Bulldog Wrestlers Battle Down at State Wrestling

The Iowa High School state wrestling tournament has undergone some changes this season including eliminating the sectional portion of the tournament, adding eight competitors and going back to a four-day tournament format. The Bulldogs qualified four wrestlers for the tournament, and Coach Hansen had high expectations for them. “I think we could have 2-3 place winners and a couple of those guys could place pretty high,” said Hansen prior to the event.

The qualifiers for the Bulldogs ended up including three juniors, Jayson Stevens at 106 pounds, Cael Burmester at 182 pounds, Carter Heilskov at 285 pounds and Sophomore Charlie Showalter who qualified at 132 pounds.

On Wednesday the first day of the four-day affair began with all four Bulldog wrestlers in the opening round. Jayson Stevens took the mat first against Quinn Arellano of Van Meter. Stevens opened the tournament for the Bulldogs with a second period pin and advanced to the round of 16. Charlie Showalter was the next Bulldog to wrestle in a rematch with Algona’s Taevyn Zinnel who he grappled with earlier this season. Zinnel defeated Showalter though by a score of 14-2 and Showalter fell to the backside to wrestle on Thursday.

Cael Burmester was the next to take the mat for the Bulldogs at 182 pounds. He would be taking on sixth-ranked Garrett McHugh of Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Burmester wrestled well before getting pinned in the second period by McHugh; and also was pushed to the backside to wrestle on Thursday. Carter Heilskov then took the mat at the end of the first round in a rematch with Seth Vanderlin of Winterset. Heilskov dominated the match, picking up the second period fall and advancing into the round of 16. While Heilskov was wrestling Jayson Stevens took the mat for his second match, facing off with 6th ranked Mitchell Schmauss, of Crestwood. Stevens would be active on his feet and scored 3 takedowns in the mat, winning by a score of 7-2 and advancing to the quarterfinals on Thursday. Heilskov again took the mat for the second time Wednesday with another rematch against 11th-ranked Colton Wieland, of Carroll. Heilskov would avenge that earlier season loss this go round though, turning in another dominant performance and pinning Wieland in the second period to advance to round 16.

Thursday saw all four Bulldogs take the mat again. Showalter took the mat first, facing off with Jordan Schmidt of Solon. Showalter battled in the match, but ultimately lost by fall to Schmidt, ending his run at the state tournament. Showalter finished his sophomore season with a 33-15 record. Burmester took the mat next in a rematch with Charles City’s Kayden Blunt. Blunt won the match by major decision thereby eliminating Burmester from the tournament. He finished his junior season with a 25-16 record. Jayson Stevens followed in a quarterfinal's matchup against fifth-ranked Linden Phetxoumphone, of Webster City. Their third contest was just as exciting as the first two. Stevens scored a last-second takedown at the end of the first period to take a 2-0 lead. Phetxoumphone scored a reversal and two nearfall points to take a 4-2 lead. Stevens rallied back though with an escape at the end of the second and another to start the third to tie the score at 4. Stevens scored another takedown on the edge of the mat to take a 6-4 lead and would ultimately win 6-5 and advance to the semifinals Friday. Heilskov took on second-ranked Cameron Geuther of West Delaware. Geuther connected on a throw and pinned Heilskov in the first period, pushing him to the backside.

Friday saw Jayson Stevens take on first ranked and top seeded Brayden Bohnsack, of Union. Stevens then scored a first period takedown to take a 2-0 lead into the second period. Stevens started the second period on the bottom and would score an escape to take a 3-0 lead. Bohnsack would answer with a takedown, cutting the score to 3-2.

The third period was started in the neutral position. With a minute to go, Bohnsack secured a takedown, taking Stevens to his back and finishing that match with a fall. Stevens fell to the consolation semifinals. Carter Heilskov entered the blood round in a matchup with 10th-ranked Max Chapman, of Creston. Heilskov made quick work of Chapman with a takedown and cradle to earn the first period pin and a place on the medal stand. Heilskov then wrestled in the consolation quarterfinals against fifth-ranked Mac Muller, of Osage. Muller and Heilskov battled for two periods, but in the third period Muller claimed the advantage and pinned Heilskov. The loss pushed Heilskov to the seventh-place match Saturday.

Saturday was an interesting day for the Bulldog team, coaches and fans alike who saw Jayson Stevens not make weight at weigh ins. According to Hansen, Stevens was a tenth of a pound over weight and had to forfeit his remaining matches. Hansen would later find out that Stevens would also have to forfeit out of the tournament according to the state rules and would not be allowed to participate in the grand march, take the award stand or receive his medal. Stevens finished sixth with the two forfeits, and Hansen said the school will recognize Stevens’ sixth place finish.

Hansen said, “I feel terrible for Jayson, he worked so hard all season and I think his body battled him getting down to weight. I take full responsibility for what happened, and I am so proud of how he handled himself during the tough situation.”

Stevens finished his junior season 38-10.

Carter Heilskov was the last Bulldog to take the mat and finished his junior season on a high note after turning in another dominant performance and winning with a first period fall. The pin earned Heilskov a seventh-place finish. Heilskov wrapped up his junior season with a 37-5 record and a team high 25 pins. The Bulldogs as a team scored 26 points and finished in 31st place. The Bulldogs return all of their wrestlers next season with justifiably high expectations.