Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
5 Pioneers are all-conference, advance to state meet
Senior Bryce Dodge gets his hand raised by the referee during the Siouxland Conference meet last month at Sioux Center.
Okoboji/HMS's wrestling team improved its dual meet records during the 2022-23 season and also had five athletes garner all-conference recognition and advance to the state tournament.
The Pioneers finished third in the Siouxland Conference dual standings with a 5-2 record. Overall, Okoboji/HMS was 9-6 in dual competition.
Noah Strantz (160 pounds) was the only champion for Okoboji/HMS at the conference tournament, but Dylan Jones (120), H-M-S senior Bryce Dodge (152), Nathanial Franklin (170) and Sam Pas (220) were runners-up. Sophomore James Gellerman from H-M-S placed third at 182 pounds.
Strantz automatically qualified for the all-Siouxland Conference wrestling team, and Pas was named to the first team as an at-large selection. Jones, Dodge and Franklin were named to the second team.
That quintet also finished in the Top 2 at their respective weights at the district meet and qualified to compete at the state tournament in Des Moines. Strantz placed seventh at 160 pounds.
Eight H-M-S athletes participated in the shared program with Okoboji. Their season records, according to Trackwrestling, are: freshmen Camden Ball 5-11, Jafet Ortiz 3-11, and Nathan Stofferan 5-9; sophomore James Gellerman 30-20; juniors William Barberie 2-9, Aidan Espeland 0-4, and Ethan Wiersma 20-19; and senior Bryce Dodge 26-15.
