Jensen, Howard score top-5 finishes at state

Graettinger/Terril's duo of Michael Jensen and Nate Howard wrestled like they didn't want the season to come to an end, advancing all the way to the medal round of their respective weight classes before dropping their final matches this past week at the Iowa State Wrestling Championships at Wells Fargo Arena.

"Both guys went down to Des Moines and represented our wrestling program, school and community very well as did over a hundred fans," said Alesch. "It was a lot of fun for everyone down there and we can all be proud of these two young men for it and their effort. I know my coaching staff and I sure are."

Jensen (43-4), ranked third at 145 pounds, was dealt the daunting task of facing three of the top-5 ranked wrestlers in Class 1A after winning a 4-1 decision over Josh Adams of Iowa City Regina in the first round. The senior grappler locked a cradle on No. 4 Colby Grothoff of South Hardin in the quarterfinals to cap off a pinfall in 3:23. In the semifinals, he built a 6-4 advantage over two-time defending state champion Cole Welter of Don Bosco before Welter was forced to forfeit the match with an injury.

"Mike made a heck of a run at a state title. I was impressed with his focus all week, he was down there for one thing and fought as hard as I've ever had down there," said Alesch. "The first couple matches, he had a little bit of nerves getting in the way, but he fought through them and came up with two good wins. In the semis, he was ready to go out and make a statement, and that he did. Mike busted his butt off every second of that match and was really dominating the two-time state champ, leading 6-4 over him before he injury defaulted."

In the championship, Jensen quickly fell behind after giving up a couple of huge moves to No. 2 Justin Hoffman of East Buchanan. Jensen battled back, however the lead proved to be too large to overcome in an eventual 17-9 major decision.

"We were ready, were in control and all of the sudden we found ourselves on the other end of a big move and trailing," Alesch said. "Unfortunately, Michael gave up a couple big moves and got behind and was unsuccessful trying to come from behind. It was really a heartbreaking loss for Mike as he wanted to bring home a state championship to this community. He gave all he had this week, but just came up a little short Saturday night."

Second-ranked Nate Howard (45-6) managed to battle through a challenging draw at 189 pounds, beating No. 3 Andrew Nodtvedt of Central Springs 3-1 in overtime in the opening round.

On Day 2, Howard looked to avenge an earlier loss to No. 8 Bryce Olson of Eagle Grove. He moved out to a 2-0 lead, but Olson scored a reversal and three-point near fall in the final 30 seconds to hand Howard a 7-2 loss.

Howard won three matches in a row in the consolation round to earn a spot in the third/fourth place match. The Knight junior pinned South Winneshiek's Nick Schmelzer in 57 seconds, won a 5-2 decision over Interstate-35's Ethan Colvert and captured an 8-3 decision over Kyle Soderblom of Lynnville-Sully. In the final day of competition, Howard lost a rematch to Nodtvedt by a 4-1 margin to place fourth overall.

"I thought Nate had an up-and-down tournament," said Alesch. "He opened with a big win in overtime against a tough opponent, and then lost a match I felt he was very capable of winning in the quarters. I was proud of Nate for the way he fought back through the consolation side, getting three wins in a row before losing his final match and placing fourth. Wrestling is tough on the backside as it is battle after battle, and he did very well."

Despite qualifying only two wrestlers, G/T placed 16th in Class 1A with 36 points. Don Bosco continued its dominance with 119 points, followed by Eddyville Blakesburg with 70.5 and Alburnett with 57. Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn was the top northwest Iowa team, placing 13th with 38.5 points