January 19, 2012 at 1:46 p.m.
I-G wrestlers win Weston-Ithaca tourney
The rest of the team scores were: Fort Atkinson 27, Richland Center 1197, La Crosse Logan 194.5, Weston-Ithaca 186.5, Waterloo 117, Boscobel 108.5, River Ridge-Cassville 89, Sparta Varsity Reserve 61, Black Hawk 52, Pecatonica-Argyle 45, Cochrane-Fountain City 21, Marshall 6.
The Panthers had five champions, five third place winners, a fifth placing and a 10th placing. They didn't have competitors at 113 and 160.
Taking championships were: Shania Sarbacker at 106, Logan Mills at 120, Logan Bollant at 170, Blake Welu at 182 and Derek Peat at 195,
Thirds went to 126 lb. Luke Nowak, 132 lb. Tucker Sarbacker, 145 lb. Jake Yelinek, 220 lb. Cody Rider and 285 lb. Cody McFall.
Cody Belken finished fifth at 152 while Murilo Luques was 10th at 138.
"It was a nice 'TEAM' win," said Iowa-Grant coach Ryan Allen. "It was nice to have five champions as well as five third place finishes. To be able to win ten matches out of ten in the final round of the tournament shows a lot about this team. They've been working hard and as the day got longer and started to wear on some teams, on Saturday, our guys were wrestling better."
In commenting about the lone girl on the team, Shania Sarbacker, winning a championship, Allen said:
"Shania did a fantastic job in getting first place. She battled hard in every match and fought for every point she scored. If she can get her conditioning where it needs to be, she could play a very big role on this team.We really don't look at her as a girl. She is just another tough kid on this team. If it wasn't for the long hair, you wouldn't even know we had a girl on the team. She doesn't back down from anyone or anything and she fits in well with the team."
Next week the Panthers go to Sparta for a tournament that will have a few tough Division I teams.
"It will be a good chance for us to see where we're at just before the big push towards Conference and Regionals," Allen concluded.
