The big boys of the Golden Hawk wrestling team were racking up points in the final duals of the season at Clear Creek-Amana on Thursday.

Mid-Prairie won all six matches wrestled between 152 and 285 pounds by fall in a 42-33 win over Clear Creek-Amana. The Golden Hawks also got three straight pins from 195 to 285 in a 48-36 loss to Central DeWitt. 

“We just kind of ran the table on both of them I guess,” Mid-Prairie coach Justin Garvey said. “As far as Cael (Garvey), and Josh (Wallington) and Gannon (Callahan), they were all dominant in their matches.”

Neither Garvey or Callahan let a match get to the second period. Callahan won his heavyweight matches in 1:46 and :52.  Garvey’s first match lasted 60 seconds. A 44-second pin of Central DeWitt’s Mitchell Howard gave Garvey his 30th win of the season and 100 for his career. 

“It was pretty cool for him to reach that milestone in his junior year,” Justin Garvey said. 

Wallington’s first match lasted 67 seconds, while his second pin took 3:37. 

At 160 pounds, Vinnie Bowlin won both of his matches by fall in the first period. It was his first action since January 9. 

“We’ve got him back now, the ankle is all healed up, as good as it’s going to get and we’re going to move forward with that,” Garvey said. “I was pretty happy all the way up and down the line, really. At 106 pounds, Malachi Sexton really came in big for us with a couple of pins.”

Owen Trimpe had a pin at 152 pounds in Mid-Prairie’s win over CCA and Kaden Meader had a first-period pin at 170. 

“I was pretty happy with Kaden Meader’s performance in the Clear Creek dual, he wrestled really well,” Garvey said. “It was a team effort Thursday.”

RVC Canceled, Sectionals ahead

Saturday’s River Valley Conference meet in Monticello was canceled on Friday night due to weather concerns. But conditions didn’t get bad until late Saturday evening, leaving the Golden Hawks disappointed with the decision. 

“I’m really upset with Monticello and RVC A.D.s,” Garvey said. “I think they did a disservice to the kids. Obviously, it rained all day and almost every other conference in the state had their tournaments. And here we are sitting at home. I think it totally falls on Monticello and their A.D.”

Mid-Prairie opens the postseason with a sectional in Albia on Saturday, which is a welcome variation from the norm. 

“For the first time in about five years or so we’re heading south,” Garvey said. “We’ve been in some pretty difficult sectionals in the last couple of years. And I’m not saying that we’re not going to have to show up and wrestle, but I think that each team kind of has their spots where they’re tough.”

Centerville is strong in the middle, with the No. 1 ranked wrestlers at 138 and 145, a three-time champion and a three-time finalist. Albia’s strength is in the lower weights with the No. 2 wrestler at 106 pounds and 25-match winners at 113, 120, 132, 145, 152 and 220.  

“If we show up and wrestle the way we have the last couple of weeks, I think we could be dominant on the upper end,” Garvey said.  

“We don’t know a lot about Fairfield or Davis County. We haven’t seen them this year when normally we would. They didn’t go to the WACO tournament this year for whatever reason. But I think we could have a really great day. 

“From 160 on up, it looks good for us. And if a couple of our other guys wrestle well, I think we could have a really good – maybe a record day for Mid-Prairie wrestling.”