State Wrestling Notebook: Louisa-Muscatine coach soaks in tourney after medical scare

DES MOINES - Louisa-Muscatine coach Tom Mashek walked from mat to mat prior to the Class 2A competition, greeting each familiar face with the same smile and handshake.

Being in Des Moines again during the state tournament means so much to Mashek, especially after the adversity of the last few months. Last fall, Mashek suffered a massive stroke during the night, which forever changed his outlook on life.

'You never stop and think about your health that much and you take a lot of things for granted. You don't know what the next day brings,” Mashek said. 'I'm really enjoying this day and every other day because I know now what could happen. It makes you appreciate all the little things.”

Mashek's scary situation improved gradually, and he returned in a limited role to coach the Falcons this season. His assistant coaches assumed more responsibility with the team because of the frequency of Mashek's doctor appointments, but it's their efforts that add to his appreciation because of the way they've run the team.

'Our kids are in great condition, which has been the tradition for us,” Mashek said. 'I'm not the best technician in the world, but I think people would say my teams are always in good shape. They're in great shape this year and we haven't missed a beat. I can't thank those guys enough.”

Sophomore 132-pounder Austin Leopard was the lone qualifier for Louisa-Muscatine, and even though Mashek's role might not be what he's used to, it doesn't diminish the experience of seeing familiar faces and being around the sport he loves.

The sense of community he's felt within the sport of wrestling, especially at the state tournament, left him almost speechless with gratitude.

'You appreciate everything,” Mashek. 'I appreciate everyone that comes up and says ‘Hi' to me. It means a lot, it really does.”

Chasing title repeat

Union, LaPorte City could feel the momentum from Wednesday night's Class 2A State Duals title and followed that up by advancing four wrestlers in the championship bracket.

Derek Holschlag, 113-pounder and 160-pounder Trevor McLaughlin won by major decision while three-time champ Max Thomsen, 145 pounds, and 170-pounder Jacob Holschlag won by fall.

'We were feeling great, but we had to refocus and come out and battle today,” said Jacob Holschlag. 'It was good momentum because you know you won and now you're going in for something else.

Holschlag, a senior, is chasing is second-consecutive state title and is 52-0 this season. He won by fall in 2:50 on Thursday against Tyler Strong of Sergeant Bluff-Luton, and knows he can perform even better.

'I was a little timid out there at first and I feel I just need to attack, attack, attack,” Holschlag said. 'I just feel like I wasn't doing that and felt like I was just kind of waiting around for the shot I wanted instead of just attacking the whole time. I can fix that.”

A ranked matchup

It was slow out of the gate, but a key third period gave Washington 195-pounder Brad Skubal a 12-7 decision against Darin Greenfield of Sheldon/South O'Brien in the first round. No. 2 Skubal said the slow pace early came because of his height disadvantage, but working low to get No. 6 Greenfield off balance was the goal.

'He was a little bit taller than me so he kind of had a reach advantage,” Skubal said. 'So that makes things a little trickier, but it can set other things up.”