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Comet wrestlers improve to 4-0 in duals with 47-24 win over Huskies

Comet wrestlers improve to 4-0 in duals with 47-24 win over Huskies
Press photo by John Burbridge
The official counts out what would be a 3-point nearfall on way to a technical-fall victory by Charles City freshman Talan Weber his the 138-pound match against Oelwein’s Nolan Lamphier.

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — Ten weight classes into Thursday’s Northwest Iowa Conference wrestling dual featuring the Oelwein Huskies and the hosting Charles City Comets saw no bouts go the distance.

All were determined by falls aside from the teams trading forfeit victories at 195 and 220.

But the heavyweight match between Oelwein senior Cooper Smock and Charles City junior Chase Crooks seemed destined to go the entire six-minute stretch … if not further.

Returning state-qualifier Crooks had a 1-0 lead going into the final period, which was rather precarious with Smock starting in the scoring down position.

During last week’s quadrangular, Crooks was penalized a point due to a disputed stalling call and wound up losing his first match of the season. Against Smock, Crooks made sure that wasn’t going to happen again as he effectively kept Smock on the mat while aggressively trying to add to his lead.

Needing an escape to tie and a reversal to possibly win, Smock frantically tried to make something happen as “short time” approached, but that allowed Crooks to finally turn his shoulders along the fringes of the circle.

It looked like it was going to be yet another stoppage. Smock avoided the fall but couldn’t prevent the 3-point nearfall and the 4-0 decision win by Crooks.

The following 106-pound bout between freshmen Jordan Young (CC) and Kale Berinobis (O) also went the distance, and when Young prevailed 12-8 in a gruelling back-and-forth match with multiple crowd-rousing nearfalls from both wrestlers, it was the clincher for the Comets, who won 47-24 while improving their dual-meet record to 4-0.

Among the fall victories for the Comets included returning state-medalist senior Caden Collins stopping Colton Roete 2:59 into their 170-pound bout; Ethan Peterson getting the slap 1:55 into his 182-pound bout against Austin Perry; Jacob Vais stopping Gavin Emery at the 2:40 mark of their 126-pound bout; 152-pounder Roush Jaeger pinning Tyrone Matthews in 52 seconds; freshman Dylan LaPolice making the most of his varsity debut by pinning Aden Yearous 1:35 into their 120-pound match; and 138-pound freshman Talan Weber compiling 15 unanswered points against Nolan Lamphier to stop their match with less than 15 seconds left in the second period due to a technical fall.

Recording fall wins for the Huskies included 132-pounder Carsen Jeanes, 145-pounder Leighton Patterson, and 160-pounder Logan Cockerhan.

Charles City’s girl wrestlers were also in action as seniors Marrissa Gallup and Kiki Connell both recorded fall victories over Oelwein junior Lauren Hamilton, who wrestled Gallup at 113 before finishing the evening to wrestle Connell at 120.

In an intersquad interfamily match, Lydia Staudt — who is also an all-conference point guard for the Comet basketball team — defeated younger sister Lauren Staudt 8-3 in a 126-pound match.

Charles City freshmen Alex Wohlers and Maggie Boss mixed it up in a hard-fought 132-pound match that Wohlers won 6-5.

In junior varsity boys action, Comet freshman Carter Burkhart won both of his 182-pound bouts; Comet freshman Rory Gonzalez was victorious at 152; and Comet sophomore Trevor Peterson won his 160-pound bout.

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