Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – In life, it is nice to have options.

The Solon girls’ wrestling team has a couple of excellent ones at 105 pounds in freshman McKenna Rogers and sophomore Kara VeDepo.

“We have two girls at that same weight who are both excellent,” Solon Coach Jacob Munson said after the Spartans finished fifth as a team at a girls’ wrestling regional meet Friday at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids. “Some of the best in the state and Kara has really stepped up for us today. You saw what she can do out there. So glad, so blessed to have both of those girls in our room, pushing each other every day.”

The top-four place winners at each weight in each of eight regional meets across the state qualify for the state meet, which is February 2-3 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

Both DeVepo and Rogers weighed in at 105 pounds for the regional meet, but VeDepo has routinely competed this season at the next weight class up (110) in order to get both standouts in the lineup.

The lineup proved fruitful once again, as Rogers blitzed the 105-pound bracket on her way to a regional crown, while DeVepo placed third at 110.

“This is kind of where I hoped to be,” DeVepo said. “I work as hard as I can.”

At 105, Rogers watched and waited through three rounds of competition before taking the mat for the first time in the quarterfinal round.

There, she needed just over three minutes to pin East Buchanan sophomore Valeria Torres.

“Once I got on the mat, I was ready to go and I was ready too get work done,” Rogers said. “And finish the way I wanted to finish the way I did.”

Rogers is ranked ninth at 105 according to IAWrestle and pinned Waverly-Shell Rock freshman Macy Tiedt in less than two minutes to earn the regional title.

Rogers’ record this season is a sparkling 33-1, a level of success that has been surprising even to her.

“I expected to do decent, but not as well as I have been doing,” Rogers said. “I had a good middle school season, but that does not come out to the competition I have had this year. Yeah, it definitely has surprised me.”

A “good” middle school season is an understatement.

Buoyed by the wrestling experience of her older sister and tutored by her uncle, Rogers joined Solon’s middle school wrestling club in the seventh grade and was never defeated on the mat in two years of middle school wrestling.

She now has a mat of her own in her house.

“I think it is crazy that I am in this where I am,” Rogers said. “Just keep working the way I am working to get where I want to be.”

Like Rogers, DeVepo is in her third year of wrestling.

What began with learning a few living room moves with her father Joe eventually resulted in her joining the team with the Solon girls’ wrestling camp.

Also, like Rogers, the success came quick.

“It was kind of a relief because my first match I was so scared,” DeVepo said. “I was going against boys, but I won in overtime and that really helped me.”

DeVepo (27-15) earned her spot at the state with two pins in the championship bracket, then two more on the consolation side.

She needed just 1:35 to subdue Clear Creek Amana junior Marlie McBride for third place.

“It was pretty exciting,” VeDepo said. “I kind of came in, my mindset wasn’t the best, but I got myself in the right mind and I just trusted my best.”

Solon earned a third state qualifier when sophomore Olivia Bonnema (28-20) finished third at 135 pounds with two pins in the championship bracket and a decision and pin on the consolation side.

McBride (18-10) was one of three state qualifiers for Clear Creek Amana.

Her loss to DeVepo gave her the automatic fourth-place finish by virtue of an earlier pin in the consolation bracket against Iowa Valley’s Kylie Loffer.

At 130 pounds, CCA senior Kaly Thomas (24-13) joined McBride in fourth place after posting two wins in the championship bracket and one in the consolation, before falling in the third-place match to Lilly Stough of Waverly-Shell Rock.

Emma Descourouez (25-12) was the highest place winner for the Clippers with a third-place performance at 120 pounds.

The senior sandwiched a championship semifinal loss in between two wins by fall in both the championship and consolation brackets.

“I came in, not really sure what to expect, but hard work pays off,” Descourouez said. “Our whole team, we just kept fighting and it turned out really well.”

Descourouez is also a track athlete at CCA and has played basketball in the past, but last year was her first try at wrestling.

“Super, super fun,” Descourouez said. “It is different than any other sport I have ever done and the girls in wrestling are the nicest people I have ever met, compared to any other sport. And I love it. It is so fun.”

Region 6 Meet

At Alliant Energy PowerHouse

Team scores – 1. Waverly-Shell Rock 254; 2. East Buchanan 241; 3. Cedar Rapids Prairie 166; 4. Vinton-Shellsburg 161; 5. Solon 136; 6. Iowa Valley 107; 7. Liberty High 92; 8. Clinton 86; 9. Wilton 81; 10. Marion 78; 11. Pleasant Valley 77; 12. Clear Creek Amana 75; 13. Central DeWitt 66; 14. Louisa-Muscatine 65; 15. West High 54; 16. West Branch 50; 17. Muscatine 38; 17. Pekin 38; 19. Keokuk 25; 20. English Valleys-Tri County 13; 21. Columbus 12; 22. Cedar Rapids Washington 9; 22. Burlington Notre Dame 9

Championship matches; state qualifiers  

100 – 1. Mya Rausch (CRP) dec. Amber Hoth (W-SR) 3-2; 3. Wynter Morgan (MAR); 4. Taylor Cavanh (ICL)

105 – 1. McKenna Rogers (SOL) pinned Macy Tiedt (W-SR) 1:51; 3. Valeria Torres (EB); 4. Emma Gillen (V-S)

110 – 1. Bree Swenson (V-S) dec. Emmersen Thomas (WB) 4-0; 3. Kara VeDepo (SOL); 4. Marlie McBride (CCA)

115 – 1. Caitlin Reiter (PV) dec. Ellie Weets (V-S) 5-1; 3. Natalie Hedlund (MAR); 4. Callia Logan (CLI)

120 – 1. Abigail Meyrer (PV) pinned Brinley Meier (W-SR) 1:26; 3. Emma Descourouez (CCA); 4. Grace Patterson (CD)

125 – 1. Mackenzie Childers (CRP) pinned Hannah Rogers (WIL) 1:59; 3. Eva Heise (W-SR); 4. Kily Castillo (MUS)

130 – 1. Chloe Sanders (V-S) major dec. Destiny Krum (EB) 9-0; 3. Lilly Stouh (W-SR); 4. Kaly Thomas (CCA)

135 – 1. Miley Walz (EB) pinned Kiley Langley (WIL) 2:54; 3. Olivia Bonnema (SOL); 4. Lila Miller (PEK)

140 – 1. Kiara Djoumessi (W-SR) pinned Andelyn Cabalka (EB) 1:24; 3. Kaydence Boorn (WIL); 4. Jade Hynek (CRP)

145 – 1. Emma Peach (IV) pinned Haidyn Snyder (W-SR) 2:29; 3. Tayla Stiefel (EB); 4. Evelyn Eggleston (ICL)

155 – 1. Keeley Kehrli (EB) dec. Jannell Avila (ICW) 2-0; 3. Erika Brokovich (CRP); 4. Jalyiah Gardner (KEO)

170 – 1. Brooklyn Graham (EB) pinned Teagyn Hartz (WB) 5:09; 3. Karissa Oldenburger (W-SR); 4. Justyce Dominick (V-S)

190 – 1. Breanna Peach (IV) pinned Alyson Krum (EB) 3:22; 3. Chloe Heefner (CRP); 4. Arie Russell (CLI)

235 – 1. Madison Hinrichs (W-SR) pinned Averyia Binnion (CD) 2:50; 3. Cambrie Mcloyd (CLI); 4. Molly Bramble (L-M)

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