Panthers see unfinished business

Coming off a 19-1 dual season and a Hawkeye Ten Conference dual championship, coach Cody Downing says this year’s team feels there’s still unfinished business.

While the Panthers reached the regional dual tournament and sent four wrestlers to the traditional state individual tournament, they watched two teams (Atlantic and Winterset) advance to the State Dual Tournament after previously defeating them. Atlantic edged the Panthers, 29-26, in a regional dual and ended up sixth at state duals. Winterset advanced from its regional.

Creston also didn’t get a wrestler on the medal stand at the state tournament. Downing said those are steps this year’s team is capable of taking.

“Overall, this team could be really good,” Downing said as the Panthers prepared for Tuesday’s opening quadrangular meet at Winterset. “Winterset, Atlantic, Creston and Glenwood will all be good this year and it’s a matter of who shows up on the right day. Last year Winterset and Atlantic went (to state duals) and we beat them both during the regular season. So, we feel there’s unfinished business there.”

Getting that chance to wrestle in a regional dual meet will have a different look this season. In a shifting of dual team competitions on the calendar, there will be no sectional tournament. That is the week now used for dual regionals and the dual state tournament. Individual qualifying will take place in district meets on the traditional district weekend.

“With no sectionals, we’ll go right into regional duals on the Tuesday night after the conference tournament,” Downing explained. “The top 24 teams based on (Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association) rankings will be in regional duals. It’s an inexact science. We’re trying to travel around and get good competition to have something to show. You just want a chance. Then we’ll wrestle in 12 eight-team districts with the top two at each weight advancing to state. So, we’ll have 24-man brackets at state. The top eight will get a bye at state.”

Previously, 16 wrestlers in each weight advanced from district tournaments to the state tournament. Creston is in the Winterset 2A district along with ADM, Saydel, Clarke, Chariton, Van Meter, Woodward-Granger and the host Huskies.

Last year’s team won six invitational tournaments, including the John J Harris Invitational at Corning, and took second behind Atlantic in the Hawkeye Ten Tournament. The Panthers were unbeaten in league duals to win the dual championship, with the only loss all season against Atlantic in the regional rematch.

Seven seniors graduated from last years squad, including two-time state qualifier Triston Barncastle, now on the Ellsworth Community College wrestling team. Also among those seniors were varsity regulars Justin Parsons (106), district qualifier Briley Hayes (152) and heavyweight Chris Wilson, who missed the second half of the season with a leg injury.

There are others with varsity experience who chose not to participate this year.

“We demand a lot of our kids, and if you can’t go into it with your all, it can be a long season,” Downing said. “We have 32 who want to be here, and that’s what were focused on.”

Downing is assisted again this year by former Panther wrestlers Chris Loudon and Kruz Adamson, along with volunteers including Tanner Webb and Wade Bolinger.

Projected lineup

With Parsons gone this season from 106 pounds and Christian Ahrens projected to move up from 113, the two lowest weights will be manned by freshmen new to varsity competition, Downing said.

Likely in the mix at 106 and 113 will be Owen Weis, Lane Travis and Kylen Parsons, along with sophomore Logan Stone, a transfer from East Moline, Illinois.

“I really like the buy-in from our freshmen (and new team members), but it takes a little time,” Downing said. “We don’t wrestle an easy schedule, so there’s a learning curve early on.”

Ahrens was 38-10 last year and is expected to contend at 120 or 126 pounds as a junior.

Lincoln Keeler, a state qualifier two years ago and district qualifier last year, leads a host of 126-pound candidates that could also include varsity returnee Brandon Briley and promising freshmen Jackson Pettegrew and Broderick Phelps.

Senior Trey Chesnut returns at 132 pounds, after going 34-19 with 10 falls a year ago. That starts a portion of the lineup that Downing says has the most depth.

“A chunk of our strength is in the middle weights,” Downing said. “We will be really deep and solid from 132 through 160. It’s good competition in the room. It allows us to slide someone in somewhere and move everybody up, like we’ve done in the past.”

Downing sees junior Austin Evans at 138 pounds as being among those ready to take the next step among the state’s best, after a 37-14 sophomore season and state qualification. Evans won a Hawkeye Ten championship at 138 pounds last year.

Briley could figure in the mix of several of those lower middle weights, and senior Chris Aragon is among those who can fill the 145 and 152 spots if Evans stays at 138. Junior letterman Carson Rieck also returns in that 152 range.

“Someone from that group at 145 will probably go at 152, and then you have a set of twins (Owen and Carter Henderson) who have won 80 or 90 JV matches,” Downing said. “They are in that 152 and 160 range.”

Will Bolinger, who came back from a football knee injury during his sophomore season to take third place in the conference at 160 and qualify for district, returns in that range again along with fellow juniors Boone Pryor and Milo Staver.

“There’s not a slouch among them, so we have a lot of flexibility in what we can do with our lineup on any given night,” Downing said.

Kaden Street (31-18 with 13 pins) was second in the Hawkeye Ten and a district qualifier last year at 170, and has bright prospects there as a senior, Downing said. Sophomores Tyson Looney and Luke Travis provide quality depth, Downing noted.

There are no varsity returnees at 182 pounds, so that depth in nearby weights could come i handy.

“That’s a spot where we’re going to have to get creative,” Downing said. “It will probably be the odd man out from another weight. (Junior) Jackson Kerr is in that range, or we could insert somebody in a weight like 152 and bump everybody up. We have some flexibility to play with matchups.”

Upper weight veterans

The Panthers don’t hsve the same relative amount of depth at the three upper weights, but are in good shape with varsity experience barring any injuries. Jagger Luther (31-12) was a district qualifier at 195, Max Chapman (30-13 with 21 falls) was a district qualifier at 220 and Quinten Fuller (19-16) reached the state tournament at 285.

Downing said Chapman is naturally bigger than Fuller and his two juniors could swap weight classes this year. Fuller stepped in for the injured Wilson at 285 last year as Chapman mostly stayed at 220. In football, Chapman was listed at 240 pounds and Fuller at 235.

“We don’t know the order of those two yet,” Downing said at mid-week last week, “but either way I’m comfortable with what we have. Jagger is in the 195 spot if that’s where he wants to go. We also like a freshman there, Gunner Martwick.”

Downing foresees some of his returning standouts advancing their accomplishments this season.

“I’d be surprised if we don’t have some guys that make that next step, from district to state, and from state to placing at state,” Downing said.

Roster

(* — Letterwinner)

Seniors — Owen Henderson*, Carter Henderson*, Trey Chesnut*, Kaden Street*, Chris Aragon*.

Juniors — Jagger Luther*, Austin Evans*, Will Bolinger*, Boone Pryor*, Quinten Fuller*, Lincoln Keeler*, Carson Rieck*, Max Chapman*, Christian Ahrens*, Brandon Briley*, Milo Staver*, Jackson Kerr, Steven Bell.

Sophomores — Will Stuart, Tyson Looney*, Luke Travis*, Maddix Leppla, Logan Stone.

Freshmen — Evan Abel, Brodrick Phelps, Owen Weis, Gunner Martwick, Kylen Parsons, Kal Barber, Jackson Pettegrew, Lane Travis, Ethan Holliday.

Varsity schedule

Nov. 29 — At Winterset vs. Humboldt, Interstate-35, Winterset, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 3 — At Dallas Center-Grimes Invitational, 10 a.m.

Dec. 8 — At Red Oak vs. Atlantic, Red Oak, 5:30 p.m.

Dec. 10 — at Riverside (Oakland) Tournament, 10 a.m.

Dec. 13 — at Glenwood vs. West Central, Treynor, Glenwood, 5 p.m.

Dec. 16 — Kansas City Stampede, Bartle Hall, TBD

Dec. 17 — Kansas City Stampede, Bartle Hall, TBD

Dec. 22 — at Indianola, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 3 — at Nevada vs. Gilbert, Nevada, 6 p.m.

Jan. 5 — vs. Clarinda, Kuemper Catholic, St. Albert Catholic, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 7 — at Ottumwa Tournament, TBD

Jan. 14 — Panther Invitational, 10 a.m.

Jan. 19 — at Shenandoah vs. Denison-Schleswig, Shenandoah, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 20 — at John J Harris Invitational, Corning, 4 p.m.

Jan. 21 — at John J Harris Invitational, Corning, 10 a.m.

Jan. 24 — vs. Harlan, Lewis Central, 5:30 p.m.

Jan. 28 — Hawkeye Ten Tournament at Clarinda, 10:30 a.m.

Jan. 31 — Regional duals, TBA, 6 p.m.

Feb. 4 — State Dual Tournament, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, TBA

Feb. 11 — District Tournament at Winterset, TBA

Feb. 16 — State Tournament, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, TBA

Feb. 17 — State Tournament, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, TBA

Feb. 18 — State Tournament, Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines, TBA