Too open: Forfeits come back to bite Saints

By Kristi Nixon

ST. ANSGAR — After three duals wrestled in Forest City, St. Ansgar wrestling coach Barry Kittleson openly admitted that injury and illness has his team at a distinct disadvantage.

The Saints dropped all three, 48-30 against GHV; 51-30 to the host school and a late win by forfeit for Northwood-Kensett clinched a 39-36 loss to cap the night on Thursday, Jan. 13.

“We’ve got some guys hurt, some guys sick,” Kittelson said. “Can’t win with that many out, short-handed. We did the best we could. We didn’t give any away on effort.”

Already at a slight disadvantage in the match against the Vikings, Emma Hall, who wrestled in the other two varsity matches, wrestled an exhibition in this one against one of two N-K girls.

“They had another girl,” Kittleson said, “so I thought that would be better for her.”

What ended up clinching it was third-ranked 170-pounder Drake Tiedemann for N-K, the Vikings’ only rated wrestler, pinned Lorne Isler, who had won his other two matches by fall. Two forfeits later, including a JV wrestler inserted at 220 pounds, gave the win to the Vikings.

During that dual, Aslan Wills trailed 5-0 early, but came back with a big throw to win in 57 seconds.

Mariah Michels, a 106-pound freshman, earned three wins, all by forfeit, as she prepares for the girls’ state wrestling meet this weekend in Coralville. Kittleson says he doesn’t know what to expect from the four girls.

“I have no idea,” Kittleson said. “Mariah placed third at Cedar Falls last week, third at Central Elkader the week before and I think she placed third at Waverly. It’s probably going to be a lot of the same kids. They are having a lower weight (at state, 100) which is all she weighs. She weighs in at 99.6 and Emma is going down to 110.”

The full story appears in the Jan. 19 print edition of the Enterprise Journal.