Two champs and brothers join hall of fame

If you wrestled against Creston between 1966 and the late 1970s, chances were high that someone on your team wrestled an Abel brother.

Denny, Doug, Mike, Jeff and Chuck all wrestled for the Panthers during that era. They will be honored as 2022 inductees into the Creston Wrestling Hall of Fame Nov. 5 at Creston Eagles Club along with two-time state champion Dennis Smith and undefeated state champ Roger Baker from 1975-76 and 1983, respectively.

Following are profiles of the 2022 inductees:

DENNIS SMITH

The son of Vernie and Jannie Smith, Dennis grew up on Creston’s south side with neighbors that included Panther wrestling teammates John Walters and Danny Hayes. John “Bubba” Smith, his younger brother, also had a part in Smi

th’s stardom on the mat. John Smith was a two-time state qualifier at heavyweight for the Panthers in 1978 and 1979.

Walters remembers his lifelong friend as a good all-around athlete from an early age.

“As a kid he was so tough, just a quick, good athlete in every sport that he tried,” Walters said. “He won the Corning tournament in junior high, and the Harlan tournament that year. He was good early.”

Dannie Stephens, former Creston wrestler and wrestling coach, recalls Smith’s abilities on the mat.

“Smitty could ma

ke the other guy work and then beat him off his move,” Stephens said. “He was just so smooth and balanced. He had a low center of gravity but long arms — almost the perfect build for a wrestler.”

Smith lettered as a freshman but only wrestled a few varsity matches, wrestling behind Jeff Abel at 95 pounds. One of those times, he tied Glenwood star Larry Winslow, who lost a referee’s decision in the state finals a year later.

Smith began his sophomore season as a starter but did not finish the season due to personal reasons, helping at his father’s business.

Smith was 14-6 entering sectionals of his junior season (1974-75) and he went overtime to win in sectionals against an opponent he had dominated earlier. After that, he was unbeaten all the way to the first of his two state championships. He won by major decision in the state finals over a returning state third-place finisher, helping the Panthers earn the school’s first state trophy as runner-up to Algona.

Smith won nine of his final 10 high school tournaments and had only one loss his senior season in the finals of the Panther Tournament. He finished his 30-1 senior season with a 9-2 win over Dan Boos of New Hampton in the state championship match at 119 pounds. Boos went on to become a Division I All-American and Division III national champ.

Smith also had success after high school, finishing one win from All-American status at the junior college nationals as a wrestler for Southwestern Community College and coach Rich Downing. After that, Smith wrestled for the All-Army squad as an enlistee in the U.S. Army.

After his military service, Smith returned to Creston and helped in all levels of local wrestling programs, including a stint as assistant coach at Creston High School from 1992 through 1999 when Downing was head coach. He wrestled in old-timer tournaments around the state for 15 years and never lost a match.

Smith lives in Creston and has five children and four grandchildren.

ROGER BAKER

Roger Baker and Lanny Goetz were not only outstanding wrestlers as 1983 Creston graduates, they shared co-valedictorian honors

. Baker, son of Leo and Donna Baker, also had a full slate of farm chores besides his time spent on athletics and academics.

Dan Stephens, head coach of the Panthers during Baker’s final three seasons, said his strong work ethic made him successful in all phases of his life.

“I got to town his sophomore year and one thing I remember about those practices in the old fire station was how much work both he and Lanny put in beyond practice,” Stephens said. “We’d practice until about 6:30 and Roger wouldn’t leave until 7:30 or 8. If someone was still there to work out with, like Scott and Wade Hartman, he’d do that. If not, we had a takedown dummy on the wall and he’d do some some running and then hit that. He’d run in the mornings before school. He was an unbelievable worker and he just got better every year.”

Baker entered the state tournament his junior year at 185 pounds with only one loss, to state third-place finisher Mike Bormann of Emmetsburg at the Eagle Grove Tournament. Borman again topped Baker in the state semifinals and the Panther junior ended up sixth.

Baker focused on taking his wrestling a step higher as a senior and went undefeated, including victories over heralded wrestlers Jay Gunther of Lewis Central (3A state champ) and Joel Williamson of Audubon. His last-second takedown provided the winning points in a 6-4 decision over Williamson in the Corning Tournament finals.

Walters said an acquaintance in Creston from Audubon once related comments that Williamson made after facing Baker.

“He said Williamson told him Roger Baker had the strongest grip of anyone he ever faced,” Walters said. “He said, you just don’t get away from that grip.”

Harold Nichols, then Iowa State’s successful wrestling coach, visited the Baker farm and recruited the Panther standout to wrestle for the Cyclones. As Stephens explained, the wrestling career was put on hold.

“Roger basically went to Iowa State on an academic scholarship, as a valedictorian in Creston, and was asked to walk on for the wrestling team,” Stephens said. “He was in the wrestle-offs at 177 pounds and lost to the guy who got the varsity spot, but he was in the three-deep that first semester. His dad, Leo, had some heart issues that fall and Roger came back at semester to help on the farm. He went to SWCC and graduated from SWCC. He went back to Iowa State and graduated but he wasn’t on the wrestling team. He won the intramural tournament for the college and wrestled against the fraternity champion, one of the Gibbons brothers from Ames, before one of the Iowa State home meet

s.”

Baker still farms in the area. He and wife Melissa have three children.

ABEL BROTHERS

The five Abel brothers were one of the first sets of many brothers who have successfully wrestled for Creston over the years.

Kenneth and Darlene Abel were the parents of brothers Dennis, Doug, Mike, Jeff and Chuck and sisters Diane, Debbie and Dawna. They lived on a farm southwest of Creston.

Like the Jennings from Corning, the Swoyers of Greenfield and Christensens of Lenox, the Abels established a tradition of tough wrestling in Creston for more than a decade.

Oldest brother Dennis “Denny” began by joining the wrestling team as a sophomore at 95 pounds in the 1964-65 season. He held the varsity spot as a junior and senior, making the finals of the Corning Tournament as a senior, where he lost a 4-3 decision.

Denny was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1969 and was honorably discharged in 1971. He has been involved with VFW for nearly 30 years, including serving as district commander for three years. He and wife Carolyn live in Creston. They have two grown children, 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Doug Abel was a 1969 graduate and followed his older brother in the lower weights. He became the school’s first three-time state qualifier, and was one match from being a four-time qualifier as he placed third at district as a sophomore. When he graduated, Doug held the school record with 72 wins.

Doug and wife Amanda live in Fort Lupton, Colorado. They have three children and five grandchildren.

Mike Abel was in the class of 1974, but was killed in a tobogganing accident during the holiday break of his senior year. The Creston Outstanding Wrestler award is presented annually in his name.

Mike was the only Abel brother to compete in the middle weight classes for the Panthers. Wrestling behind state runner-up Steve Harvey and placewinner Kim Kirkman in his early years, Mike broke into the starting lineup at 138 pounds as a junior. He placed sixth at state as a junior and was considered a top title contender his senior year.

His only loss his senior year before the tragic holiday break accident was a 4-1 decision against Joe Zuspann of Fort Dodge, who went on to win the Class 3A state title and wrestling as a three-time All-American at Iowa State.

Jeff Abel, a 1975 graduate, became the first four-time state placewinner in southwest Iowa. He placed fifth, third, third and fourth at state and his accomplishments helped the Panthers to finish sixth, fourth, fourth and second in the state tournament team standings. He suffered a shoulder injury while practicing at West Des Moines Dowling prior to the state tournament his senior year, which hampered him on the way to placing fourth.

Jeff went on to compete at Iowa Central Community College, where he was team captain and two-time NJCAA qualifier.

“For three years Jeff lost only one match in each year, all to the wrestler who won state that year,” Walters said. “He’s the only wrestler I’ve ever heard of who beat five different guys who won state,

and yet he didn’t win state. Randy Swoyer of Greenfield was among the champions that he beat during his career.”

Jeff and wife Chris live in Green Forest, Arkansas and have three children and four grandchildren.

Youngest brother Chuck Abel (Class of 1979) had an outstanding youth wrestling career and entered the varsity lineup as a freshman at Creston High School. That year he qualified for districts and lost a one-point match to qualify for state.

Chuck suffered injuries in a motorcycle accident that hindered him as a wrestler, but he still competed for the Panthers. Chuck and wife Jennifer live in Des Moines and they have three children. Son Josh was a two-time state qualifier and sixth-place finisher for Winterset in 2004.

“Our induction of the Abel brothers is about celebrating the brothers in Creston who have had such an impact on the wrestling program,” Stephens said. “The family thing is a big part of the sport of wrestling, and the Abels were among the first set of brothers that established that tradition in Creston.”

Two state champions from the 1970s and 1980s along with five brothers who helped put Creston wrestling on the map will be new inductees into the Creston Wrestling Hall of Fame on Nov. 5.

This year’s induction banquet will be held at the Eagles Club in Creston with social hour at 4 p.m., a new feature honoring teams from the past at 5 p.m., followed by a meal, scholarship presentation and Hall of Fame inductions.

Special recognition will be given to attending team members on the first Creston High School wrestling team of 1961-62, as well as members of teams from Panther teams of 1972, 1982, 1992, 2002 and 2012.

“We added the reunions this year by honoring all the teams ending in two for our 2022 event,” said Dannie Stephens, Hall of Fame board chairman, “with a special emphasis on the group that pioneered wrestling in Creston in 1961-62.”

Tickets are $20 and the event includes a steak or chicken breast meal. A silent auction and raffle wil

l also be held. Proceeds go toward scholarships awarded to past members of the Panther wrestling program.

The new inductees are Dennis Smith, Roger Baker and the Abel brothers (see related story). Dennis Abel started the family tradition as a sophomore in the 1965-65 season and he was followed by brothers Doug, Mike, Jeff and Chuck.

Dennis Smith was a two-time state champion for the Panthers in 1975 and 1976. Roger Baker was an undefeated state champion for Creston in 1983 and a two-time state placewinner.

Jerome Hruska, coach of several outstanding Creston teams of the 1970s, plans to attend the banquet, organizers said.

Tickets for this year’s event are available at Hulett & Sons Auto Salvage and Hartsock Insurance Services or by contacting committee members Emmy Key, Chuck Hulett, John Shiltz, Dan Hayes, Dennis Leith, John Walters (telephone 641-202-3385) or John Walters (641-247-1984).