Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Ella Brown clears semifinal hurdle to reach title match at state girls’ wrestling tournament

CORALVILLE – Ella Brown rose to her feet, turned to her corner and placed her hands over her mouth.

After her arm was raised in victory, she gave Cedar Rapids Coach Craig Mallicoat and hug. The emotional moment was punctuated when she climbed the sidewall and bounded up the arena steps for more hugs with her parents, Casey and Angie.

“They've driven me all over the world, spent so much money to help me get better and that's kind of just a thank you to them,” said Brown, who was still emotional when she signed her name on the Class 2A 190-pound bracket. “It is definitely special to share with them, especially this being my senior year.”

Brown made quick work of Ottumwa’s Delilah Subsin in 1:04 in the semifinals of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state wrestling tournament Friday at Xtream Arena. She reached the finals for the first time.

All those trips, loading into the family car for tournaments and workouts since fourth grade has paid dividends with her first finals appearance. Brown made it happen but realized it was a collective effort.

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“I'm just beyond proud of myself,” Brown said. “I'm not the only reason that I made it past that semifinals match.”

Brown placed fifth each of the last two seasons here and earned an Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association medal as a freshman. She climbed over that semifinal hurdle the way she scaled the boards to reach the bleachers.

“These past three years at state the semifinals, have always been my biggest hurdle jump, because my mind is racing with everything going on,” Brown said. “It's kind of hard to focus on it. Crying was me realizing that I got over my struggle.”

The physical abilities and technique have always been there for Brown. An emphasis was placed on the mental approach. Brown looked calm and business-like, taking down Subsin and turning her for her second pin in her first three state matches.

“We knew she could do it,” Mallicoat said. “It’s all mental for her. She’s been capable of winning a state title as far as wrestling potential. It was all between the ears. That’s what we’ve been working on non-stop.”

Mallicoat said Brown has bought in to the process more than any other year. She is reaping the reward. Brown has also learned to keep things simple and let her training take control.

“I tell myself to go with my instincts,” Brown said. “My instincts have gotten me pretty far and I figured if I can just shut my brain off and just go. See how far it will take me.”

Brown was joined in the finals by fellow Metro top seed and Mackenzie Childers. Prairie’s senior 130-pounder and 2023 state champion needed just 35 second to pin Southeast Polk’s Arabella Varvel to return to the finals after a year hiatus.

Like Childers, Sigourney-Keota Reanah Utterback earned a shot at a second state title at 115. Utterback built an 8-0 lead before a fall in 5:23 over Vinton-Shellsburg No. 4 Ellie Weets in the 1A semifinals.

“This year, I've worked a lot harder than I ever have since I'm a senior,” Utterback said. “It's my last time, so we're going to go out with a bang.”

Utterback, who plans to join the Army with hopes of training with WCAP before college, was the last female wrestler to place at the boys’ state tournament, getting eighth at 106 in 1A. She pushed herself to try new things and expand her offensive attacks.

“I've done well on changing things up and executing my shots,” Utterback said. “I think the work that's been put in is working great.”

Two years ago, she was the lone girl to show interest in wrestling. Last year, enough participation warranted a girls’ program. This year, she had company at the state tournament, which added to the experience.

“This year has been more enjoyable for me, especially since I'm not the only girl from my team that came this year,” Utterback said. “We had two others. They didn't make it today, but they still wrestled really well and proud that I could be a part of it.”

East Buchanan and Mount Vernon each managed two finalists and held the top-two spots in the 1A team standings before the final round. The Buccaneers held a 91-86 lead over the Mustangs through Session III.

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East Buchanan’s Destiny Krum (135) and 170-pounder Brooklyn Graham reached title bouts. Both had semifinal pins. Graham reached the championship match for the first time, pinning Benton Community’s No. 2-seed Layna DeMoss in 5:21.

“I always have the mindset that I’m going to be a state champion,” Graham said. “I want that title more than any other girl does because that’s my mindset. I want to be No. 1. I want to be a girl others look up to.”

Graham has been a state tournament regular. She has improved her stock time, placing fifth at 170 as a freshman and third at a higher weight a year ago.

“I came into this tournament confident,” Graham said. “I’m only a junior but I know what it’s like because I’ve been here since freshman year. I think it’s pretty exciting perform my best every year. It feels good to be healthy again, back at 170 and in the state finals.”

East Buchanan placed five of seven qualifiers on the podium and were in contention for a team title, entering the last round. The Buccaneers finished highly when it was one class but some may overlook the small-town team.

“I think a lot of people doubt us because we’re a small school from Winthrop,” Graham said. “We showed up and did our stuff. We’ve put in the time and effort. We don’t give up. We go against a lot of bigger schools and barely have a full team. We are always wanting to be first.”

Mount Vernon’s Kiersten Swart (110) and 190-pounder Libby Dix blazed a trail to the finals. Dix reached her third straight final with a chance at two consecutive crowns.

West Delaware produced its first two state medalists Thursday. A day later the Hawks had a finalist. Fifth-seeded Anna O’Rear overcame a 7-1 deficit with a second-period takedown and a turn, pinning Council Bluffs Lewis Central’s No. 1 Emerson Gregg in 3:43 to advance to the 2A 125 championship.

“That means a lot,” O’Rear said. “I’m just so thankful for my coaches and my family for never stop believing in me. Even when I sometimes doubt to myself, they always believed in me and kept me in the right state of mind.”

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O’Rear relied on a trusty hold, locking up a chicken wing for the fall. Opponents know it’s coming when she’s on top but that hasn’t changed its effectiveness.

“That's what she does with that wing and everybody scouts her but knowing she does it and being able to stop it are two different things,” West Delaware Coach Dale Meyer said. “She is just persistent. She's relentless.”

Interestingly, O’Rear never wrestled until her freshman season. She was still hesitant, looking to participate in speech. When that didn’t materialize, O’Rear texted Meyer asking to join the team.

“Hard to think three years ago she'd never been on a mat,” Meyer said. “She is a three-time state qualifier. Now, she's a state finalist, two-time Wamac Conference champ in just that short amount of time. Never even wrestled before that.”

South Tama’s top-ranked Autumn Elsbury and Anamosa’s Isabella Taylor reached the 2A 170 finals.

In 1A, West Liberty’s Silvia Garcia-Vasquez moved into her second straight state finals match. Garcia-Vasquez topped Osage’s Madison Swenson, 2-0, in tiebreaker-1.

Union Community’s Jillian Worthen won a state title in 2023. She returned to the finals with a 17-1 technical fall over Lyni Gusick, of Alburnett, in the 1A 130 semifinals.

Decorah’s top-seeded 145-pounder Anastasia Simon advanced to the 1A championship mats. She was one of four medalists for the Vikings, who were third before the finals.

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