Alburnett takes little solace in third place

DES MOINES – Third-place was not much of a consolation for Alburnett.The combination of failing to repeat as champions and facing a team of reserves in the final round didn't help.The top-ranked Pirates could find some comfort with a second consecutive top-three finish with a 70-9 win over No. 2 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont for third place in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A State Dual tournament last night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.“It's a consolation if we beat their best lineup,” Alburnett Coach Kane Thompson said. “We beat the lineup that was probably not their best. You have to look at the positive you can take away from it and that's the team score and third-place trophy.”Any way you look at it, the Pirates (26-10) will be able to see a dominant finish to a 1A dual tournament. They had nine pins in the final and earned bonus points in all 12 wins. Impressive no matter who took the mat against them.“I think that is good for our program when you are connected to that score,” Thompson said. “It's good to have the higher number no matter how you get it done.”The Pirates could have folded after a disappointing 35-28 semifinal defeat to No. 4 seed Clarion-Goldfield. The Cowboys (17-3) advanced and beat third-seeded Don Bosco, 32-29, for the championship. They showed resolve, moving on and taking care of business against the Rockets (29-3), who they beat for the title last year.“It was in the past,” Alburnett two-time state champion Hunter Washburn said. “We had to move forward and we did. We came back and got third, which is the best we could have done.”In the semifinal, the Cowboys won the final four matches, including pins from Elliott Ahrens (195) and heavyweight Mitch Gambrill, eclipsing a 28-17 deficit. The Pirates had a shot in the final match but Clarion-Goldfield's second-ranked Justin Portillo beat Alburnett's No. 9 Ben Moyer, 6-1, at 106.The matchups favored Clarion-Goldfield late and the Pirates didn't capitalize on any excuses. They had no excuses.“We got beat fair and square,” Washburn said. “We could have easily had that.”The Pirates opened the tournament, handling No. 8-seed Logan-Magnolia, 54-25, and setting up the dual with Clarion-Goldfield. Ending on a successful note soothe the sting slightly, but the loss was hard to swallow for this team, striving for a second straight state duals title.“They had the goal to win and it's not going to happen,” Thompson said. “It's not defending that we didn't do it. It's just that this group didn't get the job done.”The finish was still the second-best showing in four state duals appearances for Alburnett. The performance will provide motivation for next year.“It means we have to work that much harder for next year,” Washburn said. “We're not untouchable. We know we can be beat. We're not so high on that podium now. It makes us want to work and train harder.”Don Bosco (21-8) reached the finals for the 14th time and earned its sixth runner-up finish in school history. The Dons claimed seven matches in a 39-32 semifinal win over EBF, but none bigger than heavyweight. The Dons' Brandon French entered the State Duals with a .500-record, while the Rockets' Luke Welch had 30 wins. Don Bosco needed a win to maintain its chance for a win. After a scoreless regulation, French put Welch on his back in the sudden-victory overtime period, recording a fall in 6:46. Jordan Schmitz (106) added the final fall at 106.“That's the crazy thing about wrestling,” Don Bosco Coach Tom Hogan said. “A guy gets in a bad position and boom the match is over.”