• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ankeny Fanatic

Your Ankeny Sports Resource

  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • About
    • Support Us
  • News
    • Podcast
  • Forums
  • Hawks
    • Boys’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Tennis
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Tennis
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Golf
      • Roster
      • Schedule
  • Jaguars
    • Boys’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Track
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Tennis
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Tennis
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Boys’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Soccer
      • Roster
      • Schedule
    • Girls’ Golf
      • Roster
      • Schedule

Neils pins his way into 3A quarterfinals, while Monroe escapes with win

February 21, 2020 by Dan Holm

Ankeny Centennial’s Logan Neils picks up Tucker Pederson of Fort Dodge during a first-round match at 170 pounds in the Class 3A state tournament on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. Neils pinned Pederson in 5 minutes 33 seconds to advance to Friday’s quarterfinals. (Photo by Dan Holm)

A .500 record on the opening day of the Class 3A state tournament left Ankeny Centennial with two quarterfinalists and two more wrestlers alive in the consolation bracket.

Top-ranked Logan Neils at 170 pounds and No. 4 Ben Monroe at 145 each won their first-round matches on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. Teammates Jackson Bresson at 120 and Jackson Helmkamp at 126 both bounced back from a loss to win a consolation match.

The Jaguars are in 15th place with 12 points heading into Friday’s action.

“We seemed to have a slow start from every kid,” said Centennial coach Jay Groth. “Nobody really came out on fire. I think we were nervous and maybe looking past–looking at who we’re going to see in the semis or whatever. Even though we keep preaching that, it’s hard to change that in a kid. But we’ll keep working at it because we’ve got to go two more days. We’ll see what happens.”

Neils raised his record to 40-0 by pinning Tucker Pederson of Fort Dodge in 5 minutes 33 seconds. Pederson, a freshman, wrestled at 160 for most of the season.

“It always feels good (to win). The first (match) is a little scary,” Neils said. “(Pederson) bumped up to wrestle at 170 to make it through districts, and he did well for a freshman.”

Neils will face No. 9 Bradley Hill of Bettendorf (33-7) in Friday’s quarterfinals. The senior is confident about his chances to close out his high school career with a state title.

Ankeny Centennial’s Ben Monroe battles for position with Logan Adamson of Bettendorf during a first-round match at 145 pounds. Monroe posted a 6-5 victory. (Photo by Dan Holm)

“We looked at the bracket and everyone we’re projecting to get I’ve wrestled either this year or last year, so we know a lot about them,” Neils said.

While Neils cruised into the quarterfinals, Monroe didn’t have the same luxury. The three-time state runner-up escaped with a 6-5 victory over Logan Adamson of Bettendorf.

Monroe built a 4-1 lead with a pair of takedowns, but Adamson rallied to take a 5-4 lead. Monroe got an escape in the second period to tie the score, then got another one in the final period for the go-ahead point.

Monroe held off numerous takedown attempts by Adamson in the final minute.

“I thought I could hang on,” Monroe said.

Monroe improved to 36-2 on the season. He will face No. 5 Graham Gambrall of Iowa City West (33-5) on Friday.

Ankeny Centennial’s Jackson Bresson tries to gain control of Garrett Bormann of Iowa City High during a first-round consolation match at 120 pounds. Bresson pinned Bormann in 4 minutes 52 seconds to stay alive in the tournament. (Photo by Dan Holm)

“Ben got off to a good start,” Groth said. “He wrestled well in the first period and then kind of got overly cautious and slowed it down a little bit. He knows (what he has to do). He’ll be more aggressive (Friday).”

Bresson dropped a 9-2 decision to Tanner Wink of Council Bluffs Lewis Central in the opening round. He then pinned No. 6 Garrett Bormann of Iowa City High in 4:52 in a consolation match.

Bresson is now 23-14. He could meet No. 10 Cael Cox of Ankeny in a second-round consolation match on Friday.

Helmkamp lost by a technical fall, 17-2, to No. 2 Carson Taylor of Fort Dodge, a defending champion. He then improved to 31-12 by pinning Jaxson Kuhlmann of Carroll in 5:29.

Centennial’s other qualifier, Cael Wiener at 106, was eliminated from the tournament after losing to a pair of ranked opponents. He was pinned by No. 2 Ryder Block of Waverly-Shell Rock in 1:45, then dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 10 Nathan Canfield of Davenport Central.

Wiener, a freshman, finished the season at 24-16.

Ankeny Centennial’s Cael Wiener tries to escape from Nathan Canfield of Davenport Central during a first-round consolation match at 106 pounds. Wiener was eliminated from the tournament after dropping a 6-4 decision. (Photo by Dan Holm)

Filed Under: Jaguars, Wrestling Tagged With: Ben Monroe, Featured, Jay Groth, Logan Neils

Primary Sidebar

Support Ankeny Fanatic

Recent Posts

  • Ankeny boys give up late goal, hold on for 2-1 victory over Polar Bears
  • Medalist Webb leads Hawkettes to runner-up finish at Centennial Invite
  • Kohl named Quarterback MVP at Under Armour All-America Camp
  • Ankeny Fanatic Prep of the Week: Will Blevins, Ankeny Centennial boys’ tennis
  • ‘I just knew it was the place for me’: Centennial’s Porter commits to NIU

Find Us on Facebook

Ankeny Fanatic

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017

Categories

  • Hawks
    • Fall
      • Boys’ Cross Country
      • Boys’ Golf
      • Football
      • Girls’ Cross Country
      • Girls’ Swimming
      • Volleyball
    • Spring
      • Boys’ Soccer
      • Boys’ Tennis
      • Boys’ Track
      • Girls’ Golf
      • Girls’ Soccer
      • Girls’ Tennis
      • Girls’ Track
    • Summer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
        • Roster
    • Winter
      • Boys’ Basketball
      • Boys’ Bowling
      • Boys’ Swimming
      • Girls’ Basketball
      • Girls’ Bowling
      • Wrestling
  • Jaguars
    • Fall
      • Boys’ Cross Country
      • Boys’ Golf
      • Football
      • Girls’ Cross Country
      • Girls’ Swimming
      • Volleyball
    • Spring
      • Boys’ Soccer
      • Boys’ Tennis
      • Boys’ Track
      • Girls’ Golf
      • Girls’ Soccer
      • Girls’ Tennis
      • Girls’ Track
    • Summer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
    • Winter
      • Boys’ Basketball
      • Girls’ Basketball
      • Wrestling
  • Top Sports Stories
    • Football
    • Volleyball
  • Baseball
  • Softball

© 2021 Ankeny Fanatic. All rights reserved.