Alburnett qualifies for State Duals defeating Solon 52-12

ALBURNETT – Alburnett wrestling has been a fixture at State Duals in recent years.

After three straight appearances in the Class 1A field, the Pirates will now take their shots at the 2A bracket for the first time.

“This is no disrespect, but we wrestle a pretty demanding schedule,” Alburnett Coach Clayton Rush said after the sixth-ranked Pirates routed No. 17 Solon, 52-12, in the finals of a 2A regional dual tournament Tuesday night at Alburnett High School. “We wrestle 2A and 3A all the time. And so it’s really not much of an adjustment other than you’re probably wrestling a better quality of an athlete. That is not a knock on 1A, but it’s not much of a change.”

The more significant changes for Alburnett this season were related to the roster. The Pirates replaced seven starters from last year’s 1A State Duals runner-up squad, including a two-time state medalist in Tayten Coufal, who elected not to wrestle this season. Add in a change in conference affiliation from the Tri-Rivers to the River Valley Conference, and just about every facet of this season was an adjustment.

“It is a testament to the coaches,” sophomore Eaghan Fleshman said. “The discipline that they have and the discipline that they instill in us. Rush has given us motivation every day to go out there and push our mind barrier back even further and further. It just gets us ready to compete.”

Fleshman – the No. 1-ranked heavyweight in 2A – capped the night with a 4-1 victory over second-ranked Lucas Feuerbach of Solon thanks to a sudden victory takedown. It was the second victory for Fleshman over Feuerbach this season.

“I had to force him into positions that weren’t really beneficial for him,” Fleshman said. “And just capitalize on those. That is what it came down to.”

Alburnett recorded five pins against Solon, including a rousing performance from Hayden Knickerbocker at 132 pounds. The freshman was summoned from the junior varsity team and finished off a high-scoring tussle with a pin of Solon’s Justin Moore with just 27 seconds left in the match.

“Just the willingness to go in and wrestle,” Rush said. “He had his number called and he said, ‘Yes, sir.’ He went out there and he wrestled great. It was a fun match to watch.”

Freshman Ayden Lawrence (144 pounds), sophomores Landon Howe (113) and Kam Roberts (138) and returning state placewinner Atlee Dewitt (120) also won by fall. This will be the fourth appearance at State Duals for Dewitt, a senior.

“We’re just tough,” Dewitt said. “We’ve just got kids that are ready to step up. They do their jobs.”

Two more returning state placewinners – sophomore Owen Henriksen (150) and junior Cooper Franklin (157) – won by technical fall and major decision, respectively. Sophomore Jaxson Port (126) and junior Beckett Flannagan (165) won by decision, while senior Hunter Sauer posted a major at 165.

State Duals are Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“Composure and toughness,” Rush said. “That is what we are going to have. We’ve shown it so far and there is no reason to get sideways now.”

Boys wrestling

Regional Duals

At Alburnett

Semifinal

No. 17 Solon 37, No. 10 Davenport Assumption 36

Final

No. 6 Alburnett 52, No. 17 Solon 12

Individual results

106 pounds — Anderson Osgood (Solon) dec. Tyler Gerhold (Alburnett), 6-0

113 — Landon Howe (Alburnett) pinned Evan Gleason (Solon), 1:28

120 – Atlee Dewitt (Alburnett) pinned Grayson Waddell (Solon), 1:04

126 – Jaxson Port (Alburnett) dec. Jayden Steapp (Solon), 5-1

132 – Hayden Knickerbocker (Alburnett) pinned Justin Moore (Solon), 5:33

138 — Kam Roberts (Alburnett) pinned Michael Bigelow (Solon), 0:54

144 — Ayden Lawrence (Alburnett) pinned Quinten Henning (Solon), 0:45

150 — Owen Henriksen (Alburnett) tech. fall Eli Cash (Solon), 18-3 (3:37)

157 — Cooper Franklin (Alburnett) maj. dec. Carson Kidwell (Solon), 14-2

165 — Hunter Sauer (Alburnett) maj. dec. Drew O’Neill (Solon), 12-4

175 — Beckett Flannagan (Alburnett) dec. Colin Dunn (Solon), 5-4

190 — Tripp Johnson (Solon) dec. Wyatt Schrader (Alburnett), 5-2

215 — Kyler Jensen (Solon) pinned Kash Morris (Alburnett), 0:48

285 — Eaghan Fleshman (Alburnett) dec. Lucas Feuerbach (Solon), 4-1 (SV-1)

Comments: dem52314@yahoo.com