Solon Qualifies Four For State Meet in Runner-up Finish at 1A Qualifier
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
SOLON – It was a trio of well-established individuals that led Solon on Friday evening at the Class 1A regional qualifying meet.
It’s how those individuals have helped Solon come together as a team that has the Spartans flourishing.
Solon crowned three individual champions and matched a program-record with four state qualifiers on Friday in a runner-up team finish at the 1A state qualifier at Solon.
“In the room this year we’ve set such a pace, not just the upperclassmen but everyone, we set such a good pace and such a good mentality that we are all pushing each other,” Bonnema said. “We are supporting each other whole-heartedly and I think that shows the growth of our program.”
Seniors Olivia Bonnema and Kara VeDepo and junior McKenna Rogers all qualified for the state meet for the third consecutive season on Friday and will be joined by sophomore Tess Richards who won the 115-pound title.
Bonnema won the title at 140 pounds and VeDepo won the 105-pound championship as Solon rolled up 179 points to finish behind only team champion Mount Vernon in front of its home fans.
“We are continuing to grown together and push each other and I think that’s really important,” Richards said. “We are all here for each other, we all believe in each other and I think that’s what’s helping us reach our best.”
Solon qualified three wrestlers for the inaugural Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union state meet two seasons ago.
Last season the Spartans sent four wrestlers to the state meet in Coralville.
On Friday Solon matched that number qualifying four wrestlers for the first two-class state meet scheduled for February 6-7 at Xtream Arena.
“The effort and the execution was there for the most part, we let a couple get away which is how wrestling works but overall I thought out girls wrestled really hard,” Solon coach Jake Munson said. “We put ourselves in a position to have five or six girls go and we ended up with four which we are thrilled with, we were a few points away from winning the regional so overall I am really happy with our effort.”
Top-ranked VeDepo (36-3) overcame an early 4-3 deficit to earn a 9-6 win over Mount Vernon freshman Kate Martin in the 105-pound title match.
A fourth-place finisher last season, VeDepo returns to the state meet seeking to add to her medal count.
“It’s a blessing to be ranked number one but it gets very stressful,” VeDepo said. “I’m telling myself that I am number one for a reason, this isn’t a mistake and just go out and prove that you are number one.”
Junior McKenna Rogers finished runner-up at 110 pounds to secure a spot at the state meet.
Fourth-ranked Rogers (27-6) fell to third-ranked Kiersten Swart (39-4) of Mount Vernon 7-4 in the 110-pound championship.
Richards (13-6) secured her spot at the state meet with three consecutive first-period pins on her way to the 115-pound title.
Richards pinned Gabby Gingerich of Mid-Prairie in 1:28 in the championship match and credited her time in the practice room with state medalists VeDepo and Rogers for her success.
“They are always pushing me to become a better wrestler by going hard in the practice room,” Richards said. “They beat up on me so I can get tougher.”
Bonnema became the third three-time qualifier for Solon with a title at 140 pounds.
Tenth-ranked Bonnema (22-6) pinned her way to the 140-pound title, putting Jordan Voelkel of Benton Community on her back in 3:01 in the championship match.
“It’s always really special to wrestle in our home gym and it makes it even more special to have a win like that at home,” Bonnema said. “It’s a lot of emotion.”
West Branch senior Teagyn Hartz (33-3) qualified for the state meet for the third consecutive season with a runner-up finish at 190 pounds.
Seventh-ranked Hartz fell to top-ranked Libby Dix of Mount Vernon in the 190-pound title match.
Class 1A Regional Meet
At Solon High School
Team scores – 1. Mount Vernon 189; 2. Solon 179; 3. Mid-Prairie 159; 4. Central DeWitt 129; 5. Benton Community 128; 6. Cascade 103; 7. Lisbon 100; 8. Tipton 88; 9. Louisa-Muscatine 70.5; 10. Union 59; 11. West Branch 57; 12. Durant 53; 13. Northeast 43; 14. Cedar Rapids Xavier 36; 15. Maquoketa 29; 16. Tri-County 15; 17. Camanche 10
Individual results (championship matches, state qualifiers)
100 – 1. Koda Fogg (TIP) pinned Semiya Gill (MAQ) :55; 4
105 – 1. Kara VeDepo (SOL) dec. Kate Martin (MV) 9-6
110 – 1. Kiersten Swart (MV) dec. McKenna Rogers (SOL) 7-4
115 – 1. Tess Richards (SOL) pinned Gabby Gingerich (M-P);
120 – 1. Lillian Gaiser (LIS) pinned Saidee Hamilton (TIP) 5:36
125 – 1. Ava Streeter (DUR) major dec. Grace Patterson (CD) 10-1
130 – 1. Jillian Worthen (UNI) dec. Ashlee Farrier (M-P) 1-0
135 – 1. Carly Manternach (CAS) dec. Lucianna Miller (SOL); 2. Tori Hansen (L-M)
140 – 1. Olivia Bonnema (SOL) pinned Jordan Voelkel (BC) 3:01; 2. Layken Lee (M-P)
145 – 1. Addi Whisner (MV) tech. fall Emma Dietsch (LIS) 16-0
155 – 1. Lizzy Wolf (BC) injury default Kaylee Kintzel (MV) 1:22
170 – 1. Layna DeMoss (BC) dec. Grace Pinckney (MV) 9-4
190 – 1. Libby Dix (MV) pinned Teagyn Hartz (WB) 3:11
235 – 1. Skylar Wegener (NE) pinned Averie Gale (BC) :53
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