Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Jax Flynn spent the entire week feeling like an underdog entering the Class 2A state tournament.

He might feel like an underdog but Flynn hasn’t wrestled like one this week in Des Moines.

Flynn continued his wild ride through the 170-pound bracket with a 7-6 heart-pounding win over top-ranked Jared Voss of West Delaware in the 2A semifinals on Friday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.  

“All I think about is being the underdog,” Flynn said. “No one believed in me except the people I know, my coaches, my family, my teammates. I love being that underdog. I love it.”

Flynn (48-7) avenged a regular season loss with a 6-2 sudden victory win over seventh-ranked Mason Griffin of Emmetsburg in the quarterfinals on Friday morning.

He followed it up by knocking off WAMAC Conference rival Voss (33-6) for the second time this season to reach the state title match for the first time in his career.

“It’s amazing, the best feeling ever,” Flynn said. “This is the greatest atmosphere in Iowa and wrestling is a great sport. It’s always been a dream to be here and I’m finally here now.”

The win by Flynn at 170 was half of a thrilling semifinal round for the Spartans.

Top-ranked sophomore Hayden Taylor (51-0) won a matchup of defending state champions at 145 pounds 3-2 in an ultimate tie breaker over Jack Thomsen (44-3) of Union 3-2 on a penalty point after three false start cautions on Thomsen.

“It just sucks that it had to come down to a caution, I wanted to win on my own terms but a win is a win,” Taylor said. “I’m in the finals now.”

Flynn spent much of the regular season ranked in the top three.

He lost three times in December and three more times in January. By the time the postseason rolled around Flynn had dropped to eighth in the rankings.

Since a semifinal loss at the WAMAC conference meet on February 1 Flynn has won 10 consecutive matches, four over ranked opponents.

“He’s a gamer and he’s always been a gamer and I think when people doubt him is when he’s at his best,” Solon coach Blake Williams said. “I think a lot of people probably didn’t give him a chance, he’d lost seven matches throughout the year but you know what he’s finally healthy and he’s got guts.”

In two days at the state tournament Flynn has been at his wide-open, free flowing best.

His matches almost always come with wild scrambles and a few momentum swings and Friday’s semifinal was no exception.

Following a scoreless first period both Flynn and Voss recorded reversals in a wild period that ended with Flynn clinging to a 5-4 lead.

Voss took his first lead of the match on a reversal 10 seconds into the third quarter and rode Flynn for more than a minute as the Solon senior scrambled through a few precarious positions.

“I don’t even know what happened,” Flynn said. “I thought I was screwed when he had me in that spladle. He kept trying to bait me into that and I finally hooked my arm with it and that got me but I made sure to keep my back leveled up and sneak through that.”

Flynn came up with the winning move with 36 seconds left with a reversal followed by a ride out.

“He loves that underdog role, no doubt about it,” Williams said. “He really believed he could win. I’m really proud of him.”

Flynn will look to keep his underdog destruction going when he faces second-ranked Spencer Mooberry (48-1) of Osage in the finals on Saturday.

“Rankings don’t mean anything obviously,” Flynn said. “I just made the finals ranked eighth, it just shows that if you put your mind to it you can get anything done.”

Taylor will go for his second straight title on Saturday after surviving a thriller against Thomsen in the semifinals.

All the points in the match came via escape until the penalty point after Thomsen was warned twice for early starts on top in the third 30-second ultimate tie break period.

“Even though it was a 1-1 match and then 2-2 it was just two tough wrestlers, state champions, getting after it with each other,” Williams said. “It’s probably not the way Hayden wanted to win; he had that determination in his eye but here a win is a win.”

The win marked the second straight season Taylor has defeated a defending state champion in the semifinals.

Last year he defeated Andrew Flora of ADM 15-0 via tech fall in the semifinals. Friday it was a nail biter against last year’s 138-pound champ in Thomsen.

“It’s not the way you want to win but what do you say? It was just two state champions battling toe to toe,” Williams said. “It was unfortunate they were meeting Friday night instead of Saturday night really.”

Taylor will face No. 8 Trestin Sales (45-2) of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the 145-pound final.

“Coach said a win is a win, it doesn’t matter now you are on to the finals now,” Taylor said. “Just put that behind you and move on from here.”

The semifinal wins pulled Solon up to fourth in the team standings with 53 points, just five points back of Union and Centerville who are tied for second behind 2A leader Osage.

Class 2A State Meet

At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Osage 72; 2. Centerville 58; 2. Union 58; 4. Solon 53; 5. West Delaware 49; 6. West Liberty 48; 7. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 46; 8. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont 44.5; 9. Bondurant-Farrar 43.5; 10. Independence 42

Semifinal Round (Area Wrestlers Only)

145 – Hayden Taylor (Solon) dec. Jack Thomsen (Union) 3-2 UTB

170 – Jax Flynn (Solon) dec. Jared Voss (West Delaware) 7-6

Third Round Consolation (Solon Wrestlers Only)

182 – Jacob Reicks (New Hampton) dec. Seamus Poynton (Solon) 1-0

195 – Sam Chapman (Creston) dec. Gage Marty (Solon) 5-1

Saturday’s Championship Matches

145 – No. 1 Hayden Taylor (51-0) Soph., Solon vs. No. 8 Trestin Sales (45-2) Jr., Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont

170 – No. 8 Jax Flynn (48-7) Sr., Solon vs. No. 2 Spencer Mooberry (48-1) Jr., Osage

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