Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – Four-sport City High junior Molly Carlson still considers herself a softball player first.

However, every winter Carlson becomes a little bit more of a wrestler.

“It’s tough to say but softball is definitely still my favorite,” Carlson said. “But wrestling is definitely growing on me.”

Wrestling may not ever surpass softball as Carlson’s passion, which given her production on the diamond makes sense.

However, if Carlson keeps making improvements the way she has the past two seasons and turning in performances like she did on Tuesday wrestling is going to quickly be a close second to softball for the City High standout who also competes in volleyball and track and field.

Carlson pinned her way to the 170-pound title at the season-opening Little Hawk Invitational on Tuesday winning the title at her home invite for the second straight season.

“I won this tournament last year and so I had some confidence going in,” Carlson said. “There were so new teams here and I was looking forward to seeing some different girls and it’s just a good feeling going into the rest of the season undefeated.”

The title from Carlson highlighted a strong opening meet for City High which finished runner-up with 189 points.

Sophomore Eliza Mitchell finished runner-up at 115 pounds and Annabelle Stelpflug was runner-up at 155 as City High finished seven points in front of third-place Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

Cedar Rapids Prairie won the team title with 247.5 points.

“We battled all night long,” City High co-head coach Jeff Koenig said. “We were in the top two of this tournament and we got some good wrestling out of our lighter weights so we are in a really good place this early in the season.”

A state qualifier each of the past two seasons, Carlson has high expectations this winter coming off a 30-win sophomore season.

“With the split into two classes I am confident I can make the podium this year,” Carlson said. “The podium is what I am aiming for that would be really cool.”

Carlson looked like a state medal caliber wrestler on Tuesday as she posted back-to-back first-period pins to reach the finals.

Carlson pinned West High freshman Eva Jara in 49 seconds in her opening match and needed 22 seconds to pin Meredith Coppess of Tipton in the semifinals.

“I think what I see is everything is slowing down for her,” said Koenig who also coaches Carlson in softball at City High. “Before she would get herself ahead and now I see her slowing down and she gets through things and she doesn’t panic.”

Carlson trailed 3-0 in the championship match against Dubuque Senior junior Hayleigh Forster following an early takedown.

A reversal and near fall gave Carlson the lead and she needed just 26 seconds in the second period to complete the pin.

“I got down in that last match and I feel like I did good of staying calm on bottom and working her weaknesses against her,” Carlson said. “I am really proud of how I worked on bottom.”

Mitchell went 2-1 on her way to a runner-up finish at 115 pounds falling to Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Elanor Pfab via tech fall in the title match.

Stelpflug finished runner-up at 155 pounds falling to teammate Shaona Emmanuel in the title match.

Emmanuel went 4-0 with four pins while competing unattached at 155 pounds.

Martha Willard went 3-1 on her way to a third-place finish at 120 pounds for City High.

“I thought we set up some of our takedowns that maybe last year at this point in this tournament we didn’t have as many takedowns,” Koenig said. “We attacked when we were on top.”

Liberty High finished fifth with 159 points behind a title from junior Evelyn Eggleston at 140 pounds.

Eggleston had two first-period falls and two tech falls on her way to the 140-pound title.

She pinned Karise Benson of Dubuque senior in 1:56 in the championship match.

Kaitlyn Raue went 5-1 and finished third at 130 pounds and Peyten Van Duke went 4-1 and placed third at 155 pounds.

Led by a runner-up finish from Trinity Myers at 130 pounds, West High finished 12^th with 62 points.

Myers (3-1) posted three consecutive pins to reach the 130-pound final where she fell to Mackenzie Childers of Cedar Rapids Prairie.

Little Hawk Invitational

At City High

Team scores – 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 247.5; 2. City High 189; 3. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 182; 4. Ottumwa 173; 5. Liberty High 159; 6. Wilton 151; 7. Pleasant Valley 110; 8. Dubuque Senior 100; 9. Burlington 99; 10. Tipton 93; 11. Cedar Rapids Xavier 62.5; 12. West High 62; 13. Anamosa 58; 14. West Branch 22; 15. Maquoketa 18

Individual results (champions matches, area placewinners)

100 – 1. Audrey Cummings (WIL) major dec. Elizabeth Burns (CRP) 10-0; 4. Eva Pentecost (ICL); 5. Stella Raitt (ICH)

105 – 1. Natalie Hartman (WIL) pinned Marie Burns (CRP) 4:37; 5. Cooper Hamilton (ICH); 8. Maisie Martinez (ICL)

110 – 1. Audra Coss (WIL) pinned Ashlyn Garcia (CRJ) 3:02; 4. Naoni Davvisson (ICL); 5. Etta Winders (ICH)

115 – 1. Eleanor Pfab (CRX) tech. fall Eliza Mitchell (ICH) 18-3; 8. Xuvia Stevenson (ICW)

120 – 1. Abigail Meyrer (PV) pinned Josslyn Holladay (WIL) :46; 3. Martha Willard (ICH); 6. Mia Ungs (ICL)

125 – 1. Saidee Hamilton (TIP) major dec. Maravilha Vedina (OTT) 11-1

130 – 1. Mackenzie Childers (CRP) pinned Trinity Myers (ICW) 1:00; 3. Kaitlyn Raue (ICL)

135 – 1. Jaydee Bircher (OTT) pinned Josephine Budederi (CRJ) 3:13; 4. Elyse Caviel (ICL); 6. Vivienne Heller (ICH); 7. Karly Shelton (WB)

140 – 1. Evelyn Eggleston (ICL) pinned Karise Benson (DS) 1:56; 6. Nicole Peterson (ICH); 7. Sylvia Broffitt (ICW)

145 – 1. Luisa Meade (CRP) pinned Theresa Gonpue (CRJ) 3:49; 4. Nina Peterson (ICH); 5. Callum Wu (ICL); 7. Ayla Bleil (ICW)

155 – 1. Shaona Emmanuel (ICH) pinned Annabelle Stelpflug (ICH) 1:48; 3. Peyten Van Dyke (ICL); 8. Hanna Lacina (WB)

170 – 1. Molly Carlson (ICH) pinned Hayleigh Forster (DS) 2:26

190 – 1. Lexi Pinon (CRJ) pinned Gihanna Exprime (OTT) 1:42; 5. Deanna Varela (ICW); 7. Saylee Gingerich (WB); 8. Emma Sanders (ICL)

235 – 1. Kiara Rodriguez (BUR) pinned Delilah Subsin (OTT) 2:34; 4. Amy Martinez (ICH); 7. Abigail Carr (ICL)

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