DUBUQUE — Clinton had three champions Saturday and finished second as a team at the Dubuque Invitational wrestling tournament.

“Overall, I thought our kids really competed well throughout the day,” Clinton coach JD Lueders said. “Our goal was to win the title. We came a little short of that, but our kids sure got the attention of the other teams.”

The River Kings finished with 200 points, 27.5 behind champion Western Dubuque, but well ahead of third-place finisher New Hampton, which had 169.

Hunter Genco won the title at 120 pounds, spending only 2:17 on the mat.

“Hunter was dominant with three pins on the day,” Lueders said.

Clinton’s other two champions pinned their quarterfinal and semifinal opponents, before winning the title bout by decision.

“Alex Caldwell and Jake Oldaker really did a nice job securing their titles,” Lueders said. “Alex is such a smooth operator. He had an outstanding day. Jake worked on his offense all last week and it showed. He dominated the kid from Iowa Grant.”

The kid from Iowa Grant was Ben McFall and Oldaker beat him 7-2 in the finals at heavyweight. In the semifinals, he pinned Edward Sanders of Muscatine in 4:27.

Alex Caldwell beat Luke Nowak of Iowa Grant 6-3 in the finals at 145. He recorded his two pins in a combined 4:26.

After winning by 7-2 decision and a pin in 4:54, Riley Chapman was beaten in the finals at 138 pounds.

“Riley really did a nice job making it to the finals,” Lueders said. “The kid has overcome so many obstacles. He will be a force to be reckoned with as the season goes on.”

At 152 pounds, Dustin Caldwell won his semifinal 4-3, but lost 7-2 in the finals.

“Dustin got caught in a five-point move,” Lueders said. “Otherwise his match could have gone either way. He is a tough kid. I’m sure he will be fine when the tournament series starts in February.”

Josiah Molina also advanced to the finals for Clinton, finishing second at 182 pounds. He won his first two matches by decisions of 5-0 and 6-1 before falling in the final.

“Josiah defeated the eighth-ranked kid in Class 2A (Austin Lukes of New Hampton) in the semis and just came up on the short end in his final match,” Lueders said. “This kid has so much potential. The sky is the limit.”

Rebels place second

TIPTON — Northeast placed second out of nine teams Saturday at the Tipton Invitational wrestling tournament.

The Rebels had four finalists and a third-place finisher.

Blake Dierks won the title at 152 pounds.

“Blake had a great day,” Northeast coach Steve Farrell said. “He is buying into the program and his work in the offseason is really paying off.”

Northeast also won the title at 160 pounds, where Dylan Ploog was crowned champion.

“Dylan has a lot of guts,” Farrell said. “He beat the Tipton kid that pinned him Tuesday. That shows you how much heart he has.”

The Rebels got runner-up finishes from Connor Soenksen (132) and Garrett Moeller (heavyweight). Soenksen lost in overtime to a returning Class 1A state placewinner. Moeller had two pins, including the second-fastest in school history — 10 seconds.

At 120 pounds, Tyler Schoon placed third. He lost to the No. 2 wrestler in Class 1A in the semifinals and then won the third-place match by major decision over a “tough kid from North Cedar,” according to Farrell.

“Overall, I am pleased with our fight,” Farrell said. “This week was a grind. We had three meets, but we pushed through it.”



Sabers grab third

BURLINGTON — Central DeWitt placed third at the Dick Mellinger Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday.

The Sabers finished with 205 points, 14 ahead of fourth-place Ottumwa. Mediapolis won with 304 points, 70 more than second-place Burlington.

Central DeWitt was led by a pair of champions — Jake Feldpausch at 195 pounds and Cameron Donovan at 220. The Sabers also had four runners-up — Drew Schroeder (170), Greyson Doolittle (160), Walker Wegener (132) and Nick Woodford (125).

Feldpausch won three matches by pin, one by major decision and one by decision on his way to the title.

Donovan won two matches by pin, including one in 27 seconds. He also won by decision and disqualification.