Day 1 recap of Iowa girls state wrestling: Decorah leads team race, on a 'business trip.'
CORALVILLE — It was just one year ago at this time when Decorah girls wrestling was leading the team race after day one of the state wrestling tournament.
For the Vikings, that tournament ended in heartbreak. Waverly-Shell Rock and East Buchanan out-paced Decorah in the final stretch to overtake them. Ever since, Decorah has set one standard in its program.
Every time out on the mat, it's a business trip.
"We're here on a business trip, go visit your parents when you're done doing business," senior 170-pounder Naomi Simon said.
That's exactly what Decorah did on Thursday at Xtream Arena, as they now lead the team race (79 points) with the next closest team in the standings, Cedar Falls, 15 points behind. In total, the Vikings have two wrestlers in the semifinals (Simon and junior 100-pounder Chloe Sheffield.) In consolations, Decorah has five wrestlers remaining, tied for the most by any team.
Last year at this time, Decorah had eight wrestlers advance to day two and 82 team points, so they know how vigilant they still have to be down the stretch. Simon is the veteran leader of this squad and had the utmost confidence they'll come through Friday alongside her and Sheffield.
"We got some hammers on that are coming on the backside," Simon said. "Everybody better watch out."
Despite a solid lead at the moment, several teams are within striking distance. Cedar Falls is in second place with four wrestlers remaining (two in the semifinals), Raccoon River Wrestling is in third with five wrestlers remaining (two in the semifinals) and Ankeny is in fourth with four wrestlers remaining (two in the semifinals).
Three other big teams to watch, however, are in fifth, sixth and seventh place. Bettendorf (fifth) has two wrestlers remaining in the semifinals like the teams above them, but four competitions in consolations to stay in a good spot entering day two. Waverly-Shell Rock (sixth) has three in the semifinals, tied with Ridge View (12th) for the most remaining and seventh-place East Buchanan has five wrestlers in the consolation brackets alongside 145-pounder Tayla Stiefel in the semifinals.
In other words, there's still a lot of wrestling to be done and points to be earned. That's especially true considering the sheer amount of upsets that occurred in the quarterfinals, with three No. 1 seeds and three No. 2 seeds all being toppled on day one.
Iowa girls state wrestling championships team standings
1. Decorah: Two in semifinals, five in consolation
2. Cedar Falls: Two in semifinals, two in consolation
3. Raccoon River Wrestling: Two in semifinals, three in consolation
4. Ankeny: Two in semifinals, two in consolation
5. Bettendorf: Two in semifinals, four in consolation
6. Waverly-Shell Rock: Three in semifinals, two in consolation
7. East Buchanan: One in semifinals, five in consolation
100 pounds
Semifinalists: Katie Biscoglia (Raccoon River), Violet Diaz (Denver), Chloe Sheffield (Decorah) and Mia Kurth (Waukon)
The story of this class is of course Raccoon River Wrestling's Katie Biscoglia, the reigning state champion in the class. The undefeated sophomore wrestler pinned her way to the semifinals, defeating the No. 32, No. 17 and No. 8 wrestlers in the class all in 3:14 or less.
The new face to the crew looking to knock off Biscoglia is Denver freshman Violet Diaz. The No. 4 seed made a statement from the first whistle by being the first wrestler to win a match (25 seconds pin). She then won the following two matches by fall and technical fall to advance to the semifinals to ensure a place on the podium
Diaz's instant success stems from her time in martial arts, participating in judo throughout her life. Up to a 29-1 record in her first year, it's clear how much that has readied her to compete right away. Her lone loss, of course, comes against Biscoglia at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in December (6-2 decision).
The two will get a rematch Friday morning in the semifinals, which will be a phenomenal way to kick off day 2.
"Yeah I'm trying to get that match back tomorrow," Diaz said. "I think it'll be according to God's plan and I'll do the best I can.
105 Pounds
Semifinalists: Layla Phillips (Mason City), McKenna Rogers (Solon), Lainey Shelangoski (Durant) and Kacy Miller (Western Iowa)
One-hundred and five pounds was largely a chalk round, with the lone exception of Don Bosco freshman Erica Irvine (No. 6 seed) being upended in the second round by Albia senior Brianna Wolfer. Irvine had one loss on the year coming into the weekend, but the senior experience proved to be too much in their bout.
Top contenders in Mason City's Layla Phillips (No. 1 seed, returning finalist), Western Iowa's Kacy Miller (No. 2 seed) and Durant's Lainey Shelangoski (No. 3, returning state medalist) all remain, setting up for some top-seeded clashes on day 2.
110 pounds
Semifinalists: Jasmine Luedtke (Ottumwa), Lauren Whitt (Cedar Falls), Kiersten Swart (Mount Vernon) and Gable Hemann (Osage)
No major surprises here, with No. 1 seeded Luedtke picking up two wins by fall and a major decision to the semifinals. Hemann (No. 2) had three pins on her way to the semifinals, all in 1:33 or less. These two, barring upsets from No. 5 Whitt and No. 6 Swart, look to be on a collision course.
115 pounds
Semifinalists: Ellie Weets (Vinton-Shellsburg), Reanah Utterback (Sigourney-Keota), Carly Hendeson (Riverside) and Silvia Garcia-Vasquez (West Liberty)
West Liberty's Garcia-Vasquez (No. 9 seed) had the first major upset of the afternoon, defeating Sioux City North's Molly Sek (35-0 before the match, No. 1 seed) by fall with seconds left in the third period.
She spent minutes after the match crying tears of joy, hugging her sisters. Garcia-Vasquez's sister, Dionni, also made the semifinals at 140 pounds. That leaves Utterback as the prohibitive favorite (47-0), but there may be something special brewing thereafter that wild win.
120 pounds
Semifinalists: Bree Swenson (Vinton-Shellsburg), Camille Schult (Waverly-Shell Rock), Apryl Halsor (Cedar Falls) and Leah Chandler (Chariton)
Not only did another No. 1 seed fall here, but that was the reigning state champion in Pleasant Valley's Abigail Meyrer that lost. Halsor was the victor in the quarterfinals over Meyrer by fall in 3:33. If she wants to continue, she'll have to go through Swenson (No. 2, 58-3), Schult (No. 4, 51-2) and a returning third-place finisher in Chariton's Leah Chandler.
125 pounds
Semifinalists: Molly Allen (Riverside), Hannah Rogers (Bettendorf), Calista Rodish (Raccoon River Wrestling) and Destiny Brown (Ridge View)
The talk of the tournament was the potential showdown between Allen (reigning state and Super 32 champion) and Union's Jillian Worthen. Worthen had been undefeated dating back to last season but was upended by Destiny Brown of Ridge View.
That leaves Allen and Rogers as the favorites to face off in the finals. Rogers is a returning state finalist and is 43-2 on the year, but Allen is going to be a tough out after her three-pin day that all occurred in the first period.
130 pounds
Semifinalists: Tatum Shepard (Ridge View), Lexy Petersen (Bettendorf), Adison Musser (Anamosa) and Colbie Tenborg (Saydel)
This was the last of the No. 1 seeds to fall, with reigning state champion Childers dropping to medical forfeit and not wrestling in the quarterfinals. Really unfortunate end to a great season for her, but she'll be a force in her senior season if she remains healthy next year. No.2 Bree Swenson of Vinton-Shellsburg (returning state finalist) also fell to Tenborg (4-2 decision), making way for a wide-open class.
This leaves Petersen as the highest-remaining seed, which is good news for a Bettendorf squad with high potential to be a late riser on day two.
135 pounds
Semifinalist: Maeley Elsbury (South Tama County), Espie Almazan (Lewis Central), Isabella Deeds (Ridge View) and Bella Miller (Wahlert)
The No. 1 (Elsbury), No. 2 (Almazan), No. 3 (Deeds) and No. 4 (Miller) all advanced to the finals. Out of all the craziness that occurred, this crew was the steady bunch. The four combined or 11 wins by fall and one technical fall win to set up some very intriguing matches on Friday morning.
140 pounds
Semifinalists: Kiara Djoumessi (Waverly-Shell Rock), Shaylee Sutherland (Spencer), Dionni Garcia-Vasquez (West Liberty) and Hayden Bratland (Ankeny)
Right from the word go, Waverly-Shell Rock's Kiara Djoumessi looked to set the tone for her tournament. In the first round, vs. Emma York of Cedar Rapids Jefferson, she pushed out her opponent as she looked to be aggressive on offense. From there, she locked an underhook and tipped over York for a takedown. She eventually rolled to a win by fall, going from a bottom position at the start of the second period and turning a reversal into a pin.
"I sometimes do that just to intimidate them a little bit," Djoumessi said.
Djoumessi continued to do much of the same in her next two matches, winning by fall twice. Her quarterfinal match saw her concede a near-fall, but she was able to work her way back into a pin. The future Hawkeye is well on her way to adding a cherry on top of her high school career.
145 pounds
Semifinalists: Mahri Manz (Lewis Central), Greta Bus (Davenport), Eve Skrocki (Wahlert) and Tayla Stiefel (East Buchanan)
A big matchup to watch Friday will be between Manz (No. 1) and Skrocki (No. 4) in the semifinals. Skrocki is undefeated as a freshman, now 32-0 after Thursday. Manz, a returning state finalist, is 31-2 on the year and brings experience as a junior to combat Skrocki's talent.
155 pounds
Semifinalists: Skylar Slade (Southeast Polk), Nicole Olson (Missouri Valley), Haylee McGrew (Ankeny) and Ajaah Cox (Cardinal Community)
We'll get a Des Moines area matchup between Slade (No. 1, 46-0) and McGrew (No. 5, 32-2). McGrew transferred from the Des Moines public school system to Ankeny to learn under coach Dustin Roland for moments like Friday. We'll have to see if it pays off against one of the best wrestlers in the state in Slade.
170 pounds
Semifinalists: Naomi Simon (Decorah), Autumn Elsbury (South Tama County), Averie Wittkop (West Marshall) and Karissa Oldenburger (Waverly-Shell Rock)
Even after winning by fall in 1:39 in the quarterfinals, Simon said she wasn't happy with her performance. That's the reason she's on her way to being a four-time champion. All three of her performances on Thursday were first-period pins, so the crew of Autumn Elsbury, Wittkop (faces Simon in semifinals) and Oldenburger will have to bring their best performance to the tableof Simon has more to offer.
190 pounds
Semifinalists: Bella Porcelli (Southeast Polk), Jana Terwee (West Lyon), Libby Dix (Mount Vernon) and Leah Stewart (Charles City)
This is a fascinating group of individuals. Porcelli is in her last go-around, trying to earn her first state title. The same for Terwee, a senior who sang the national anthem to kick off the second session of day one. Then there's Dix, another returning state finalist from last year. The three are a combined 105-1 on the season.
Dix and Porcelli will square off in the semifinals, while Terwee draws Stewart (No. 6, 36-5) who upset Decorah's Kamryn Steines (No. 3) in the quarterfinals.
235 pounds
Semifinalists: Olivia Huckfelt (Spencer), Breanna Peach (Iowa Valley), Ella Brown (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) and Haley Armstrong (S.W.A.T Valkyrie)
Make it 110 consecutive wins for Huckfelt, who is poised to earn her third state title. If she and Peach both make it to the semifinals, the two will bring a combined 77-0 record on the year to the mat. Will the experienced Huckfelt stay strong, or can the sophomore force the passing of the torch? Time will tell.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Recapping day one of Iowa girls state wrestling tournament
