Berns, Medberry second at Central Invite
Mylee Mueller works for a pin against Kennedy Linkenmeyer of Riceville in the 170-pound consolation semifinal match at the Central Girls Invitational on Dec. 3. (Photos by Willis Patenaude)
Mayleigh Medberry defeated Josi Munger of Starmont by major decision in her semifinal match.
Reese Berns placed second at 130 pounds at the Central Girls Invite.
Brynn Meyer scores takedown of Savannah Pierce of North Butler-Clarksville. She eventually won the 110-pound match by fall.
Crystal Goodrich ties up Maddy Jansen of South Winn in a 140-pound quarterfinal bout.
By Willis Patenaude | Times-Register
The Central girls wrestling team had a pair of home meets last week, starting with the Central Girls Invitational on Dec. 3. Both gyms were packed with fans and wrestlers representing 25 schools.
Representing Central were Brynn Meyer, Crystal Goodrich, Mylee Mueller, Mayleigh Medberry and Reese Berns, who combined for ten wins.
Wrestling at 110 pounds was Meyer, who started the tournament with a loss to Braelyn Suckow from Sumner-Fredericksburg. After a bye in consolation round one, Meyer rebounded with a fall over Savannah Pierce of North Butler/Clarksville, followed by a 50-second pin of Jasmine Bassett from Union Community in the consolation semifinals. Meyer’s run ended with a sixth place finish, after losing the fifth place match by fall to Hallie Portwood of Alburnett.
Competing at 140 pounds, Goodrich started the tournament with a bye, then took a loss in the quarterfinals to Maddy Jansen of South Winneshiek. Goodrich waited out another bye before entering the consolation semifinal against Hannah Crane of West Delaware. Goodrich fought for over five minutes, but was pinned.
In the 170-pound weight class, Mueller who took a bye into the quarterfinals, where she was pinned by Nevaeh Bloker from Nashua-Plainfield. Mueller had another bye into the consolation semifinals, where she secured a fall over Kennedy Linkenmeyer of Riceville. She finished off Alexa Gott of North Butler/Clarksville in a five-minute match to place fifth.
Mayleigh Medberry competed at 135 pounds and made quick work of round one opponent Richtricia Gbeynie of Columbus Catholic, earning a fall win in 44 seconds. Medberry followed that with another fall win in the quarterfinals over Nadelyn Stanbrough of North Butler/Clarksville, then squared off against Josi Munger of Starmont in the semifinals and took the win via 8-0 major decision. Medberry entered the finals against Lyni Gusick, who finished fourth at state last season. She tried to fend off a takedown, but was overpowered and pinned in under a minute to finish in second place.
At 130 pounds, Reese Berns started the tournament the same way she did the previous one at Midland, with a fall over Candy Solovi of Postville. She wrestled Claire Koester of North Fayette Valley in the quarterfinals, earning another fall, then defeated Kaydance Cowell of Sumner-Fredericksburg by fall in just under four minutes in the semis. In the first place match, Berns looked to avenge her loss at Midland to Kylee Shoop of West Delaware, but Shoop rode an early lead to a 7-0 decision victory, handing Berns her second loss of the season and another second place finish.
The Warriors remained at home for the Dec. 6 Warrior Duals, a smaller meet with 11 teams. Central competed in five duals, going 10-5 in matches and 1-4 in duals overall.
The dual versus Anamosa featured three matches, with the Warriors winning two, but six forfeits gave Anamosa the 42-18 victory. Berns defeated Bree Brophy via fall at the 50-second mark and Medberry, wrestling at 140 pounds, pinned Meghan Besler. Mueller lost via fall.
The Warriors won three of four matches versus Benton Community, including falls by Meyer over Courtney Hlas, Berns over Rayna Wacha and Medberry over Marissa Nolte. Mueller was pinned in her match. Despite the wins, Central lost the dual 60-18 due to nine forfeits.
The Warriors suffered three defeats versus East Buchanan, including falls to Meyer, Medberry and Mueller, while Berns pinned Kara Knipper. Central lost the dual 66-6.
Versus Sumner-Fredericksburg, the Warriors went 3-0, with Berns defeating Emerie Parkes via fall, Medberry taking an 8-6 decision win over Ella Schares and Meyer defeating Kylie Belinsky by pin. However, Central lost the dual 36-21 due to forfeits.
Versus Tripoli, the Warriors won the only match on the card, with Meyer pinning Bella Peine in less than five minutes. Central also won the dual, 24-12.
The Warriors are on the road this week with the Waverly Tournament on Dec. 10. They will travel to South Winn Dec. 13.
