Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – For it’s pre-meet practice leading up Thursday’s cross-town showdown with West High the City High girls wrestling team joined the Little Hawk boys program.

Wednesday’s joint workout came with a post-practice speech from long-time City High boys coach Cory Connell.

The message from Connell – this is a big match.

“Last night the boys had a pretty challenging practice last night and we decided to join in and push the girls a little bit last night and the message from Cory (Connell) was this is the big match,” City High coach Jeff Koenig said. “This is the big match the city rivalry that has been going on for a lot of years and we kind of challenged them and said our job is basically to set the stage for the boys. If we come out and dictate our meet we give the boys that much more momentum and energy going into their match.”

City High responded with an emphatic 58-7 win over West High in the first official meeting between the two rivals in girls wrestling in front of a large crowd at City High.

“When people are yelling and expecting you to win it’s really exciting,” City High freshman Annabelle Stelpflug said. “That really I think got us going tonight.”

The Little Hawks won five of the seven competed matches on Thursday, including four by pin while improving to 3-0 in Mississippi Valley Conference dual meets.

City High defeated Liberty High 42-27 in a dual back on December 21.

“We told them we beat Liberty High before the holiday and if we beat West High we are city champs,” Koeing said. “That’s important. It’s those things as you build a program. You are city champs and then you are regional champs and then you are state champs. You learn how to win, you learn how to focus, you learn how to do what you need to do to win those things and that’s what we did.”

City High got off to a strong start on Thursday as senior Nabitendelo Emmanuel posted a second-period pin at 115 pounds in the first match of the dual.

Emmanuel needed just 3:05 to pin West High’s Natalia Gentiluomo

“I was a little nervous being the first match but I always try my best,” Emmanuel said. “That was my first having the first match so I wanted to do something to help the team.”

West High responded as Trinity Meyers won a 5-0 decision over Sydney Wilkes at 120 pounds but City High won the next two matches.

Erin Anderson won an 11-1 decision over Syliva Brofitt at 125 pounds and seventh-ranked Claire Brown pinned Helen Orszula in eight seconds at 130 pounds.

“I thought we were really focused coming out, I thought we dictated the matched that we were basically in and I think we kept them on the defense tonight and I think we worked a lot of offense and that showed,” Koenig said. “We hit them with some quick pins and the matches that went the distance we were there, we were probably a move here or there away.”

West High’s Alexandria Held won an 8-0 major decision over Jeanica Mbuyi at 135 pounds before City High won the final seven matches.

Stelpflug started that stretch with a first-period pin of Harper Chase at 140 pounds.

“It’s a big deal because it’s City High against West High and we are rivals and we have to win,” Stelpflug said. “It hypes us up more facing West.”

Shaona Emmanuel added a first-period pin of Enosakhare Sule at 170 pounds for the Little Hawks.

City High 58, West High 7

100 – Hadassah Wolcott (ICH) won by forfeit

105 – Shyla Small (ICH) won by forfeit

110 – Nina Yankey (ICH) won by forfeit

115 – Nabitendelo Emmanuel (ICH) pinned Natalia Gentiluomo 3:05

120 – Trinity Meyers (ICW) dec. Sydney Wilkes 5-0

125 – Erin Anderson (ICH) major dec. Sylvia Brofitt 11-1

130 – Claire Brown (ICH) pinned Helen Orszula :8

135 – Alexandria Held (ICW) major dec. Jeanica Mbuyi 8-0

140 – Annabelle Stelpflug (ICH) pinned Harper Chase :27

145 – Ania Naso (ICH) won by forfeit

155 – Molly Carlson (ICH) won by forfeit

170 – Shaona Emmanuel (ICH) pinned Enosakhare Sule :14

190 – Double forfeit

235 – Double forfeit

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