Do or die: Evans pulls out last-second victory
By Kristi Nixon
CORAVILLE — St. Ansgar freshman 105-pounder Lakin Evans snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
Trailing 5-2 in her first-round consolation, she threw in a headlock with four seconds remaining in the match to pin Waverly-Shell Rock’s Abby Doyle and remain alive to Thursday night’s second-round consolation.
“It was so close,” Evans said.
That move is not a regular in Evans’ repertoire.
“It was worst-case scenario,” Evans said of the move. “It’s the first time I’ve done it this season. It was kind of a desperate move.”
She said she could hear head coach Katie Walk and assistant coach Ben Walk telling her to throw the headlock.
“A little bit, said Evans. “I was just trying to do whatever I could to get points. My shots weren’t working, so I looked over to (them in order to) see what I should try. If I need to (do it again), I will.”
All three Saints survived the first session with Mariah Michels into the 110-pound semifinal with first period pins of WACO’s Rylee Rice and Nevada’s Ashlyn Leslie. Emma Hall bounced back from her first-round loss against Sioux Center’s Cora Schut to pin Clear Lake’s Saphira Olsen in 1:17.
St. Ansgar is tied with five other teams after tallying 14 team points.
Osage emerged with five of its six wrestlers out of the opening session with three emerging with first-round wins, including 120-pounder Maddie Swenson, who was facing a familiar foe. Swenson, who survived some scary moments against Chyann Bullerman-Yu of Crestwood, Cresco in the state-qualifying semifinal last week, methodically worked a 5-0 decision in Thursday’s opener.
“I know we have had so much better training than all the other teams,” Swenson said. “I try to tell myself that I am better and I am confident. Everybody is beatable. I know I can do it if I set my mind to it.”
The difference between the match against Bullerman-Yu this time and last Friday is she had a case of the butterflies, she said.
“I had so much nerves going on,” Swenson said. “I was scared that I wasn’t going to make it here. Now that I am here, I can finally show everybody who I am and wrestle my best.”
Swenson lost by major decision in the second-round and will wrestle in consolation tonight. Alexis Kolbet (100) won her first round match in sudden victory, but also dropped her second-round to Denver’s Violet Diaz by fall to wrestle consolation. Third-ranked Gable Hemann scored two quick pins into tonight’s quarterfinal at 110.
Both Annaliese Arciniega (135) and Aubrey Chapman (145) came back from first-round losses to wrestle again tonight.
The Green Devils are in an eight-way tie for 25th with 16 points following the first session.
