Currier wins NCC title; Lions sixth at tournament

(Above) Clear Lake’s Max Currier (120 pounds) pinned Gavin Sandoval, of Mason City, in 1:44.  He also earned a North Central Conference title at Webster City on Saturday.  -Reporter photo by Chris Barragy

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake’s Max Currier earned a North Central Conference wrestling title— Clear Lake’s 92nd, and Sam Nelson was runner-up at his weight at Webster City Saturday. 

As a team, Clear Lake was sixth in the standings, but Coach Evan Johnson noted all but one Lion grappler competed for a spot on the awards stand.

Clarion-Goldfield-Dows was a clear standout in the team race with 235 points.  Humboldt finished second with 191 and Hampton-Dumont-CAL was third with 177 points.  Webster City was just one point back with 176.  Algona compiled 136.5 points, Clear Lake had 110.5, Iowa Falls-Alden had 76 and St. Edmond earned 17.

Currier, a sophomore with a  record of 22-2, received a bye in the quarter finals.  He pinned Ethan Traub, of C-G-D, on the semis in 5:30 to set up a championship match against Jack Showalter, of Hampton.  Showalter has wrestled much of the season at 113 and is rated number six, but he chose to go up a weight for the conference tourney.  The strategy may have backfired, as Currier was in control throughout the match.  The Lion made a quick takedown in the first period and added an escape in the second for a 3-0 lead.  Showalter’s only point came as the result of a stalling call in the final seconds of the match.

Nelson reached the championship match at 132-pounds and faced a familiar foe, Jakyb Kapp.  Only a few days earlier Kapp, rated eighth at his weight, defeated Nelson, ranked sixth, in the final seconds of a back-and-forth match, 18-14.  Unfortunately, Saturday’s rematch was strangely similar.  Nelson took an early 2-0 lead, only to have the score tied 2-2 at the end of one period.  Nelson had the upper hand through two periods, 5-3.  Kapp managed an escape in the final :45 seconds of the match and got Nelson into a hold that gave him near fall points and a 9-5 victory in the final seconds.

Thomas Gansen finished third at 170-pounds after starting his day with a technical fall in the quarterfinals. He dropped a close decision to Garrett Seaba, of C-G-D, in the semifinals, but bounced back with a consolation round fall.  In the third place match he pinned Christian Alcala, of Humboldt in 1:56.

Fifth place finishers for the Lions included Tyler LeFevre (106), Caden Jones (138), Hunter Rieck (145), Carter Markwardt (152) and Dylan Evanson (285).

Carter Perry (113), Kaleb Hambly (160) and Hayden Rieck (182) placed sixth at their weights.

Dual meets

The Lions warmed up for the conference tournament with a dual meet against county rival Mason City and triangular with NCC foes Hampton-Dumont -CAL and St. Ed’s.

Clear Lake’s Kaleb Hambly, Thomas Gansen, Hayden Rieck and Max Currier all recorded falls against their Mohawk opponents, but it wasn’t enough as the Lions fell by 10-points, 40-30.  

In a preview of some conference tournament matches, the Lions took on H-D and St. Ed’s Thursday.  Hampton-Dumont handed the Lions a lopsided loss, while the Lions beat up on the NCC cellar dweller Gaels, 42-13.

Currier (120) and Hunter Rieck (145) were the only Lions to post wins against the Bulldogs.  

In the match with St. Ed’s, Mitchil Smith, Tyler LeFevre, Carter Perry, Cur

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rier and Roman Gabrielson won their matches.  The remainder of Clear Lake’s points came as the result of forfeits.  

MC 40, CL 30

132: Jace Rhodes (MACI) over Sam Nelson (CLLA) (MD 15-5) 138: Cooper Wiemann (MACI) over (CLLA) (For.) 145: Jack Siglin (MACI) over Hunter Rieck (CLLA) (Dec 6-5) 152: Seth Ihlenfeldt (MACI) over (CLLA) (For.) 160: Kaleb Hambly (CLLA) over Ethan Olsen (MACI) (Fall 1:45) 170: Thomas Gansen (CLLA) over Riley Monahan (MACI) (Fall 0:32) 182: Hayden Rieck (CLLA) over Branson Peters (MACI) (Fall 1:58) 195: Mitchil Smith (CLLA) over (MACI) (For.) 220: Double Forfeit 285: Ben Pederson (MACI) over (CLLA) (For.) 106: Kale DiMarco (MACI) over Tyler Lefevre (CLLA) (Fall 1:41) 113: Reed Kruger (MACI) over Carter Perry (CLLA) (Dec 8-4) 120: Max Currier (CLLA) over Gavin Sandoval (MACI) (Fall 1:44) 126: Tomas Rolon (MACI) over Roman Gabrielson (CLLA) (Fall 2:48)

H-D 69, CL 12

106: Jayson Stevens (HADU) over Tyler Lefevre (CLLA) (Fall 3:19) 113: Jack Showalter (HADU) over Carter Perry (CLLA) (Fall 0:26) 120: Max Currier (CLLA) over Carson Hisler (HADU) (Fall 2:08) 126: Tomas Cavazos (HADU) over Roman Gabrielson (CLLA) (Fall 1:33) 132: Jakyb Kapp (HADU) over Sam Nelson (CLLA) (Dec 18-14) 138: Gage Plagge (HADU) over (CLLA) (For.) 145: Hunter Rieck (CLLA) over Cael Burmester (HADU) (Fall 1:48) 152: Carter Hobson (HADU) over (CLLA) (For.) 160: Carl Barkema (HADU) over Kaleb Hambly (CLLA) (Fall 2:23) 170: Braden Hansen (HADU) over Sam Sestina (CLLA) (Fall 3:24) 182: Zach DeVries (HADU) over Hayden Rieck (CLLA) (Fall 0:35) 195: Bryan Flores (HADU) over Mitchil Smith (CLLA) (Fall 2:58) 220: Isaac Heilskov (HADU) over (CLLA) (For.) 285: Alex Koch (HADU) over (CLLA) (For.)

CL 42, St. Ed’s 13

138: Double Disqualification 145: 152: Emiliano Guillen (STED) over Hunter Rieck (CLLA) (Dec 9-8) 160: Kaleb Hambly (CLLA) over (STED) (For.) 170: Grant Webster (STED) over Sam Sestina (CLLA) (Fall 1:25) 182: Tyler Rossmanith (STED) over Hayden Rieck (CLLA) (MD 10-2) 195: Mitchil Smith (CLLA) over Zach Rossmanith (STED) (Fall 1:58) 220: Double Forfeit 285: 106: Tyler Lefevre (CLLA) over Ronnie Orres (STED) (Fall 3:12) 113: Carter Perry (CLLA) over (STED) (For.) 120: Max Currier (CLLA) over (STED) (For.) 126: Roman Gabrielson (CLLA) over (STED) (For.) 132: Sam Nelson (CLLA) over (STED) (For.)

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