~by Dustin Teays for The Scranton Journal
It’s a good day at the office when you can qualify a wrestler for the Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament; it’s even better when you qualify a school-record number of wrestlers.
The Greene County Rams headed to Humboldt for their Class 2A District Tournament, and six wrestlers, a school record, qualified for the state tournament being held from Feb. 19-22 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
At the district tournament, the goal was to finish either first or second to qualify for the state tournament. Brennan Jacobs placed second at 106 pounds, Jaron Jacobs placed second at 113 pounds, Gavyn Winters placed second at 120 pounds, Brent Dennhardt took the championship at 157 pounds, Degan Miller took the championship at 165 pounds, and Marcus Ball took second at 215 pounds. Their performances at districts made the coaching staff extremely proud.
“This has been a group of great kids to break a school record for the most state qualifiers in a season. They have worked extremely hard all season while facing adversity and always competing at a very high level,” head coach Kirk Davis said. “I have been truly blessed to be able to coach and work with this amazing group of young men.”
The Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament is one of Iowa’s premier state competitions and is held in high regard. The Rams believe they have the talent on the roster to make some noise at the state tournament, which is slated to start Wednesday.
“We have the skills and talent to get several of these guys on the podium. We have to get and stay healthy, and it never hurts to catch a break but, most importantly, wrestle to the level that we are capable,” Davis added.
All the Greene County wrestlers heading to the tournament will need to place inside of the top eight in order to earn a medal in their weight class, and all of them know their seeding for the tournament. Degan Miller is seeded sixth, Brent Denhardt is eighth, Gavyn Winters is 11th, Brennan Jacobs is 14th, Jaron Jacobs is 16th and Marcus Ball is 22nd. The wrestling state tournament will continue through Saturday as the Rams hope to get some podium finishes after a highly successful wrestling season.
