State wrestling: D-NH's Arends to wrestle for 285 title

DES MOINES -- Chase Arends and Brian Sadler will see their wrestling lives come full circle on Saturday night.
 
The heavyweights from Dike-New Hartford and Jesup will be part of the main event of the championship session that begins at 6 p.m. with the grand march, followed by finals for all three classes.
 
Arends and Sadler go way, way back.
 
"In kindergarten, we'd go to tournaments on the weekends and he was the first kid I ever wrestled," Arends said, "and now we're going to end it. ... It just feels good to do right by my family, coaches and the people that were by me this whole time."
 
Arends won a 5-3 decision against Manson Northwest Webster's Enrique Maravilla in the semifinals, while Sadler pinned Belmond-Klemme's Cameron Beminio in 3 minutes, 24 seconds. Sadler has still yet to take a loss in his senior season, entering Saturday's championship a perfect 43-0. Arends is 42-6, with four of those losses coming to Sadler.
 
D-NH head coach Tony Norton was happy to see Arends not overthink the high-stakes matches on his way to the championship.
 
"We obviously would always want a tech fall or scoring as many points, but he did it the right way," Norton said. "It can be hard to keep your emotions in check, but he was good at doing that."
 
Arends doesn't mind being one of the last wrestlers on the mats on Saturday night.
 
"This is 285, we're used to being the last to walk out (of the gym)," Arends said. "Maybe we're the first in line for food."
 
Norton added: "We're wrestling Saturday night at state, that's what we want. We'll shake hands and let 'er fly."
 
Around the area
 
Trey Lashbrook (AGWSR) will wrestle Jacob Moore (Denver) in a 7th-place match at 113 pounds on Saturday morning, and will, win or lose, finish his freshman season as a state medalist. Lashbrook won his first match of the day in an 8-5 decision over Will Martin of Moravia but lost by fall to Daltin Roest of Manson Northwest Webster in the third-round consolation match.
 
Taylor Kolthoff (SH-BCLUW) is guaranteed a state medal in his sophomore season as he wrestles a 7th-place match with Estherville-LC's Jason Peta on Saturday morning.
 
Ryne Fuller (SH-BCLUW) saw his state run come to an end in the consolation bracket, pinned by Fairfield's Brendon Lunsford in a 285 second-round consolation match. Fuller ended his senior season 34-16.
 
Hunter Maitland (A-P/GC) will wrestle Thomas Bentley of Red Oak in a consolation semifinal tomorrow morning. The winner of that match will wrestle a 3rd-place match at 182 pounds, the loser will wrestle for 5th.
 
The full story from state wrestling will appear in the Feb. 21 Grundy Register.