by Savannah Sorensen

February 19-21 was the annual Iowa High School State Wrestling tournament held at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The Trojans qualified four wrestlers and had five wrestle due to an injury that occurred Wednesday during the state team duals. Freshman Kole Hansen, sophomore Carter Cox, and seniors Reid Nichols and Austin Williamson all qualified, with sophomore Drake Roller stepping in for an injured Creston Panther.

Nichols was the lone Trojan to continue competing throughout the duration of the tournament. Nichols finished eighth and received a spot on the podium Saturday evening. According to head coach Tim Duff, Nichols’s goal was to qualify for state and finish on the podium. Although he did accomplish that, he was hungry for more. He also broke the school record for career wins with 160.

As for Roller, it was a heart-breaking situation that he handled in a humble way. Creston Panther senior Tayler Pettit was injured during the state team duals Wednesday afternoon. Pettit collapsed on the mat and was revived by a medical team on staff at the tournament. The Panthers wrestling team presented Roller with a t-shirt made by them that said “Do it for Pettit” on the back. The Panthers ,as well as Roller, wrestled the tournament in honor of Pettit.

Duff said, “As a team we feel for him, his family, and friends. That was just an awful situation. As far as Drake getting the chance to fill in the bracket, it was good experience for him. I think the Creston team was very supportive of Drake and were wishing him the best.”  Roller was eliminated the first round.

The Trojans end their season with a dual record of 17-4, fifth in the conference, second in their district, along with a few tournament team titles. They also had 12 district qualifiers, the most in school history.