Cyclone grapplers take 7th at weekend tournament

Saturday at Riverside High School, the HCHS boys wrestling team finished seventh win 93 points, 115.5 points behind the winner, Riverside, who won with 208.5.
“Overall, I think everyone did really well,” said Cyclone Head Coach Adam Bendorf. “I’m seeing a lot of good stuff, and a lot of good fundamentals. There are little tweaks we need to make in some technique.”
Individually, Nathan Sandquist, Jaysin Ludwig, Spencer Fink, Jesse Jens, Coy Obrecht, Brody McKinley, Chayton Snethen, Jaden Stephens, Nick Gubbels, and Austin Spray were able to come away with at least one victory.
In the 106 weight class, Sandquist was able to get three wins, first defeating Colton Hering of Riverside with a fall in 39 seconds. His second win was against Dayton Van Horn of Atlantic with a fall at 1:52. Finally, he picked up his third victory against Zach Diggins of Logan Magnolia in a consolation round with a fall at 3:53.
“Nathan Sandquist is a hard worker,” Bendorf said. “There’s no arguing that hard work pays off. He’s a kid you can rely on. He’s a good example of what it takes to be successful.”
Ludwig received two byes in the 113 weight class. In the 120 weight class, Fink picked up a quarterfinals victory over Dane Bellis of Aurora, defeating him with a fall at 43 seconds.
“Those matches that come quickly are certainly not a problem,” Bendorf added. “He’s got the technique and he puts in the time. He works hard, and he’s a good kid too.”
Jens earned three wins in the 126 weight class, defeating Dallas Canoyer of Earlham in a major decision at 11-3; Logan Svoboda of Aurora with a fall at 2:48; and Davis Bramman of Riverside in a 5-0 decision.
Obrecht received two byes in the 132 weight class. McKinley picked up two wins in the 157 weight class against Malichi Meyermann of AHSTW with a fall at 54 seconds. He defeated Jackson Pettegrew of Creston in a 3rd place match.
Despite receiving a bye and two losses, Snethen was able to earn a win over Deisani Gomez of Woodbury Central via a fall at 1:58.
“He is doing well,” Bendorf said of Snethen. “He’s got good technique. He’s spent a lot of time with Brody McKinley, and they work well together.”
In the 175 weight class, Stephens received a bye, then picked up two victories against Mikey Hopson of Savannah with a fall at 5:34, and Jaxsen Simmert of Shenandoah with a major decision at 16-3.
“Jaden is another solid wrestler,” Bendorf said. “I think he’ll kind of settle into his spot, but I definitely want to see Jaden on the varsity lineup.”
Gubbels received a bye in the 215 weight class, and Spray managed to get a win over Reece Long of Atlantic at 1:45 after receiving a bye.
The Cyclones next meet will be a quad Thursday at 5:30 p.m. featuring Clarinda and Shenandoah at Shenandoah High School.
“It’s about mat time,” Bendorf added. “Getting as many matches as we can get. That’s the way to improve. There’s where the kids can kind of figure out what works and what doesn’t.”