Trojans come back strong at Ottumwa

OTTUMWA ? It?s been 18 days since the Fairfield wrestling team was last on the mat, but they looked to be eager to make up for lost time Saturday at the Ottumwa Invitational.

Seven Trojan wrestlers put in as many as five matches Saturday as Fairfield left with Logan Metcalf as an individual champ and a third-place finish in the team standings. The Trojans took third with 222 points in the crowded field of nine teams.

?Our goal was to come out of the break as a better team,? said head coach Jeff Courtright. ?We wanted to improve our conditioning, aggressiveness, techniques and mental toughness. I think we saw improvements in all of those categories.?

Due to the tournament format of two round-robin pools at each weight class that lead into two four-man brackets, busy days were common and the conditioning paid off. Eight of Fairfield?s 12 wrestlers advanced to the championship bracket ? four of whom went one step further into the final match.

?The format gives guys opportunities for extra matches, and this is the first time some of our guys have had to wrestle five matches in one day. I was happy with how they stayed tough during each round,? Courtright said.

Metcalf may have stayed the toughest for Fairfield ? as he has been all season ? staying undefeated for the year and taking home the 215-pound title. The senior picked up three pins in his opening round matches before taking two decisions to finish the day including holding on for a 10-9 victory vs. Des Moines Lincoln?s Zach Salisbury in the finals.

Dakota Simmons (125), Jordan Bradfield (145) and Michael Smithburg (285) also continued their strong seasons before taking their lone loss of the day in their respective championship matches.

?Our four finalists had excellent tournaments, and even though we went 1-3 in the finals, I was pleased with the way we performed,? said Courtright. ?The three final losses were to highly rated wrestlers, and we were competitive in each one. These matches will allow our guys to realize that they have the ability to beat anybody that steps out onto the mat with them.?

Simmons? 12-6 loss came from the hands of the Class 3A second-ranked Kyle Larson of West Des Moines Valley, Smithburg fell 3-1 to third-ranked Conner Herman of Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Bradfield was stopped by No. 5-rated Trevor Duke of Burlington.

Aaron Gevock (130), Jeff Guttry (171) and Tanner Metcalf (189) capped their days with victories resulting in third-place finishes while the Trojans? other championship competitor Ryan Brewington nabbed fourth-place at 135 pounds. Michael Hammes (152) rallied with three wins by fall in his final three-matches to take fifth-place.

With a hefty bit of momentum at their back, the Trojans now get ready for Tuesday?s non-conference dual at Wapello.