Meinders, Johnson third at State Wrestling

Meinders’ finish is best in school history

    DES MOINES — One year after a seventh-place finish at 195 pounds in the 1A state wrestling tournament, AGWSR junior set his sights on bigger and better things. And after a successful 2014 state tournament, his sights will be set even higher.
    Meinders became the highest-finishing wrestling in AGWSR High School history Saturday with a third-place finish in the 220-pound weight division.
    “It feels great,” Meinders said of his finish. “Coming in I wanted to finish at least in the top three, and getting your goal feels really good.”
    Ranked No. 4 by The Predicament, Meinders knocked off three ranked wrestlers while suffering his only loss to eventual state runner-up Vinnie Harvey of Fort Dodge St. Edmond, who also handed Meinders his only regular-season loss. He opened with a third-period fall over ninth-ranked Sigourney-Keota senior Tucker Fowler and then scored a 5-2 decision against unranked Wilton junior Logan Reddick. Harvey scored a 3-0 decision over Meinders, who said even that loss was a step in the right direction after he had been pinned in the first period the first time he and Harvey met.
    “Going 3-0 with the No. 2 ranked kid in the state feels pretty good,” he said. “Yes I would have liked to win, but …”
Johnson matches brother’s finish four years ago
    DES MOINES — Dike-New Hartford freshman Trent Johnson had high hopes heading into his first year of varsity wrestling. Wide eyed and confident, he set his sights on winning a state championship right out of the gate.
    It’s a safe bet, however, that he’ll be happy with third place.
    Saturday Johnson became Dike-New Hartford’s highest finisher at the state tournament since his brother Tanner finished third four years ago with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Woodbury Central junior Lane Nichols in the consolation final at 126 pounds in Class 1A.
    “I had three goals at the beginning of the year — 40 wins, state champ and undefeated,” Johnson said. “I made one of those, but the ones I lost I made other goals — I was conference champ and then I got third so I made all my goals eventually.”
    Johnson’s victory avenged his lone loss of the state tournament, an 8-6 sudden victory decision against Nichols in the quarterfinal round. The D-NH freshman came back with three straight wins, all by decisions of five points or less, to earn a spot in the consolation final.
 

For more of these stories, see the Feb. 27 Grundy Register.