Parmely highlights quartet of Tri-Rivers upper-weight finalists

DES MOINES - There are indications when you've done something impressive.

The crowd does not "Oooohh!" without a reason and when wrestling opponents rarely a congratulatory pat on the back in defeat.

Maquoketa Valley's top-ranked 220-pounder Ryan Parmely produced both Friday night. Parmely tossed Lawton-Bronson's Blake Sappingfield to his back and pinned his way to the finals of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.

The Wildcats junior recorded his first win in three state semifinals appearances.

"It was a big hurdle for me," Parmely said. "I've been there since freshman year. It felt good."

Parmely (51-1) excited the crowd, taking Sappingfield from feet to back and ending the match in 1:47. Parmely said Sappingfield patted him on the back, mentioning he had never been thrown like that in the past.

"He was pushing in to me hard," said Parmely, praising his dad, Matt, and Wildcats heavyweight Tyler Yonkovic for their efforts as workout partners.

"I just decided to hit it. I hit it a lot this year, so I felt comfortable doing it on a big stage."

Yonkovic (51-0) joined Parmely in the finals in his first state appearance. He beat top-ranked Ryley Howell, of Wapello, 2-1.

Adding to the Tri-Rivers Conference success, East Buchanan 195-pounder Tyler Hoffman will wrestle for a state title. Hoffman (44-0) beat Exira/Elk Horn-Kimballton's Trey Sander, 10-4, in the semifinals. Hoffman, who placed fourth last year, was planning on being in this position.

"I kind of expected it," Hoffman said. "It's from all the hard work you put in. That's all you can do."

The majority of the work came during the spring and summer. He said he improved to the point where he was beating wrestlers that had defeated him by major decision in the past.

"The No. 1 thing was offseason wrestling," Hoffman said. "Nothing beats it."

Nobody has beaten Alburnett's Dylan Windfield the last two years at the state tournament. Windfield, the 2013 160-pound champion, increased his win streak at state to eight matches, dating back to a fifth-place win as a sophomore. Windfield (47-1) beat West Monona's Logan Moore, 6-0, in the semifinals at 170. Windfield welcomes the chance to extend with another finals victory.

"It feels pretty good," top-ranked Windfield said. "I want to finish off my career with a win."