Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Gage Marty didn’t get a fiery pre-match speech from his coaches prior to his opening match at the Class 2A state wrestling meet on Thursday.

Instead, Solon co-head coach Aaron Hadenfeldt opted for some light ribbing of his top-ranked senior heavyweight.

“This is the third time Gage has been here and now the guys are up coming for him and I didn’t want him to tense up and not wrestle like Gage so I gave him a hard time about getting put on his back last year,” Hadenfeldt said. “I told him it’s a lot easier for us coaches when you just go out and pin them in the last 30 seconds.”

Marty took the light-hearted razzing from Hadenfeldt in stride.

Then he took care of business.

Marty (46-2) needed just 77 seconds to advance to the state quarterfinals for the second straight season, pinning PCM freshman Kaden Clark in the opening round at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“Definitely getting that first match out of the way it’s just getting used to the place and getting the mojo going,” Marty said. “Starting out with a good win, getting a quick pin is always good.”

The joke from Hadenfeldt dates back to last season when Marty ended up in a precarious position on his back midway through what ended in an 11-6 opening-round win.

There was no drama for Marty in his opening match this time.

Marty recorded a takedown 21 seconds into the match and led Clark 5-0 when he recorded the pin with 43 second remaining in the opening period.

“I told coach Hadenfeldt ‘let’s not make that same mistake again’,” Marty said. “I didn’t need to do that again.”

A two-time state medalist, Marty was seventh in his state meet debut in 2020 and sixth last season.

This year Marty enters as the favorite, top-ranked and atop a loaded 285-pound bracket.

A higher ranking or improved seed hasn’t changed the mindset for Marty.

“I just want to take care of business,” Marty said. “This is a business trip. That’s it. It’s business.”

Marty will be seeking his first ever trip to the state semifinals when he faces a familiar foe on Friday morning.

Marty takes on West Delaware junior Cameron Geuther (31-13) in the 2A quarterfinals on Friday morning in a session that begins at 9 a.m.

Geuther pinned tenth-ranked Skyler Young of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the opening round on Thursday.

Marty has a pair of wins over Geuther this season, posting a 5-1 decision on December 9 and winning a 14-2 major decision over Geuther in the semifinals of the WAMAC Conference meet last month.

“He’s the guy that everyone is gunning for being at the top of the bracket but we talked and said you have one match today,” Hadenfeldt said. “You take it one at a time that’s all you can control and if you go out and wrestle hopefully you are wrestling Saturday night but we aren’t going to overlook our next match because anyone that is down here is a good wrestler.”

Class 2A State Wrestling Tournament

At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. West Burlington/Notre Dame 25; 1. West Delaware 25; 3. Vinton-Shellsburg 19; 4. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 17; 5. Osage 16.5; 38 Solon 4

Opening round (Area wrestlers)

126 – Jaiden Moore (Benton Community) pinned Jordan Schmidt (Solon) 2:31

220 – Aiden Morgan (Davenport Assumption) pinned Tyler Hancox (Solon) 2:00

285 – Gage Marty (Solon) pinned Kaden Clark (PCM) 1:17

First round consolation

126 – Abe Bushong (Winterset) pinned Jordan Schmidt (Solon) 1:16

220 – Paul Ballard (Albia) pinned Tyler Hancox (Solon) 3:28

Friday’s quarterfinal matches

285 – No. 1 Gage Marty (46-2), Sr., Solon vs. Cameron Geuther (31-13) Jr., West Delaware

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