Currier advances to State

(Above) Max Currier dominates an opponent from earlier in the season.  Currier will begin his State Tournament journey on Thursday, Feb. 18, at 6 p.m.  -Reporter file photo by Chris Barragy

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake sophomore Max Currier will be making his first appearance at the Iowa State Wrestling Tournament this week in Des Moines.  Currier (28-3) finished second at 120-pounds at Saturday’s District meet held in Humboldt.

Another Lion wrestler, freshman Tyler LeFevre, ended his season with a fourth place finish at the event.

“Max had a very winnable match right away against Humboldt and he went out and took care of business like he was suppose to,” said Clear Lake Coach Evan Johnson.  

Currier got into a little trouble late in match, but was able to hold off a late rally by DJ Muir for a 12-5 victory.  In the finals, he faced Jonathon Burnette, of Spirit Lake, and was defeated in a 12-2 major decision.

“He faced a tough Spirit Lake Park kid and just seemed a little reserved early on,” said Coach Johnson.  “Once he got a feel for the match, Max wrestled very well and got a good take down.   He wasn’t super happy with his performance and looks to make a few last minute improvements before heading down to Des Moines.”

LeFevre had a tough matchup against Jacob Zabka, from Algona, in the first round.  Coach Johnson noted Zabka pinned LeFevre earlier in the year, so the game plan was to keep within striking distance throughout the match and not give up any big points, especially early in the match. 

“He got taken down and turned, but we still were only down 6-0 in the second period,” Johnson said.  We weren’t able to finish the job and came up short but fought hard.”  Zabka ultimately pinned LeFevre in 5:01.  

The third place match was a rematch of the Sectional finals and LeFevre ended up getting in a bad spot and was pinned in 1:11. “Tyler showed tremendous growth and great leadership skills as a freshman and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him,” added Johnson.

Currier’s first round opponent at the State Meet will be Keaton Zeimet (35-2), a senior from Central DeWitt, who was a first place finisher in the Class 2A Region 7.  Class 2A first round action begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 18.