Solon’s Taylor Shines in Semifinal to Reach Third Straight State Final
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – Wrestling can be a grind.
Matches can get tiring, tournaments can get long, the season can become a strain.
Not for Hayden Taylor.
The longer the season goes, the deeper into the tournament, the later into a match Taylor gets, the better the Solon junior wrestles.
“That is the way he always wrestles, he gets better every match, every period,” Solon coach TJ Bevans said. “Most guys get tired, he gets stronger as the match goes on, stronger as the tournament goes on. That’s always been his style.”
Taylor has used that style to perfection while winning state titles the past two seasons.
Friday was more of the same as top-ranked Taylor (38-0) returned to the state title match for the third consecutive season with an emphatic 20-6 major decision over fifth-ranked Allen Catour of Davenport Assumption in the 160-pound semifinals at Wells Fargo Arena.
“I have progressively gotten better every match I’ve wrestled,” Taylor said. “That’s where I want to be, I want to wrestle like that every single time I step out on the match.”
By his own admission Taylor wasn’t razor sharp in an opening-round tech fall but liked the way he wrestled in a 9-2 quarterfinal win over sixth-ranked Landon Kirby on Friday morning.
In the semifinals on Friday night Taylor sparkled.
He racked up eight takedowns in the win over Catour, many coming on counter attacks off Catour shots.
The eight takedowns were the most for Taylor in any of his three wins at state this week.
“He kept shooting and I kept hitting that go behind,” Taylor said. “I probably hit it six or seven times it was just there the whole time.”
The win was the 11th state tournament victory for Taylor and stretched his winning streak to 110.
“He’s a gamer,” Bevans said. “The next step, he gets a little better and better and better. He rises to the level of the competition and that’s why he is who he is right now.”
Taylor will attempt to become the 93rd three-time champion in state history on Saturday when he faces second-ranked Wyatt Appleseth (46-0) of Panorama in the 160-pound championship match at 6 p.m.
Appleseth defeated fourth-ranked Garrett Seaba of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows 3-1 in the semifinals.
“He is excited for tomorrow night and hopefully the best version of him shows up and I know it will,” Bevans said. “He is getting stronger every match and I think tomorrow he’s going to do what he does.”
For Taylor a third trip to the finals offers more than a chance at history.
It provides an opportunity to continue to get better along with a chance to improve on a 5-2 win in the 145-pound title match a year ago.
“I’m so fired up, I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Taylor said. “It was 5-2 last year in the finals which isn’t bad but it wasn’t the way I wanted it to go. This year I am going to go out there and do whatever I can to win.”
Solon junior Gage Marty secured a second consecutive state medal with a 12-5 consolation win over No. 7 Jordan Anderson of Emmetsburg.
No. 10 Marty added a pin of ninth-ranked Easton Fleshman from West Lyon in a time of 3:38 to advance to the consolation semifinal at 220 pounds.
Class 2A State Wrestling Tournament
At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines
Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. West Delaware 115; 2. Osage 82; 3. Independence 69; 4. Crestwood 64; 5. Centerville 47.5; 6. New Hampton/Turkey Valley 44; 7. Union 38; 8. West Burlington Notre Dame 37.5; 9. Winterset 36; 10. East Marshall 35.5; 12. Solon 29.5
Semifinals
160 – Hayden Taylor (Solon) major dec. Allen Catour (Davenport Assumption) 20-6
Third Round Consolation
220 – Gage Marty (Solon) pinned Easton Fleshman (West Liberty) 3:38
Saturday’s Championship
160 – No. 1 Hayden Taylor (37-0) Jr., Solon vs. No. 2 Wyatt Appleseth (46-0) Sr. Panorama
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