Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Okoboji/HMS has 1 place-finisher in Des Moines
Bryce Dodge lost to Sergeant Bluff-Luton's Hunter Steffens by fall in his final match at the state wrestling meet.
Okoboji/HMS senior wrestler Bryce Dodge grapples for position against Talan Weber of Charles City. Dodge lost the opening-round match by major decision.
One Okoboji/HMS wrestler earned his way to the medals stand during the 2023 state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Noah Strantz placed seventh in the 2A 160-pound bracket. The senior won his opening-round match by technical fall (19-4/5:04) over Chase Greiner of Washington. He then lost a major decision (9-1) to Dawson Bond of Red Oak in the second round.
Strantz then won three narrow decisions in the opening rounds of the consolation bracket. The senior defeated Karson Kolbet of New Hampton/Turkey Valley (6-4), Jireh Gallegos of Carroll (4-3) and William Bolinger of Creston (7-6). After losing a major decision (11-2) to Logan Peyton of West Delaware, Strantz won the seventh-place match with a 10-5 decision over Eduardo Garcia of Winterset.
Strantz finished his senior season with a record of 40-10.
H-M-S senior Bryce Dodge's state tourney run in the 152-pound bracket ended after he lost his opening-round match by major decision (14-4) to Talan Weber of Charles City, and a first-round consolation match by fall (4:31) to Hunter Steffens of Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Dodge concluded his final high school wrestling season with a record of 26-15.
Okoboji/HMS's Sam Pas (37-9) advanced to the second consolation round at 220 pounds before being eliminated. Pas won his first round match by fall (1:59) over Trenton Kingrey of Knoxville but then dropped a 12-5 decision to Rudy Papakee of South Tama County in the second round. In the consolation bracket, Pas pinned Nathan Graves of Southeast Valley (1:46) but was eliminated when he lost an 8-2 decision to Drew Jackson of Crestwood.
Two other Pioneers were also eliminated after two matches. Wrestling at 120 pounds, senior Dylan Jones (29-14) lost by fall to Christian Ahrens of Creston (3:32) and was also pinned (1:28) by Isaac Wilson of Algona.
Sophomore Nathaniel Franklin (22-13) lost his opening round match at 170 pounds by fall (1:57) to Zavion Ellington of Sergeant Bluff-Luton and was pinned (3:11) by Clay Saak of Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center in a first-round consolation match.
The Pioneers scored 15.5 points during the four-day tournament and placed 51st among 79 teams that scored at least one point. Osage won the 2A team title with 175.5 points.
