Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Martha Willard never cared for wrestlebacks.

After falling to top-seeded Chloe Adamson of Linn-Mar in the finals of the 120-pound bracket at a Class 2A girls wrestling state-qualifying meet, the City High junior hoped that would be enough to deliver her to the state meet.

But when the City High public-address announcer reported that there would be another match to determine second place – a “wrestleback” between two foes vanquished by Adamson – Willard decided to embrace the opportunity.

“It convinced me that I had gotten to it for a reason,” Willard said after defeating Layla Winkel of Southeast Polk via a 9-4 decision Friday night to place second at 120 pounds and earn a coveted state berth. “I had earned where I was. Just looking at the seeds and understanding that if the robots in the seeding world believed in me, then I should believe in myself, too.”

The state berth is a first for Willard (23-13), who came up a few points short of reaching the state meet last season.

Willard got to the regional final against Adamson by pinning Terann Gerdts of Clear Creek Amana before an 18-3 technical fall victory over Fort Madison’s Briena Fenton.

“Martha wrestled one heck of a match,” City High co-head coach Jeff Koenig said of Willard’s win over Winkel. “That girl was in a couple of times. Martha just continued to trust the process like she has all season and she realized that, ‘Hey, if I do what I do best, I will be OK even if at times it feels like I am kind of on the edge here and there.’ She just continued to do what she does. And got herself to Coralville, which is huge.”

The state meet runs Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“It’s been a goal for so long,” Willard. “I put in so many hours outside of school. I lift and I go to wrestling outside of season. It is just expressly for this purpose. It is really amazing to see how my work has come together and how my work has brought me to this moment.”

Joining Willard in Coralville will be senior Shaona Emmanuel, who recorded two pins in the 155-pound bracket before falling to undefeated Skylar Slade of Southeast Polk in the final via pin in 5:27.

“I was just more worried about myself,” Emmanuel said. “I just focused on me because when I wrestle defensively, that is when I lose in those situations. I just wanted to wrestle in every match.”

Emmanuel will be returning to the state meet after finishing third at 155 pounds last season despite being on the wrong side of an early pin.

“I need to work harder,” Emmanuel said. “Just do that and focus on the little things, like finishing my shots. That is what I struggled with in my last match.”

Iowa City High (122.5 points) finished fourth in the team standings behind Southeast Polk (250), Linn-Mar (213.5) and Western Dubuque (148.5).

Clear Creek Amana was 10th with 22.5 points, led by a fourth-place finish at 100 pounds by Emma Staebler.

Class 2A Regional Meet

At City High

Team scores – 1. Southeast Polk 250; 2. Linn-Mar 213.5; 3. Western Dubuque 148.5; 4. City High 122.5; 5. Muscatine 109; 6. Bettendorf 97; 7. Fort Madison 84.5; 8. Davenport 52; 9. Oskaloosa 50.5; 10. Clear Creek Amana 22.5

Championship matches; state qualifiers

100 – 1. Ellie Casey (WD) dec. Brooke Walrath (L-M) 17-16 UTB

105 – 1. London Vermillion (SEP) major dec. Alyssa Sheets (OSK) 10-1

110 – 1. Gianna Halsted (SEP) pinned Jazlyn Enriquez (MUS) 2:25

115 – 1. Kate Seery (L-M) pinned Lexi Eaton (MUS) 1:19

120 – 1. Chloe Adamson (L-M) pinned Martha Willard (ICH) 1:12

125 – 1. Nesa Selmani (BET) pinned Eliza Mitchell (ICH) 1:52; 2. Caroline Pohlman (L-M)

130 – 1. Brielle Parke (L-M) pinned Arabella Varvel (SEP) 2:29

135 – 1. Addie Nelson (SEP) major dec. Mia Luck (OSK) 10-0

140 – 1. Mara Smith (FM) major dec. Khloee Schmidt (WD) 13-2

145 – 1. Alexis Steele (SEP) pinned Kat Diprima (FM) 3:51

155 – 1. Skylar Slade (SEP) pinned Shaona Emmanuel (ICH) 5:27

170 – 1. Ava Pfab (WD) pinned Molly Carlson (ICH) 1:21; 2. Aurora Lloyd (L-M)

190 – 1. Sophie Reed (SEP) pinned Josephine Manuel (ICH) :33; 2. Divine Akili (L-M)

235 – 1. Gracelyn McCarthy (WD) pinned Addyson Hall (SEP) 2:09

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