SOLON
The drama happened quickly last Friday night at Solon High School.
First, Gabby Gingerich, a Mid-Prairie senior attempting to qualify for the state tournament in just her second year …
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SOLON
The drama happened quickly last Friday night at Solon High School.
First, Gabby Gingerich, a Mid-Prairie senior attempting to qualify for the state tournament in just her second year of wrestling, lost her 1A Regional 115-pound championship match to Solon’s Tess Richards.
No matter. A runner-up finish worked. Gingerich was in.
Next, Ashlee Farrier, a senior seeking her second straight state tourney berth, lost a 1-0 battle to Jillian Worthen of Union Community in the title match at 130. The loss was just the third all season long for Farrier.
And that’s where the dramatics came into play.
Farrier went on to pin Durant’s Jocelynn Richardson in the opening period of the second-place match with a state tourney berth on the line.
Minutes later, Layken Lee, a Mid-Prairie freshman who entered the day with a 23-17 record, completed a comeback from the consolation round with a pin of Jordan Voelkel of Benton Community in the second-place match at 140.
She immediately began to tear up on the mat as her arm was lifted by the match’s referee and then ran into the celebrating arms of Golden Hawks head coach Brock Moore.
“Everybody was cheering, made me emotional,” Lee said.
Lee’s victory completed a night in which the Golden Hawks qualified three for this week’s Iowa Girls High School State Championships at Xtreme Arena in Coralville. The tournament will be held Thursday and Friday.
“It’s pretty cool with how many girls we’re going to have up there,” Farrier said.
The Golden Hawks finished third in the team standings, placing behind Mount Vernon and Solon in an 18-team district.
“I knew it was going to be a hard district,” said Moore, who is Mid-Prairie’s first wrestling head coach dedicated to the girls team. “There’s a lot of good girls that stayed home this year.”
Among them were 2024 state participant Ellie Callahan, who finished in fourth place at 170 after winning two of her first three matches.
Austyn Sexton finished in third place at 110, missing the state tourney by just one win, and Mardie Berry placed fourth at 145.
Farrier was unbeaten with a couple of wins ended early by pins, but then she gave up a point early in the match to Worthen and no points were scored for the remainder of the match.
“Losing that first match was kind of scary,” Farrier said.
She went quickly after Richardson in the second-place match and finished off a pin just 1:18 into the opening period.
“There’s a lot of pressure obviously,” Farrier said.
But her experience and passion for the sport worked quickly.
“You can see it when I’m wrestling,” she said. “I’m thinking. I need to trust my instincts.
“I have a lot of really good support systems here. I have a lot of people who came and sat in the hallway with me after losing, been here all day, every tournament, all season. They talk to me a lot. A lot of the pressure was gone.”
After winning two matches by fall, Gingerich was in a battle with Solon’s Richards when a quick move put Gingerich on her shoulders and a quick pin ended it.
“She’s not happy with second place,” Moore said. “She wanted first place. She wanted to finish with a win.
“She’s going to state. That’s a pretty big deal.”
Lee’s path to Coralville was the most dramatic of all. After losing to Alina Mallie of Lisbon in the quarterfinals at 140, suddenly she was in the consolation round wrestling in the auxiliary gym with a long road back to the arena mat.
“Tonight, after losing my first one, ‘Oh, I don’t actually think I’ll go (to state) because if I lose, I’m out. I’m done,’” Lee said.
Except she didn’t lose. Lee won three straight matches, earning a rematch with Mallie in the third-place match. Lee won that match with a pin in the second period, then won the second-place match against Voelkel with a first-period pin. Over.
“She lost to one girl today, turns around and beats her again,” Moore said.
1A SOLON REGIONAL
Team scores: 1, Mount Vernon, 189; 2, Solon, 179; 3, Mid-Prairie, 159; 4, Central DeWitt, 129; 5, Benton Community, 128; 6, Cascade, 103; 7, Lisbon, 100; 8, Tipton, 88; 9, Louisa-Muscatine, 70.5; 10, Union Community, 59; 11, West Branch, 57; 12, Durant, 53; 13, Northeast, 43; 14, Xavier, 36; 15, Maquoketa, 29; 16, Tri-County, 15; 17, Camanche, 10; 18, North Cedar, 0.
MID-PRAIRIE RESULTS
100, Delani Blum: Def. Ann Marie Morgan (Lisbon), fall; lost to Semiya Gill (Maquoketa), fall; lost to Layla Knazze (Solon), fall.
105, Destina Moyle: Lost to Finley Rushton (Tipton), fall; lost to Maria Davis (Benton), fall.
110, Austyn Sexton: Def. Alivia Barnard (Durant), fall; lost to McKenna Rogers (Solon), fall; def. Jasmine Bassett (Union), fall; 3rd place, def. Macy Poll (Central DeWitt), fall.
115, Gabby Gingerich: Def. Mia Rice (West Branch), fall: def. Alyssa Lovell (Tipton), fall; title match, lost to Tess Richards (Solon), fall.
120, Ruby Miller: Dec. Jadlyn Huynh (Solon); lost to Lillian Gaiser (Lisbon), fall; lost to Kallie Burzlaff (Central DeWitt), dec.
125, Madison Reinier: Def. Madelyn Kenny (Benton), fall; lost to Ava Streeter (Durant), fall; def. Chacey Lange (Tipton), fall; lost to Kinzi Martin (Cascade), fall.
130, Ashlee Farrier: Def. Alexis Anderson (Solon), fall; def. Liliana Grosse (Mount Vernon), fall; lost to Jillian Worthen (Union), 1-0 dec.; 2nd place, def. Jocelynn Richardson (Durant), fall.
135, Emmerson Moore: Def. Lyla Glaza (Mount Vernon), fall; lost to Lucianna Miller (Solon), fall; lost to Izzy Schoettmer (Benton), fall.
140: Layken Lee: Def. Isabella Moedano (L-M), fall; lost to Alina Mallie (Solon), fall; def. Rolling Ashlyn (Cascade), fall; def. Layla Shilling (Tri-County), fall; def. Hannah Pfab (Xavier), fall; def. Alina Mallie (Solon), fall; 2nd place, def. Jordan Voelkel (Benton), fall.
145, Mardie Berry: Def. Elliana Casey (Xavier), fall; lost to Addi Whisner (Mount Vernon), fall; def. Jordan Koehler (Benton), fall; def. Eliana Casey (Xavier), fall; 2nd place, lost to Emma Dietsch (Lisbon), fall.
155, Adelyn Huston: Lost to Ella Wagner (Union), fall; lost to Mariah Capelle (Maquoketa), fall.
170, Ellie Callahan: Def. Katie Pilcher (Xavier), fall; lost to Gracie Pinckney (Mount Vernon), fall; def. Renee Cook (Maquoketa), fall; 3rd place, lost to Sophia Stephan (Cascade), 9-6 dec.
