Local girls wrestling teams will travel to the Class 1A State Qualifying Meet at Colfax-Mingo Friday, with coverage airing on 99 The Wave. AP/GC, AGWSR and Iowa Falls-Alden will be among the teams in attendance.
The Falcons have two returning state qualifiers, including #1 (1A-120) Grace Storjohann and Zoey Uhlenhopp at 145. Head Coach Joel Reints says those two and numerous others have great chances to advance from wide open fields.
“We did some adjusting on some of the weight classes, getting some girls down to a little different weight class, and I feel good about a lot of them, I really do,” Reints says. “Most of the weight classes have at least one really good wrestler, and then it’s kind of wide open after that. But I think our girls are right up there. Up and down the lineup, we’ve got chances all over. It’s about going out and proving it on that day. So if you have an off day, you know, it wasn’t meant to be I guess. But you’ve just got to manage emotions and stick to the stuff that you know.”
Iowa Falls-Alden has one returning state qualifier, Kynnedy Gunderson at 190. Head Coach Eric Hoffman.
“Our lineup is full of a bunch of really solid girls, and I think with the right draw, a good day, maybe an upset here or there, that we could definitely get a few through,” Hoffman says. “I think if you look at our roster, some of the girls that have had really good seasons would be Ivy Sanders at 120, Brooklyn Gehling at 130, Natasha Martinez-Garcia at 145, and then even Riley Robison at heavyweight. They’ve all had good years. Not to leave anybody out, but the majority of our roster is sitting right around that .500 mark, and take a couple of wins, maybe an upset here or there and you’re going to the state tournament. So I just hope our girls are ready to perform at their best.”
AGWSR has no returning state qualifiers. Head Coach Dustin Meyer says it’ll be an opportunity for an exclusively-underclassman team to gain valuable experience.
“We can only play with the cards that we’re dealt with,” Meyer says. “We’ve just got to go in and play those cards. And if they fall where they fall, hey, it’s great. If they don’t fall where we want them to be, there’s always next year. And a lot of them have taken that to heart. And they’re trying to make this their year. But they also know that everybody’s beatable too.”
The first and second place finishers in each weight class will advance to the state tournament.
Coverage will start at 3:45 p.m., followed by the first round at 4:00.
Joel Reints interview:
Eric Hoffman interview:
Dustin Meyer interview:
