Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Since Cory Connell took over the wrestling program at City High much of the motivation for the Little Hawks has been fueled by a desire to climb back toward the top of Class 3A.

With Mississippi Valley Conference regular season and Super Meet titles, a district crown, a spot at the state dual meet and a top-10 finish at the 3A state meet City High took some huge steps in that ascent last season.

Some coaches would worry a breakthrough season could lower motivation, allow wrestlers to rest on their laurels and celebrate past success.

The success of last season has had the exact opposite effect on Connell’s current group of Little Hawks.

“I feel like last year just motivated us a lot more,” 106-pound junior Ethan Wood-Finley said. “We are still working hard to maintain that success like winning MVC or placing high at state but it’s super motivating knowing that we can do stuff like that.”

Last season was the breakthrough Connell and the Little Hawks were waiting for.  

City High claimed its first MVC Super Meet title since 2002, reached the state dual meet for the first time since 2006 and placed eighth at the state meet with 71 points, the best state finish in six seasons under Connell.

Using last season’s success as motivation the Little Hawks plan to take that success a step further this winter.

“We are building off of last year, we are making a few changes here and there but we are even more focused than last year. We are keeping that same mentality,” senior Kyle Hefley said. “That showed what we are capable of and it gives us a good starting point to hopefully springboard us for the future.”

There are holes in the Little Hawk lineup that need filled, Connell makes no bones about that fact.

The most notable losses are state champion Jacob Dykes at 195 pounds and state runner-up Wilfred Kadohou at 160.

Connell feels good about the talent that returns and the depth that has formed in his six years leading his alma mater.

“We lost a state champ, a state runner-up and basically two other state placewinners and some other good kids we have kids that are coming into the lineup that are good they just need to step up and really take those spots,” Connell said. “Obviously we want to win MVCs every year, we want to get in the talks for state championships and we have kids that can all do that again we just have kids that need to step up and take advantage of the season they have.”

Hefley and Wood-Finley headline a group of four returning state qualifiers.

Wood-Finley went 42-7 as a sophomore winning district and MVC titles before placing fifth at the state meet at 106.

The junior opens the season as the top-ranked 106 pounder in 3A.

“I’m just motivated to work hard and to try to win state,” Wood-Finley said. “I am definitely trying to be team a leader and motivate a big freshman class that we have coming in.”

Hefley had an impressive junior season end in disappointing fashion with back-to-back losses at the state meet.

He won the MVC title at 152 pounds and finished with a 43-4 record but an 0-2 performance at state has stuck with Hefley throughout the offseason.

“When you end it like that it sticks with you a little bit,” Hefley said. “Even if you try to put it behind it still just sticks with you especially when the season starts rolling around you start thinking about it again.”

Hefley and Wood-Finley have worked to take on a leadership role this season as City High seeks to show last year’s success was no fluke.

“I think Ethan and Kyle are unbelievable leaders by example,” Connell said. “You can’t find kids that will work harder and do the right things on and off the mat. We need some guys to pick up the leadership more vocally to get the guys going and make sure we have the kids that we need going in the right direction go that way and follow them.”

Seniors Brandon Lalla (32-20) and Jacob Murry (36-15) return as state meet qualifiers and seven other upperclassmen are back after spending time in the varsity lineup.

Four of those upperclassmen, juniors Garrett Bormann (25-19), Reese Caven (29-16) and Jason Lemus (22-26) and senior Michael Santoro (24-23) won more than 22 matches a year ago.

“I believe we have the right guys in the room to do those same things we did last year,” Hefley said. “We have a lot of guys coming back and a lot of new guys coming in that are hungry that are going to be strong.”