Panthers knocked out of state duals contention

SERGEANT BLUFF — The No. 24 Panthers were the underdog Tuesday at the regional duals in Sergeant Bluff as they dualed No. 15 Ballard in the hopes to face No. 4 Sergeant Bluff-Luton for a shot at the state duals.

The Panthers outperformed their ranking, making Ballard fight for the win, but it was the Bombers who came out on top in a heartbreaking 39-37 knockout.

Creston coach Cody Downing said the team has been outperforming their ranking all year.

“We showed we belonged in the environment, we belonged in regional duals,” He said. “There are 96 schools in class 2A, and only 24 get selected to be in a regional. To be in that environment and be that close shows what kind of program this is.”

The dual started at 190 pounds, a strong suit for Ballard with Class 2A No. 7-ranked Rhett Hedrick.

Hedrick defeated Creston’s Jayden Myers in a quick pin.

At 215, Ballard’s No. 5 ranked Jackson Wacha didn’t wrestle, instead backup Greyson Ehresman was on the docket to face Creston’s Gunner Martwick.

Martwick took control of the match early, pinning Ehresman with two seconds to spare in the first period.

The Bombers regained the lead with a pin over Creston heavyweight Drake Wilson, but the Panthers went on to win the next two bouts.

Freshman Colt Key defeated Nolan Adams in a 15-5 major decision at 106. “I had that as a toss-up match,” Downing said. “We were able to get that and get bonus points.”

This was followed by Ben James scoring six on a first-period pin over Owen Davidson.

At this point, the Panthers led 16-12.

No. 2 ranked Easton Enyeart faced Creston’s Kylen Parsons at 120, winning in a second-period technical fall to take a one-point lead.

In what Downing called a swing match, freshman Landon Lillie pinned Ballard’s Greyson Hedrick in the first period to explosive cheers from Creston’s bench. “When he’s the aggressor, he can open up his bag of tricks,” Downing said. “I would call that an upset on paper.”

Senior state placewinner Lane Travis was up next for the Panthers, racking up the lead with a second-period pin over Tony Hornes.

With eight matches down and six to go, Creston led 28-17.

Ballard would win the next three, regaining a 33-28 lead.

Jacob Harrison pinned Brodrick Phelps at 138; Carter Jeffs won in a last-second technical fall over Colby Brammer and Jose Avila was tech falled by Jayden Leland.

There were several team points Ballard scored in the last seconds of a period or match.

“I think it’s being young, lack of mat time,” Downing said. “It comes with not having a lot of varsity experience or regional duals experience.”

Jackson Pettegrew won in a major decision over Jace Cory of Ballard at 157.

Freshman Nate Bentley was pinned by Ballard’s No. 2 Tucker Vitzthum in the penultimate match.

At this point, the Panthers were down seven with one left to wrestle — no way to win the dual.

Weston Trapp finished strong for the Panthers with a 20-4 technical fall over Jaxon Shafer, but it wasn’t enough to advance to face the Warriors.

“There was a path to win that dual, and we didn’t execute in a few key moments,” Downing said. “This happens with young teams. You have to learn how to win and sometimes learn how not to lose.”

Sergeant-Bluff Luton advances to the state duals after defeating Ballard 58-21.

The Panthers compete next Feb. 15 at districts in Centerville. The top two placewinners advance to the state tournament.