Kingery, Tool finish careers on the podium
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| PCM senior Dalton Kingery hugs wrestling coach Matt Teeter after a victory in his fifth-place match during the state wrestling meet on Saturday. It was the final match for Kingery, who leaves as PCM’s all-time wins leader. (Shane Lucas/Daily News) |
DES MOINES — It wasn’t an ideal finish for some members of the Prairie City-Monroe wrestling team, but they were forced to face the cold, hard reality that many of their peers face at Wells Fargo Arena in February.
On paper, however, things don’t look too bad. Senior Dalton Kingery (126 pounds) finished fifth overall and ended his career with a victory, while fellow senior Jake Tool (285) finished eighth so both wrestlers ended up where they spent most of their careers — on the podium.
“Obviously we’re a little disappointed with the placing we got. We had four guys and thought we had to definitely get four medals,” PCM coach Matt Teeter said. “They wrestled hard, and that’s all you can ever ask for. All four guys we brought here had great careers and did great things for PCM, so I’m just proud of them.”
Tool’s path to a title was derailed on Friday with a loss to West Delaware’s Dean Broghammer in the second round of the championship bracket in which he held a lead, but was pinned with 15 seconds remaining in the third period. He then bounced back with a victory, however, which was a dominating pin of Davenport Assumption’s Sean Esler.
The final match of his career ended with a loss during Saturday’s seventh-place match, when he was stuck by Estherville’s Gable Bonner in the second period. Tool finished the tournament ranked fourth among all heavyweights in the field with two pins, and doubled his career win total at state in the process.
“It’s very hard to come back from a loss,” Tool said Friday. “No matter you accept it or not, a loss is a loss and it hurts your pride, but we came back and now we know we’re at least going to medal.”
After Kingery fell to Sergeant Bluff-Louton’s Dalton McCrystal, who went on to become Class 2A champion at 126, he suffered the same metal setbacks Tool did. They may hve recorded pins in their first matches after their losses, but admittedly didn’t wrestle the same as they had been.
“He came up here to win a title, and I think when a lot kids have that goal and lose in the quarters or semis, they kind of check out for a while,” Teeter said. “Jake had some close losses, and it was kind of the same thing where he didn’t wrestle very well after that.”
“I can’t really tell if I’m relieved or what. My entire wrestling career since I’ve been in Kindergarten is over now,” Kingery said. “I got to end my season on a win and now I’ve got to keep my white singlet clean. Ten years from now, I can look back and be proud of what I did.”
Kingery’s last loss of his career came via major 12-2 major decision to Louisa-Muscatine’s Kody Krenz in the consolation semifinals. After that, he bounced back with a razor-thin 6-4 overtime decision over Osage’s Douglas Perrin to finish up on a winning note. For the senior who entered the tournament undefeated, finishing fifth with a bittersweet moment.
“After a few days of this kind of tournament, your body’s aching and you’re tired and grumpy, especially when you’re not on the winner’s side,” Kingery said. “Wrestling those last two matches knowing they’re the last two of my career was hard, both mentally and physically.”
Still, Kingery reflected on his four years and four state tournament appearances with pride. He’ll always remember how he wasn’t able to achieve the ultimate goal of a state championship, but he can think of things like being undefeated in the white singlet he wore in his fifth-place match and his overall experience with the Mustangs.
“I can’t really tell if I’m relieved or what. My entire wrestling career since I’ve been in Kindergarten is over now,” Kingery said after his fifth-place match victory. “I got to end my season on a win and now I’ve got to keep my white singlet clean. Ten years from now, I can look back and be proud of what I did.
“I’ve done so much, gone so many places and met so many people,” he continued. “I’ll remember every single person I’ve met, and it’s nice knowing that people I don’t know will come up and talk to me and know my name because the things they know about me. Knowing I’ve put somewhat of an impact on that the sport, I’m happy.”
Fellow teammates Zach Findlow (182) and Bryce Wignall (138) also made the trip to state, but fell short of the medal round. Wignall, a two-time state qualifier, went two-and-out with two tough decision Thursday night.
Findlow provided a something of an underdog story for the Mustangs after failing to make the team the past three years, then sneaking into state with a crazy come-from-behind victory at districts. His career was ended one match shy of the podium by Solon’s Lance Evans, but nearly reaching all of his goals from the beginning of the season may be good enough for him.
“He did a great job. Making it here was a dream for him, winning a match was just gravy for him after that,” Teeter said. “Honestly, he was close to getting a medal. That just shows you how far he’s come in the past year considering he couldn’t even make varsity in past years.”
As for the future, Teeter said Tool is planning on wrestling somewhere at the next level. Kingery’s career will diverge into a different sort of wrestling, in a way, as he will attend Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan., on a rodeo scholarship. His time on the mat has no doubt been helpful in his rodeo events, bareback and saddle bronc riding.
“I’m going to start getting on as many horses as I can,” a suddenly rejuvenated Kingery said. “Wrestling’s over, so it’s rodeo time, buddy. I wasn’t able to get my title in wrestling, but I already have one in rodeo and it’s time to get two more.”
Hawks’ Doll, Terlouw fall one win short of podium
After staying alive in the tournament with wins Thursday night, Lynnville-Sully sophomore Caden Doll (152) and senior Kyle Terlouw (285) were eliminated with losses in Friday’s consolation second round. Both Hawk wrestlers would have had to win that match to guarantee a spot on the podium and at least two more matches.
Doll faced East Buchanan junior Colton Stoddard (41-14), who went on to take seventh place. In a defensive battle, neither wrestler scored in the first period, and then Stoddard got an escape with five seconds left in the second to go up 1-0. Doll answered with an escape in the third, and the match went to overtime tied 1-1. That’s where it became heartbreak for Doll, as Stoddard got a two-point takedown with eight seconds left in the extra session to give him a 3-1 win.
“Both kids just battled more and harder than they knew they could,” Lynnville-Sully coach Steve Northcutt said about Doll’s match. “It was just an incredible match and it’s too bad somebody had to lose. Hats off to the East Buchanan kid. He battled just a little bit harder towards the end.
“It was a good match for Caden. He’s only a sophomore so he’s going to build on it and he’ll be back next year.”
Doll ended his season with a record of 28-10.
At 285, Terlouw squared off against third-ranked Valley Community senior Joe Koehn, who went on to take seventh place. Koehn (50-4) led 2-0 after one period with a takedown, and then turned Terlouw for nearfall points in the second and eventually a pin with 1:23 left.
“He out-weighed me by about 25 pounds, maybe 30, and he was just a big guy,” Terlouw said. “I had to face him like any other one, but couldn’t get it done.”
“We’ve got ‘out-manned’ pretty much all year and that kid’s chest was about three of mine,” Northcutt added. “He (Terlouw) battled him hard and it’s the state tournament, so anything could’ve happened.”
Terlouw finished the season with a record of 37-8.
“If anyone knows Kyle from four years ago, they wouldn’t know he’d be at the state tournament his senior year,” said a choked-up Northcutt.
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