Challen and Yoder win first round matches at state

By SUE RIEDER
sports@beeherald.com
Abe Yoder and Jordan Challen both won their first round matches on day one of the Iowa High School Wrestling Championships and will wrestle in the quarter final round on Friday. Yoder wrestled a familiar opponent whom he’d defeated twice this season. Tyson Manzer of Roland-Story proved to be more of a handful in their third meeting, but Yoder still came out on top 11-8. Challen was the aggressor in his match versus Trae Pecinovsky of Crestwood, giving up only one point on an escape while scoring eight.
Sophomore Hunter Ruth led most of his first match with Andrew Hill from Carisle, but Hill went ahead late in the final period and won 6-5. In his second match Ruth was pitted against sixth ranked Darin Greenfield from Sheldon/South O’Brien, a senior who was 43-1 after losing his first match of the year in the opening round. Hunter was competitive, but lost by fall while trying to get an escape.
Challen and Yoder will resume wrestling on Friday in the 3A and 2A quarterfinal round which is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. and end at approximately 1 p.m. Sixth ranked Challen is scheduled to face fourth ranked Trevor Harsh from ADM (Adel). Harsh beat Jordan 2-0 earlier in the season, so it should be a very competitive match. Yoder will wrestle second ranked Bradley Irwin from Centerville who has a 48-7 record. Abe is now 40-5 and was ranked ninth in the final Predicament Magazine rankings, so it should be a great match also.