West Branch Senior Caps Historic Season For Bears With Runner-up Finish at 285 Pounds
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – In a span of two seasons Logan Wright went from an eighth-place finish as a 215-pound sophomore to a runner-up finish at 285 pounds.
During that two-year span Wright worked hard to build up his body, worked even harder to improve his overall wrestling and climbed up the medal stand.
In the process Wright did much more than earn a second state medal he helped to redefine the expectation of success in the West Branch program.
Wright capped an incredible state-tournament run with a runner-up finish at 285 pounds on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena dropping a 5-2 decision to Waterloo Columbus senior Mason Knipp in the championship match.
“He’s a standout at West Branch and I’m proud of him no matter what he finished,” West Branch coach Jake Slocum said. “Win or lose he’s one of the best guys he’s ever trained and I’m proud of him no matter what he finished.”
In his fourth season as head coach Slocum has been the architect of the rebuild of the West Branch program.
Wright has been of foundational pieces of that building project.
When Wright finished eighth at 215 pounds as a sophomore in 2022 he did so as the only West Branch qualifier.
This season Wright headlined a school-record nine qualifiers for the Bears and his runner-up finish helped West Branch place 15th in the team standings with 49 points.
“It’s just trying to get people into the wrestling room and we started months before wrestling even started just training our butts off,” Wright said. “We came here with nine people and we finished with two medals and set a new record for qualifiers and that’s a very big deal.”
Fifth-ranked Wright (34-4) did the best wrestling of his career over the four days at Wells Fargo Arena.
He pinned Cooper Marvel of Southwest Iowa in the second round, won a 7-1 decision over sixth-ranked Gage Jorgenson of Emmetsburg in the quarterfinals and reached the state title match with a 3-1 sudden victory over four-time medalist and second-ranked Cody Fox of East Buchanan.
“I was going out there every match with the mindset to win,” Wright said. “I kept winning and it was an amazing run. I got to the finals, it was really fun.
The run ended with a 5-2 loss to Knipp in the finals who completed a 38-0 season with the championship match victory.
It was the second straight state title for Knipp who won the 215-pound title a year ago.
“The finals were tough,” Wright said. “He’s a really good wrestler so it was a good match.”
After a scoreless opening period Knipp took a 2-0 lead with two near fall points in the second period.
It was 2-1 going to the third following a Wright escape but Knipp scored a takedown in the third to secure the win.
“When we got him he was pretty rough around the edges,” Slocum said. “He’s got a banged up wrist so we can’t ride any more so we had to focus strictly on his feet and I think that was his best position all year especially in this tournament.”
The loss in the finals took little away from what Wright did in Des Moines this week and what the Bears did all season.
Freshman Ethan Humphrey (32-5) finished eighth at 106 pounds, going 3-3 in his state meet debut.
“They have overshot my expectations,” Slocum said. “West Branch is full of athletes and that’s why we succeed.”
Humphrey, sophomore 132-pounder Logan Christoffel (32-8), sophomore 165-pounder Cooper Gates (31-4) and junior 190-pounder Tate Frantz (28-11) are all West Branch state qualifiers that return next season.
“Now that this tournament we can look to the future and I know it’s going to be some growing pains the next four years but we have to start off-season work,” Slocum said. “That’s where it starts with these guys and I think in a few years we can back with nine or 10 guys and I’m excited.”
Class 1A State Meet
Team scores (Top 20; area teams) – 1. Don Bosco 183.5; 2. Alburnett 152; 3. Wilton 144; 4. Jesup 89; 5. Underwood 85; 6. West Hancock 82; 7. Denver 60; 8. Lisbon 59; 8. Maquoketa Valley 59; 10. Nashua-Plainfield 56.5; 11. Logan-Magnolia 55.5; 12. North Butler 53; 13. Wapsie Valley 53; 14. Emmetsburg 51; 15. West Branch 49; 16. Earlham 48; 16. Lake Mills 48; 16. West Sioux 48; 19. Nodaway Valley 46; 20. Hinton 45; 71. Regina 6
Championship matches (area athletes)
285 – Mason Knipp (Waterloo Columbus) dec. Logan Wright 5-2
Seventh-place matches (area athletes)
106 – Lucas Oldenkamp (Lake Mills) dec. Ethan Humphrey (West Branch) 8-4
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