TRURO — One champion and two runner-up finishers helped the Woodward-Granger wrestlers earn fourth place in the 16-team Rich Gray Classic at Interstate-35 Saturday.
Freshman Cody Fisher improved to an impressive 35-5 by winning the title at 195 pounds, with Alex Kirton (19-19) placing as runner-up at heavyweight. Also second was Class 2A second-ranked senior Tanner Vermaas (34-2), who placed second after losing in the 182-pounds after losing in the finals to Class 1A top-ranked Logan Schumacher of Martensdale-St. Marys.
The Hawk trio accounted for 76 of W-G’s 143.5 team points. Southeast Warren won the classic with 185 points, with Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont second at 160. Des Moines East was third at 146, with W-G fourth, three points clear of fifth-placed I-35.
Fisher pinned his way to his title, sticking Adam March (DME) in 2 minutes, 25 seconds and Alex Hommer (SEW) in 4:42 to enter the finals. He put E-B-F’s Matt Cobler on his back in 2:44 to place first.
Vermaas pinned Noah Hale in 29 seconds before stopping 29-3 Zach Ryg of Central Springs with a 7-1 decision. That set up a 1A No. 1 vs. 2A No. 2 showdown for the top spot, with Schumacher moving to 27-1 with a 7-0 decision.
Kirton (19-19) scored three consecutive falls en route to second place at 285 pounds. He pinned West Marshall’s Cody Butler in 3:20, Newman Catholic’s Evan Haskins in 3:08 and DM East’s Truman Rodman in 1:25 before losing by fall to Kuemper Catholic’s Tucker Vonnahme.
Austin Scharlau (32-11) finished third at 152 pounds for the Hawks. He scored a 17-1 technical fall over Albia’s Jacob Fisher and a 3-1 decision over I-35’s Jacob Steinlage. A loss by fall in the semifinals sent Scharlau into the third-place match where he won by inhury default over Joey Boyer of E-B-F.
Three Hawks — Hunter Pierce (27-15), Cale Pritchett (15-21) and Tyler Lawernson (15-23) — all finished on the podium in sixth place. The trio competed at 106, 160 and 220 pounds, respectively.
Tate Lettow (16-17 at 120 pounds), Devonante Calderon (3-3 at 126), Cole Carman (20-20 at 138) and Gabriel Yingst (22-20 at 145) all finished 1-2 for W-G, with Jayden Dorenkamp (12-24 at 132) and Thomas Govig (0-8 at 170) were unable to record victories. The Hawks left the 113-pound division uncontested.
W-G will join ADM and Perry at Boone for a quadrangular Tuesday before competing Saturday in the AC/GC Invitational.
