Two Comets make it to awards stand

By John Burbridge sports@charlescitypress.com

DES MOINES — After being deprived of award-stand status in 2017, Charles City managed to place two on the podium to cap this year’s State Wrestling Championships.

Junior 152-pounder Dylan Koresh and sophomore 170-pounder Jack Sindlinger both gained “Grand March” distinction after recording their second victories of the tournament on Friday.

Koresh, who is a returning state qualifier, began the day with an 11-3 major decision loss in the quarterfinals to South Tama County’s Isaac Judge, who was a state champion in 2017 and runner-up in 2016 while remaining in the same weight class.

Koresh rebounded with an 8-3 decision win over Luke Rohmiller of Webster City in the second-round of the consolations.

Against Ballard’s Skyler Noftsger in the third round of the consolations, Koresh was down 6-1 with Noftsger in the down scoring position going into the third period. With long arms for a wrestler, Koresh nearly wrapped Noftsger in a cradle — Koresh’s common ploy for come-from-behind fall victories — but

Noftsger managed to fight it off and eventually won with a 9-1 major decision sending Koresh to the seventh-place match.

After losing his first-round bout to Jack Neuhaus of West Delaware, Sindlinger responded with two fall victories in a row against Webster City’s Zane Williams and West Burlington’s Tucker Moore in order in the consolation rounds.

Sindlinger almost made it three falls in a row early on against Lincoln Coakley of Esterville Lincoln Central in the third-round of consolations. But Coakley managed to break Sindlinger’s reverse-scoring headlock and eventually pinned Sindlinger at the 5:12 mark.

For Koresh and Sindlinger, the state meet ended much like in began in their respective seventh-place match.

In Thursday’s opening round, Koresh defeated Justin McCunn of Red Oak with a 6-4 decision. They met again on Saturday with Koresh winning the rematch, 5-0.

Sindlinger was pinned by West Delaware’s Jack Neuhaus in their first-round bout. Sindlinger faced Neuhaus again on Saturday, and though he managed to avoid being stuck by Neuhaus again, lost a 13-1 major decision.

* In Class 1A, several other local wrestlers made it to awards stand.

Nashua-Plainfield senior 106-pounder Brock Dietz and sophomore 113-pounder Jakob Whitinger placed fifth and fourth in their respective weight classes.

Nashua-Plainfield’s 195-pound senior Nathan Dettmer was the Huskies third state qualifier, but didn’t place in his bracket.

Rockford 160-pound junior Cameron Rasing placed fourth in his bracket; and North Butler’s 170-pound senior Brandon Trees made his second-straight podium appearance after placing seventh in his bracket.