Hoffman enjoying ride to finals

DES MOINES - East Buchanan's Justin Hoffman has ridden an emotional roller coaster in the last nine days. Both the highs and have been provided by West Branch's Rilen Carew.

Hoffman will take that ride it into tonight's championship match after his semifinal victory in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A state tournament last night at Wells Fargo Arena.

Hoffman scored a reversal with just six seconds remaining in the match to beat Carew, 2-0, at 145 pounds. Hoffman dropped to his knees before signing the bout sheet at the scorer's table after the win. Hoffman, who has placed eighth twice at state, called this state experience wonderful.

“It's all I ever wanted,” Hoffman said. “Four years of the hardest work I've ever put in for anything, and it feels great.”

After a scoreless first, Hoffman rode out Carew in the second. He bided his time in the final period, moving continually and then took advantage of an opportunity.

“I got him in a pretty good scramble there,” Hoffman said. “I finally did it. I feel like I wanted it more than him. I deserved it more than him.”

The feelings weren't the same the last time the second-ranked Hoffman and Carew tangled, when Carew handled him and won by fall in a regional dual semifinal Feb. 10. The loss caused him to question whether to “keep trying or fold it up” for the season. Hoffman (42-2) responded and is the Bucs' first finalist since John Gallery reached the 215-pound final in 2001 and can be the first state champ since Justin Short in 1995.

“I went from down here mentally,” Hoffman said, motioning to below his knees, “to right now I'm as high as I can go. It's just a great moment.”

Redemption was a common theme. Lisbon's Dacoda Ward was kicked out of practice three weeks ago when tension became too much to handle. He returned and made those feelings work for him.

“Figured I leave my anger on the mat,” Ward said. “I turned it into adrenaline and wanted to wrestle.

“I have a great relationship with my coaches,” Ward said of Lions coaches Greg Butteris and Jamie Kamberling. ”They want to make me the best that I can be. I let them.”

The return was the first step to the 171-pound finals after beating Don Bosco's No. 5 Curtis Weber, 3-1. Ward (37-7) scored a first period takedown and added an escape to avenge a one-point loss.

“I had a lot of stuff going through my mind,” said Ward, trying to be the first Lisbon state champ since Ryan Morningstar won the 152 title in 2005 against Oakland Riverside's Quinn Wilson (54-1). “I wanted to win, go to the finals. I wasn't ranked so I feel pretty good right now.”

Alburnett's Tyler Shulista exacted his own revenge, pinning New London's defending state champion Sawyer Farris in 3:26 of the 112-pound semifinal. Farris beat Shulista in last year's 103-pound semifinal.

“This feels a lot better than last year,” said Shulista, the finals foe of Louisa-Muscatine's Kody Krenz (30-4). “He made me feel like crap last year. I'm going to (make him) feel like crap this year.”

Shulista (42-1) will be joined in the finals by defending state champion and three-time state finalist Christopher Halblom, who became the school's first state champion by capturing 1A title at 112.

Halblom handled Council Bluffs St. Albert's Brennan McNitt, 10-5, to move on to the 119-pound title bout. he'll face Don Bosco's Ben McMahon (37-6) in the final.

“It's nice to get there again,” said Halblom, a junior. “I've got working to go out there and work hard, pushing the action.

Halblom (45-0) admitted he couldn't resist paying attention to Shulista's match and received a boost with the fall. Now, Shulista and Halblom, longtime friends, can reach their goals of winning titles the same season.

“It's awesome,” Halblom said. “This is what we've been working for since we were little kids.”

Alburnett and Lisbon are in trophy contention. Alburnett is tied with Nashua-Plainfield for third with 48 points. Lisbon is one point back in fifth. Don Bosco has locked up its fifth straight title with 105 points, 38½ ahead of Eddyville-Blakesburg.

North-Linn's second-ranked Logan Mulnix overcame a slow start to drop Belle Plaine's No. 4 Jack O'Brien, 9-4, in a 125-pound semifinal. Mulnix (38-2) gave up the opening takedown, but scored nine straight points for the victory. He faces New London's top-ranked Jake Kadel in the championship.