Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – The celebration by Aidan Udell following his title at the Regina Invitational Saturday was rather subdued.

“I was doing that for my uncle, it was sort of a Rick Flair type of thing,” Udell said after letting out a muted “woo” following the 170-pound title match. “I wanted to be respectful.”

There was absolutely nothing quiet about the way Udell wrestled on Saturday.

An energized Udell posted a pair of first-period pins and a major decision while rolling through the 170-pound bracket on Saturday and improving to 6-0 on the season.

The fourth-ranked Udell posted a 29-second pin the quarterfinals and a 19-5 major decision over Sigourney-Keota junior Cade Molyneux to reach the title match where he needed just 20 seconds to dispatch of Pekin sophomore Blake Juhl via fall.

“I’m just more aggressive every time I’m on the mat,” Udell said. “I’m looking for my shots, not waiting for them to shoot. I’m the one scoring and doing everything in my power to make the match mine.”

Being aggressive has rarely been an issue for Udell who was a state qualifier last season as a sophomore and is coming off an all-state football season as a defensive lineman.

This season Udell is focused on taking that aggression on the wresting mat to another level.

“He’s an aggressive kid so it’s already there we have to just take it to the next level,” Regina coach Zach Ries said. “He wants to finish on the top of the podium so we have to prepare him and he has to match that aggressiveness and intensity with those with great talent.”

Udell showed his new ultra-aggressive approach in the final taking Juhl to the mat just five seconds into the match.

Just 15 seconds later the match was over.

“I like to create my own openings instead of waiting for him to mess up and create an opening,” Udell said. “That’s just what I tried to do in that match and every other match.”

Along with the increased intensity on the mat, preparation has been a key for Udell who missed a week with an arm injury.

“What he’s really focusing on is working on his attitude and how he prepares,” Ries said. “Along with that he’s working on his shots, his breakdowns and finishing the match as quickly as possible.”

The title from Udell and a runner-up finish from Sam Aitchison (15-2) at 152 pounds helped Regina to a fifth-place team finish with 106 points.

MFL Mar Mac won the team title at the 10-team event with 246.5 points.

Ronan Poynton (9-1) placed third at 195 pounds and Caden Shetler (8-4) was third at 285 for the Regals.

“It was a pretty average day for us,” Ries said. “We have things to fine tune but overall the effort the kids are giving and the listening they are doing to the coaches is outstanding.”

West Branch crowned a pair of champions on Saturday on its way to a tenth-place team finish with 71.5 points.

Senior Morgan Hartz (8-3) won the 195-pound title while freshman Logan Wright added a title at 220 pounds.

“We’ve been battling injuries and some sickness so today I’m just glad we had a lineup,” West Branch coach Jake Slocum said. “We are trying to peak at the right time of the year and these tournaments don’t mean as much as the ones towards the end so I am happy with how we did.”

Hartz (8-3) posted a pair of decisions on his way to the 195-pound title, downing Cade Streigle of Sigourney-Keota 7-4 in the championship match.

Hartz scored the opening takedown against Streigle in the first period and put the match away with a takedown off a counter in the final 20 seconds.

“I could have had a little more offense and coach is probably a little upset I didn’t push my offense more but I knew I was up and he was going to try to take a shot and I did my best,” Hartz said.

Wright posted three consecutive pins on his way to the 220-pound title, putting Jack Boldt on his back for a pin in 1:02 of the title match.

“Usually my coach doesn’t want me to throw a headlock but I threw it because it was there and he was happy with it,” Wright said. “I knew I had it tight.”

Regina Invitational

At Iowa City

Team scores – 1. MFL Mar Mac 246.5; 2. Pekin 124; 3. Sigourney-Keota 123; 4. Tipton 114; 5. Regina 106; 6. North Cedar 87.5; 7. Mount Pleasant 80.5; 8. HLV 79.5; 9. Fairfield 78; 10. West Branch 71.5

Championship Matches; area placewinners

106 – 1. Konner Murray (NC) pinned Koal Klenk (MFL) :58

113 – 1. Kole Murray (NC) tech. fall Konnor Barat-Klimesh (MFL) 17-1

120 – 1. Nate Wood (NC) major dec. Gannon McNamee (MP) 14-2; 6. Dylan Olson (WB)

126 – 1. Carson Coleman (MP) major dec. Ethan Kupka (HLV) 14-2

132 – 1. Bryce Radloff (MFL) pinned Brody Sternhagen (HLV) :50

138 – 1. Karter Decker (MFL) pinned Marcus Kolesar (HLV) 1:31

145 – 1. Kaleb Nerem (TIP) dec. Bailey Frescoln (PEK) 5-2; 5. Carter Rios (ICR)

152 – 1. Cael Baker (PEK) dec. Sam Aitchison (ICR) 8-1; 6. Cole Bailey (WB)

160 – 1. Gabe McGeough (MFL) pinned Skylar Schmidt (TIP) 1:38; 4. Sean Nugent (ICR); 6. Jaxson Kaalberg (WB)

170 – 1. Aidan Udell (ICR) pinned Blake Juhl (PEK) :20

182 – 1. Mason Juhl (PEK) pinned Aidan Schuster (S-K) :58; 5. Christopher Waikel (ICR)

195 – 1. Morgan Hartz (WB) dec. Cade Streigle (S-K) 7-4; 3. Ronan Poynton (ICR)

220 – 1. Logan Wright (WB) pinned Jack Boldt (TIP) 1:02

285 – 1. Jacon Trudo (MFL) pinned Nile Schuett (TIP) 4:55; 3. Caden Shetler (ICR)

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