HCHS places fourth at Waukee Duals

 WAUKEE (Dec. 21) -- Senior Nathan Henry’s five first-period pins earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team and helped Harlan Community place fourth in Group A at last Saturday’s Al Garrison Duals in Waukee.
 The HCHS wrestlers went 2-3 on the day to drop their dual record to 7-3 overall, but two of the losses came against Class 3A top-10 teams.
 The 14-team tournament was first divided into two separate groups, with the top seven squads - as seeded by the coaches - designated as Group A.
 The Cyclones finished 2-1 in their Group A pool, beating Millard West 48-25 and Des Moines Lincoln 50-26 before losing to sixth-ranked (3A) Waukee 49-20. That put HCHS in the championship bracket where they lost to No. 10 Johnston 55-23 in the semifinals. The Cyclones nearly rallied back from a 30-13 deficit in their third-place dual against Dallas Center-Grimes but came up three points short, 34-31.
 HCHS head coach John Murtaugh noted that the tough competition his team has faced in three December tournaments will make them better down the road.
 Henry had an outstanding 5-0 tournament wrestling at both 195 and 220. His five wins by fall included a big highlight vs. Waukee when he moved up a weight class and pinned second-ranked (3A) Cael Thorson in just 57 seconds. He later added a 24-second pin vs. DC-G, also at 220.
 Senior Ethan Lemon (132) and sophomore Luke Freund (113/120) both finished the meet with 4-1 records and a lot of bonus points. Lemon pinned four opponents and Freund had three pins and a technical fall.