Johnson fifth for Indians
DES MOINES — Dane Johnson’s first state wrestling tournament provided plenty of special moments, culminating with a fifth place medal here Saturday afternoon.
Johnson, a junior from Pocahontas Area, bested Postville’s Isaac Steffans in his final match, 1-0, in the Class 1A heavyweight division.
After advancing to the quarterfinals only to suffer a tough 3-2 setback, Johnson rallied with three wins on the consolation side to leave Wells Fargo Arena with a medal.
“The state experience was absolutely amazing,” Johnson said. “It allowed me to experience wrestling opponents that were very good and from areas other than Pocahontas.
“Coming home with a medal is awesome. My whole goal going into the tourney was to place and that is exactly what I did. The fact that I got fifth was just extra special.”
Overall, Johnson was on the mat six times, winning four bouts — including three by fall. He scored all 15 of Pocahontas Area’s team points, but still felt like there was more to achieve.
“If I were to give myself a letter grade on the mats this week I would give myself a B-plus,” Johnson said. “There were things I could have done better, but I also did some very good things.”
Johnson knocked off four wrestlers who won a combined 193 matches this past winter. His two losses came to the third and fourth place finishers in his weight class.
East Sac County’s Nate Thomsen ended his career with a fourth place finish in 1A at 132 pounds, falling to Don Bosco’s Easton Larson.
Thomsen, who went 46-6, was the lone Raider to qualify. He competed six times, going 4-2 with both defeats coming to Larson.
“Reaching the podium feels so good after I came up short last year,” Thomsen said. “It was important for me to place this year. I wrestled some really good kids and was able to beat most of them, so it felt great to get fourth.”
After his first setback to Larson, Thomsen reeled off three consecutive wins, including a pair of back-to-back 3-2 decisions to reach the bronze-medal match.
“I will remember winning my consolation semifinal match the most,” Thomsen said. “I wrestled a very good kid from West Sioux and was able to come out on top.
“Leaving high school with a medal is great. Our school now has two placewinners in the last two years and I think we have something good happening at East Sac County.”
South Central Calhoun, West Bend-Mallard and Emmetsburg all claimed two medals, with three individuals placing sixth and three more eighth.
For the Titans, Blake McAlister earned sixth at 160 pounds following a loss to Elijah Wagner of Lake Mills. The sophomore and two-time state qualifier ended the year 46-6 overall.
Jordan Khommanyvong placed eighth at 138 after falling to Trae Ehlen of Mount Ayr. The junior put together a record of 36-6 on the mats.
Senior Connor Fehr and junior Donavon Hanson earned the the first medals for the Wolverines, with Fehr placing sixth at 170 and Hanson eighth at 106.
Fehr fell to Bryson Freeberg of Tri-Center to end the season 33-12, while Hanson was bested by Drew Ehlen of Mount Ayr, finishing 30-6.
Bret Hoyman placed sixth for the E-Hawks at 152 pounds, ending with a record of 40-9, while Mason Griffin was eighth at 170 following a 23-6 season. Both completed their careers at Emmetsburg this past week.