North/South All-Star Meet Results

Below is a short story and results submitted Charles City Press Sports Editor Ryan Kronberg, including a summary of the event and match scores. Thanks, Ryan!

North/South All-Star meet this Saturday

The 21st Annual North/South All-Star Meet will be held this weekend and hosted by the Charles City Mat Club. Below is a press release about the yearly all-star dual and the lineups. Should be fun.

West Delaware crowns two champs in 2A finals

DES MOINES – It took 13 years, but West Delaware’s Nathan Vaske finally won the best-of-3 series with Clear Lake’s Tucker Weber.
The state finalists first met when they were five-years-old at a freestyle tournament, but after last night Vaske has the upper hand.
Vaske handled Weber, 7-2, in the 130-pound championship of the Class 2A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in front of 15,439 spectators.
It’s a perfect time to win,” Vaske said. “It’s exciting.
Words can’t describe it.”
Vaske took the mat with aggression, setting a high-tempo for the match.
“The game plan was to keep pressure on him the whole match,” West Delaware Coach Jeff Voss said. “We didn’t think he could go with us.”
Vaske scored first, using a front headlock and snapping Weber to his belly and spinning around behind for a takedown and riding him out for a 2-0 lead after the first.
The lead extended to 4-0 when Vaske snatched a single-leg and finished with a leg sweep in the first 30 seconds of the second.
Vaske seemed one step ahead of Weber the entire match, adding an escape and quick takedown with 1:18 left.
“Everything fell in place,” said Vaske, complimenting his coaches for preparing him. “Knowing what you’re opponent is going to do is huge. You just have to go out and do it.”
All the hard work paid off for Vaske, the school’s third four-time placewinner and first state champion since Zach McCool in 2007.
“It’s well deserved,” Voss said. “All the hard work he put in paid off.”
The Hawks were soaring by the end of the night, when 189-pounder Carl Broghammer won the their second gold medal of the night. Broghammer avenged a loss suffered in last year’s state tournament, defeating West Liberty’s 2008 state runner-up Tomas Lira, 8-5.
“He was a lot of motivation all year,” Broghammer said. “Coach made us put together a hit list, guys you want to beat. I looked at that list every day.
“He was at the top of it.”
Lira took an early lead by throwing Broghammer to his back, but Broghammer powered his way off getting a reversal to close the score to 5-2. Broghammer used a bar arm to put Lira on his back, tying the score in the second. He was released by Lira to start the third and iced the win with a late takedown.
The two titles left West Delaware in sixth place with 64 points.
Ballard blew away the team field. The Bombers set records with most points, most finalists with nine and largest winning margin for 2A. Ballard tallied 220, 39½ more than its record set last year. Denver-Tripoli was runner-up with 88½.
Five Ballard wrestlers won titles, including Dakota Bauer (112), Tanner Weatherman (135), Tanner Hiatt (140), Trent Weatherman (152) and Brock Weatherman (171).
Williamsburg sophomore heavyweight Austin Blythe improved his runner-up finish as a freshman. Blythe pinned West Liberty’s Javier Rendon in 1:50.
Last year’s second-place finish burned at Blythe since he received his silver medal.
“It’s been in the back of my mind for 365 days,” said Blythe. “Defending the state title will be in the back of my mind for 365 days, now.”
Once Blythe had Rendon on his back the only thing getting loose was Blythe’s emotions when the referee slapped the mat for the pin.
“As soon as I got him on his back I wasn’t going to let him off,” Blythe said. “I knew I had the fall and I got up and let go. I just let everything go.”
Tanner Weatherman denied Independence senior Chris Alber a title, building a 19-8 lead before getting the fall in 5 minutes, 37 seconds.
Alber matched his older brother Nate’s state runner-up performance his senior year.

For state tournament photo gallery:

http://pictopia.com/perl/gal?process=gallery&gallery_id=75663&provider_id=66

Contact the writer: (319) 368-8679 or kj.pilcher@gazettecommunications.com

Dedicated offseason powers Vaske

A common theme in wrestling is champions are made in the off-season.
West Delaware senior Nathan Vaske will see how that holds true during the Class 2A state wrestling tournament, starting at 9 a.m. Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Vaske, a three-time placewinner for the Hawks, dedicated himself after he placed fifth as a junior.
“I figured I’d take the next step and put in the extra time to get where I want to be,” Vaske said. “With the work we did in the off-season, this is probably the best year I’ve had.”
West Delaware Coach Jeff Voss noticed the extra effort that has put Vaske in position to be a title contender.
“In the last year he’s just done some things to drive him a little more to a state championship,” Voss said. “He’s put a little more time into getting ready for this season and that makes a difference.”
All the extras accompanied the off-season. More freestyle competition, additional summer camps and plenty of weightlifting prepared him for his final prep season.
Vaske said he feels better than ever and more comfortable on the mat.
“Not much time in high school, so I’ve worked extra hard to get what I’ve been working my whole life for,” said Vaske, owning a 35-2 record and ranked fifth. “Putting the extra time in really pays off.”
State meet finishes have resulted in a seventh as a freshman, and consecutive fifth-place medals.
Last year’s state meet was particularly harsh for Vaske, who entered the tournament top-ranked at 119. He dropped a one-point decision to runner-up Matt Boyington of Humboldt and didn’t rebound, suffering two of his three losses that season in the same day at state. The loss that ended his dream to become the Hawks’ first two-time state champion is fuel for Vaske’s fire.
“It’ll motivate me a lot,” said Vaske, who moaned at the thought of it. “I know what it feels like and I sure don’t want that feeling again.”
He’ll have a tough task immediately, facing No. 3 Dylan Rusher (26-1) of Roland-Story in his opening match at 130.
“He’s wrestled some pretty good kids this year,” Voss said. “He’ll be ready for it.”
The 2A tournament starts a day later than the other two classes this year. Vaske “can’t wait for it to get here” and anxiously awaits the start of the event.
“Right now, it’s just go out there and wrestle my match and dominate,” Vaske said. “Leave nothing behind you now, because every match could be your last one.”
Vaske has carried the torch of previous standout Hawk wrestlers Kalen Lenz and Zach McCool. Lenz, Vaske’s cousin, was a state finalist in 2005, and McCool, a teammate for two seasons, was the school’s first four-time state placewinner the 140-pound 3A state champion in 2007.
Both influenced him.
“I think he saw those kids achieving some pretty big things for our program,” Voss said about Vaske’s desire to match their achievements.
He’s third, trailing only Lenz and McCool, on West Delaware’s all-time wins list with 142. He joined them as the program’s only four-time Wamac conference champions and could be the Hawks’ second four-time state medalist.
“They were both great wrestlers,” Vaske said. “I think it would be great to be on the list of the greats that came through West Delaware. We’ve had a bunch.
“If I added a state title, it would make it even better.”
Contact the writer: (319) 368-8679 or kj.pilcher@gazcomm.com