Redhawk wrestler Kolt Knaack (top) finishes out his dual with Vinton-Shellsburg’s Carter Lamont Thursday night in Parkersburg, pinning the Viking wrestler in 3:12. Knaack – ranked seventh in Class 1A pre-season – went 3-0 at A-P with two pins and one win by forfeit. PHOTO COURTESY OF CJ EILERS/VINTON NEWSPAPERS

The North Tama and Union boys’ wrestling teams rolled out their respective seasons on the road this past Thursday evening, traveling to Aplington-Parkersburg High School for a quad meet that also included Vinton-Shellsburg.

North Tama

The Redhawks made their 2022-2023 season debut with two more wrestlers than last year’s roster and two wrestlers ranked ahead of the meet – junior Case Monat at No. 3 at 113 pounds and sophomore Kolt Knaack at No. 7 at 138 pounds.

Both Case Monat and Knaack qualified for the state tournament last season with Monat finishing in sixth place in the 106 pound weight class. Although Knaack didn’t make it to the state podium, he set a school record last year for number of matches won as a freshman with 41.

Despite the team losing all three duals Thursday night in Parkersburg, several of the Redhawk boys found individual success on the mats including Case Monat, Knaack, and Gavin Rausch.

Knight wrestler Keegan Ellsworth (top) works to pin Vinton-Shellsburg’s Colton Behm Thursday night at Aplington-Parkersburg High School. Ellsworth, wrestling at 145 pounds, had a stellar night at the Falcon-hosted quad, going 3-0. PHOTO COURTESY OF CJ EILERS/VINTON NEWSPAPERS

Against the A-P Falcons, Case Monat pinned Landon Jones in 5:33. Christian Dronebarger (126 pounds) – a district qualifier last season for North Tama – pinned Mathew Luiken in 1:38. Gavin Rausch (138 pounds) pinned Remington Tack in 1:27. Knaack – wrestling at 145 pounds against A-P – pinned Connor Kellum in 3:03. And in one of the Redhawks’ fastest duals of the night, Keegan Brooks took down A-P’s Christian Meester in an extra match in 57 seconds.

While Union took down their Tama County rivals handily 53-18, Redhawk Clayton Boldt (285 pounds) pinned Knight Corbin Clark in 3:44 for six points. Knaack and Caden Stull (182 pounds) won their respective matches with Union by forfeit – netting another six points apiece for the Redhawks.

It was a similar outcome for the Redhawks against powerhouse Vinton-Shellsburg which won 63-18. While Case Monat won his match by forfeit, Knaack – wrestling at 138 pounds – took down Viking Carter Lamont by fall in 3:12. In an extra match, Gavin Rausch pinned Zach Dickinson in a quick 33 seconds.

Union

While the Union Knights lost to both A-P (46-34) and V-S (60-24) overall, many of the wrestlers experienced a successful season opener on the mats.

Against the host Falcons, Jace Hedeman (120 pounds) pinned Landon Jones in a fast 42 seconds, while Brayden Bohnsack (126 pounds) took down Carter Liston by fall in 5:27. Knight Dillon Spark (138 pounds) beat Remington Tack by major decision, 11-2. Keegan Ellsworth (145 pounds)won by fall in 1:17. Both Mays Weber (106 pounds) and Kaydin Jones (113 pounds) won by forfeit.

Against V-S, Ellsworth – who had a stellar night in Parkersburg winning all three of his duals – again came out on top, pinning Colton Behm in 1:05. Weber pinned Gavin Morgan in 21 seconds – the fastest dual of the night – while Jones also won by fall, pinning Eli Ollinger in 2:48. Hedeman won his match by forfeit.

Next up for the Knights is the grueling two-day Cliff Keen Independence Invitational beginning this afternoon, Friday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. in Indee, while the Redhawks head to Jesup on Saturday for a tournament set to feature eight area teams including Iowa Valley. On Thursday, North Tama is scheduled to host a dual in the Redhawks Nest with AGWSR and Columbus Catholic.