D-NH wrestling leads area at A-P/GC tourney

PARKERSBURG – Tony Norton is willing to be patient with his Dike-New Hartford wrestling team.
 
There were bound to be growing pains, but Norton was encouraged by the improvement shown by the Wolverines at Saturday's Keith Vry Invitational in Parkersburg, especially compared to Thursday's dual losses to SH-BCLUW and Union in Conrad.
 
The Wolverines finished seventh in the competitive 14-team field with 54 team points, with Chase Arends finishing second in the 285-pound bracket and Nathan Graves placing fourth at 170 pounds.
 
Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center was 10th with 43 points and AGWSR placed 12th with 26 points.
 
Grundy Center wrestler Nolan Freeman took third place for A-P/GC at 220 pounds by injury default after falling in the semifinals to eventual 220-pound champion Stone Peckham of Crestwood.
 
AGWSR's 106-pounder Ali Gerbracht was the top finisher for the Cougars on Saturday, finishing fourth in her bracket after a 7-6 decision loss to Sumner-Fredericksburg's Brady Wilkinson, which saw a dramatic finish as Gerbracht nearly had Wilkinson pinned but time ran out before Gerbracht could earn the near-fall points or the pinfall necessary to pull out the last-second victory.
 
Read more in the Dec. 14 Grundy Register. Subscribe by calling (319) 824-6958 or clicking here.