Bulldogs win three more duals, place second at Nashua-Plainfield Tourney
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The MFL MarMac wrestling team continued to perform well last week, winning three more duals and placing second at the Nashua-Plainfield Tournament.
The three dual victories came in a meet at Edgewood-Colesburg on Dec. 8. The Bulldogs started the night by defeating a tough Beckman-Catholic squad 44-36.
“They took care of us pretty good last year, and they’ve got some good kids who’ll be right there at the end,” said head coach Chet Bachman. “So it was nice to beat them.”
Konnor Barat-Klimesh (113), Bryce Radloff (132) and Karter Decker (138) all picked up falls for MFL MarMac, while Gabe McGeough won by technical fall, 18-3, in his 152-pound match. At heavyweight, Jacob Trudo won a 12-9 decision. Koal Klenk (106), Holden Mathis (120) and Tyler Zuercher (220) all secured victories due to forfeit.
Andrew Heins (126), Tristen Koehn (145), Austin Schlee (160), Austin Nickolai (170), Michael Knickerbocker (182) and Nolan Lerch (195) were pinned in their matches.
Next up, the Bulldogs bested Maquoketa Valley 72-12. Trudo, Radloff, Kashton Mathis (145) and Nickolai all pinned their opponents, while eight wrestlers—Klenk, Barat-Klimesh, Holden Mathis, Heins, Decker, Koehn, McGeough and Knickerbocker—received forfeit victories.
Zuercher and Collin Henkels, who was wrestling at 195 pounds, were defeated by fall.
In the final dual of the night, MFL MarMac picked up a 71-11 win over Ed-Co. Decker, Heins and Kashton Mathis earned falls in their matches, and Koehn won by technical fall, 17-1. Receiving wins via forfeit were Lerch, Zuercher, Trudo, Caleb Nordheim (120), Radloff, McGeough, Nickolai and Knickerbocker.
Klenk was pinned at 106, while Barat-Klimesh lost by technical fall, 15-0.
On Dec. 12, the Bulldogs competed in the Nashua-Plainfield Tournament. The team’s 193 points put them second behind champion Independence, which had 242. The next-closest team to MFL MarMac was West Hancock, with 163 points.
The Bulldogs were bolstered by 138-pound Decker and 120-pound Holden Mathis, who both placed first in their respective weight classes.
“Decker had a good day and had a big win in the final,” against Columbus Catholic’s Sam Hackett, said Bachman. “It was the third period, and the score was tied and tight. He went after it and initiated his own attack. That’s a good sign.”
Decker ended up winning by sudden victory, 4-2.
Mathis, one of the team’s strong freshman wrestlers, earned a fall against Hudson’s Ben Holton in the final.
“But he was down 5-0 and fought back,” Bachman said. “He stayed in the match, stayed in good position and didn’t quit.”
Three Bulldogs—McGeough at 160, Trudo at 285 and Nickolai at 182—placed second at the tournament.
The loss in the final was McGeough’s first of the season.
“He beat a state place winner to get to the final, but then ran into a tough kid,” Bachman said.
Trudo, meanwhile, lost a 2-1 decision to Riceville’s Mitchel Marr, a wrestler he’d beaten earlier this year.
“I thought Jacob wrestled better and moved better,” Bachman said, “and he almost had the kid pinned.”
Nickolai was wrestling up a class, at 182 from his usual 170, and the coach said it made a difference on Saturday.
“He was quicker and had more fire power,” Bachman remarked. “It was his moment and he took advantage of it.”
Other results included third-place finishes for Heins, Radloff and Kashton Mathis, and fourth-place results for Barat-Klimesh and Koehn. Klenk, Schlee and Taylor Herzmann (195 pounds) came in sixth in their weight classes.
“All of our kids got challenged more,” Bachman said, “but they finished pretty strong.”
As winter break approaches, he noted the wrestlers will focus more on leg attacks and getting stronger and sharper on their feet.
“If somebody’s good, you have to take them down with a good shot. If you have the ability, you have to go after it,” he explained. “That’s the difference between getting a medal or not getting a medal, or being in the finals or not being in the finals.”
Bulldogs at Go-Hawk Girls Invite
On Dec. 11, four Bulldog wrestlers competed in the Go-Hawk Girls Invite at Waverly-Shell Rock.
Kadence Pape had the highest finish of the MFL MarMac participants, placing third at 120 pounds. Haylee Guyer took fourth place in the 170 weight class, while Isabella Bogdonovich was eighth at 113 pounds. Cortney Schroeder, wrestling at 132 pounds, did not place.
