 126-pounder Zach Main and Dalton Mastin at 132. The J-Hawks feed off one another.

'It's a real positive energy,' Culver said. 'Once you really start seeing it roll, you really have momentum as a team. It just pumped me up going out there.'

The J-Hawks dominated in matches they were favored to win, earning bonus points in each victory. Jefferson hosts its annual tournament Saturday, looking to repeat as team champion.

'It was a good effort,' Briggs said. 'Hopefully, that will carry us into this weekend. Our tournament is looking really tough.'

Xavier (4-17) battled through the first half, trailing just 30-27 with four weights left. Alex Francois (220) and 106-pounder Peter Kennedy had falls and heavyweight Tommy Pudil added a decision to give the Saints an early 15-6 lead. Second-ranked Clint Lembeck and No. 8 Josh Gerke had consecutive pins at 138 and 145 to pull within three.

'Jefferson is a tough team. They are deep,' Xavier Coach Ryan Chambers said. 'We have to fight at every weight. We have a lot of youth.'

AT C.R. JEFFERSON

C.R. Jefferson 53, C.R. Xavier 27

(Individual takedowns in parentheses)

195 pounds — Nick Dreckman (CRJ) pinned Eric Rodriguez, 4:37 (4,0); 220 — Alex Francois (CRX) pinned Keenan Stewart, 5:26 (1,1); Hwt. — Tommy Pudil (CRX) dec. David Bonner, 4-3 OT TB (0,0); 106 — Peter Kennedy (CRX) pinned Jaden Collins, 3:04 (1,0); 113 — Colten Mastin (CRJ) pinned Jaxson Konzen, :17 (1,0); 120 — Brenden Baker (CRJ) pinned Keegan Schultschik, :39 (2,0); 126 — Zach Main (CRJ) pinned Patrick Chambers, :38 (1,0); 132 — Dalton Mastin (CRJ) pinned Garrett Ries, 3:21 (2,0); 138 — Clint Lembeck (CRX) pinned Matt Storm, 1:15 (2,0); 145 — Josh Gerke (CRX) pinned Cody Clendenen, 1:33 (1,0); 152 — Kyle Briggs (CRJ) tech. fall Jon Bell, 27-9 (9,0); 160 — Coltin Endsley (CRJ) won by forfeit; 170 — Tavian Rashed (CRJ) pinned Sam Lampe, 2:25 (9,0); 182 — Matt Culver (CRJ) pinned Kyle Krezek, 3:02 (7,0).

MEET STATISTICS

Takedowns — CRX 5, CRJ 36. Reversals — CRX 5, CRJ 6. Escapes — CRX 31, CRJ 4. Nearfall points — CRX 2, CRJ 17. Penalty points (awarded) — CRX 0, CRJ 0. Total match points — CRX 53, CRJ 105.

l Comments: (319) 368-8679; kj.pilcher@thegazette.com