It’s finals night of the 2021 Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. All three Raccoon Valley Radio stations have play-by-play of seven area finalists. The matches are also streamed on www.raccoonvalleyradio.com.

McKinley Robbins, the Greene County High School sophomore is a State wrestling champion. Robbins was a 7-5 winner in the Class 2A 120 lbs. bout vs. Blaine Frazier of Notre Dame/West Burlington/Danville. Robbins completed a 34-0 season and becomes the fourth State wrestling titlist in the 55 year history of the Rams’ program and the first since Will Thomsen in 1994. Robbins is also the first Greene County HS wrestling champion in the nine years as Greene County.

Waukee freshman Carter Freeman won the Class 3A wrestling State title with a 12-4 major decision over Blake Gioimo of Cedar Rapids Prairie. Freeman is the first of four Warriors in the finals and he completes his freshman season with a 28-0 record. Freeman led from start to finish and his major decision gives the Warriors an extra 1/2 point  in the team race. The evening started with Waverly-Shell Rock 8.5 ahead of the Warriors in the 3A team race.

Another Waukee ninth grader, Koufax Christensen finished second at 113 lbs., dropping an 11-4 decision to Southeast Polk’s Nathanael Jesuroga. He finishes the season with a 25-3 record while the SEP Ram went 28-0.

Thurman Christensen, the older brother of Koufax, also finished in second place for Waukee. Thurman lost in the 126 lbs. title match to Dustin Bohren of Bettendorf by major decision, 10-2, to end his senior season at 20-5.

Winterset senior Tyler Brown took the mat in the 2A 152 lbs. title match vs. Jack Gaukel of Sergeant Bluff-Luton and lost by a 10-2 major decision. Brown ends the season at 32-5 and the 2A runner-up while Gaukel has a 44-2 record.

Panorama’s Wyatt Appleseth lost to three-time State titlist Hayden Taylor of Solon by a 7-2 score. The loss was just the second in his last 90 matches and he ends as a three-time State place winner and four-time qualifier and the Panthers’ all-time wins leader as he finishes this season at 46-1.

The last of Waukee’s four finalists was junior Griffin Gammell. He fell to undefeated and top seed McCrae Hagerty of team leader Waverly-Shell Rock, 3-2. The Go-Hawks edged the Warriors for the 3A team title. Coach Chad Vollmecke’s Warriors are the runner-up, just ahead of third place Southeast Polk.

Freeman and Robbins are the two champions from the area and both are young, with Freeman a freshman and Robbins a sophomore.

www.raccoonvalleyradio.com has the State Tournament coverage including play-by-play and interviews on the KDLS tab.