Brody Neighbor highlights Alburnett’s strong state wrestling quarterfinal round

DES MOINES — Alburnett’s Brody Neighbor flexed and released a celebratory yell.

The excitement was almost palpable. It was contagious, causing Pirates Coach Clayton Rush to approach the center of the mat for a congratulatory hand slap before Neighbor could shake his opponent’s hand.

Emotions peaked for good reason.

Neighbor avenged two previous losses to North Linn’s Cael Bridgewater with a dominant, 9-3, decision in the 138-pound quarterfinals of the Class 1A boys’ state wrestling tournament Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. The victory secured his second straight top-six finish.

“I was happy to make it back to the semifinals,” Neighbor said. “We’ve been working hard at it. We beat him, obviously, so we were pretty happy about that.

“I’m glad all the hard work I’ve been putting in finally paid off.”

Rush couldn’t help but feed off Neighbor’s elation. Rush capped a water bottle a few times before roaring “Let’s Go” to the Alburnett fans. One step closer to the senior’s ultimate goal.

“You see the excitement from the wrestler,” Rush said. “You get so much joy out of it.”

Bridgewater had Neighbor’s number the last month, winning 4-3 in a dual and 9-5 in the district final. He even scored the opening takedown for a 2-0 lead Thursday. Neighbor took control from the waning seconds of the first period to the final whistle.

“You have a kid who he’s never beat,” Rush said. “He made some adjustments that were match changing. That’s reward for a coach.”

Interestingly, Neighbor didn’t know the two could intersect with a state medal on the line until an Alburnett basketball player told him. Rush said Neighbor isn’t the kind to look at brackets, but the coaches had this one in their sights.

“We just knew he was capable of a better version of himself,” Rush said. “We were excited about it.”

The goal was to stick to his strengths and neutralize what Bridgewater does best. Neighbor attempted to attack and thwart Bridgewater’s tilt from the top position.

Neighbor’s ability to score late in periods without a chance for Bridgewater made a difference. His reversal with 13 seconds left in the first tied the match and his takedown with nine ticks left in the second gave him a 5-2 lead. He added a takedown and two nearfall in the third to seal it.

“I just stuck to my offense,” Neighbor said. “I knew what I was good at and hit all the stuff I was good.”

Neighbor’s win highlighted a strong quarterfinal round for the Pirates. They went 4-2 overall, advancing Rowdy Neighbor (113), Preston Klostermann (126) and 152-pounder Carson Klostermann. All three lost in the quarterfinals last season. Rowdy Neighbor and Carson Klostermann posted 15-0 technical falls.

“Bring the fight and you’ll be in position to be successful,” Rush said. “They take to it and apply it.”

Alburnett ended Day 2 in fourth place with 52 points. Don Bosco remained in the lead with 87, 13 ahead of Nashua-Plainfield. Wilton is third with 68.

Lisbon sends duo to semifinals

Lisbon rounded out the top five with 56 1/2 points, moving top-seeded duo Brandon Paez (120) and heavyweight Wyatt Smith into the semifinals. Paez thumped Lake Mills’ Hayden Helgeson, 16-0, and remains in contention to become a four-time state finalist and a three-time champion.

Smith improved to 49-0 with his second straight pin, sticking Guthrie Center ACGC’s Payton Jaocbe in just 1:10. He earned his first semifinal appearance after falling in this round a year ago.

“I’ve never been here before,” Smith said. “It’s nice to be able to compete and dominate and not to fight to just be on the podium but fight to be on the top.”

Smith has devoted numerous hours to wrestling outside the season. He wrestled freestyle during the spring and summer to improve his technique and mat awareness. Smith also trained with Sebolt Wrestling Academy in Iowa City, learning a better mental approach.

“I think spending just as much time on the mat as I can, working on stuff every chance I get, helped me make huge leaps,” Smith said. “I’d definitely say that mentality was my biggest improvement from last year to this year. A lot of that came from being in the room with some of the Sebolt guys. I made huge jumps from that.”

Smith started his career as a backup to state medalist Tony Baltes. He has his sights set on capping it with state gold. He is two wins from that goal.

“I’ve got to wrestle my match,” Smith said. “Wrestle my stuff. Keep being dominant.”

Upset alert

Smith and Paez held there seeds, while Midland’s 182-pounder Caden Ballou and MFL MarMac’s Karter Decker at 145 have blown up their brackets.

Ballou entered as a No. 15 seed and has rolled through the No. 2 and No. 10 seeds to secure his first podium spot. He knew he was better than that number and embraces the underdog role to prove people wrong.

“You can’t care what the seeds say,” Ballou said. “You just have to keep working hard, stay focused and prove them wrong.”

Ballou had takedowns in the first and second for a 4-1 lead over Wapsie Valley’s Cannon Joerger, who tied the score with three nearfall in the third. Ballou had to fend off the pin attempt, get off his back and score a reversal in the final minute for a 6-4 decision.

“That’s just part of staying resilient,” Ballou said. “You can’t give up in situations like that. I knew I should be the winner of that match. I just had to keep going, keep fighting.”

Decker, seeded 13th, echoed the same disregard to seeds. He concentrated on competing.

“It doesn’t bother me that much,” Decker said. “You still have to go out and wrestle.”

His quarterfinal win was less dramatic. After giving up the opening takedown, Decker reversed Emmetsburg’s Ryan Brennan and pinned him in 1:09. In his fourth state appearance, he will head home with hardware.

“This is my fourth year here and I hadn’t placed,” Decker said. “To be in the top six already feels pretty good.

“Just keep climbing now. Keep wrestling my hardest and good things should happen.”

Highland’s Carlos Valenzuela (132), Maquoketa Valley’s Nathan Bietz (195) and East Buchanan heavyweight Cody Fox advanced to the semifinals. Valenzuela and Fox both posted pins.

No. 3 Valenzuela decked Dylan Stein of Lenox in 4:34, while No. 2 Fox pinned Wilton’s Alexander Kaufmann in 42 seconds. Bietz used three takedowns to beat Nodaway Valley’s Ashton Honnold, 6-3.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com