Tough day for area 2A wrestlers

INDEPENDENCE – There was no room for "OK" in the Class 2A District 5 wrestling tournament on Saturday afternoon.
 
Every wrestler needed to be at their peak, and even that couldn't guarantee the two spots per weight class reserved for Wells Fargo Arena.
 
In the end, wrestlers from Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center, Dike-New Hartford and South Hardin-BCLUW couldn't break through, and the season for area 2A wrestlers came to an end at Independence High School.
 
South Hardin-BCLUW came the closest to sending multiple wrestlers to state from the area, with three of the four Storm wrestlers competing missing out in wrestleback matches. Carter Kolthoff, Taylor Kolthoff and Coby Willett all finished third for the Storm, with Owen Fuller placing fourth.
 
A-P/GC junior Brier Uhlenhopp placed fourth at 145 pounds. D-NH's Nathan Graves was able to earn his way to a wrestleback at 182. Wolverine heavyweight Jacob Leohr added a 3rd finish. Jace Petersen (138 pounds), Aidan Walters (170), Zach Starbuck (195) and Daniel Graves (220) all finished in fourth place for D-NH.
 
"They wrestled hard, made a few mistakes along the way but they're high school kids, so it's to be expected," D-NH head coach Tony Norton said of the Wolverines. "You gotta bring it. … Nathan showed a lot of heart and a lot of guts to get that chance for a wrestleback. Guess it just wasn't meant to be today."
 
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