Mt. Pleasant wrestling defeats Keokuk in SEC meet

KEOKUK ? Mt. Pleasant won its first Southeast Conference dual of the season with a 36-25 road victory over Keokuk on Thursday night.

The Panthers won the first match when Alex Lanphier (126 pounds) defeated Keokuk?s Austin Hughes in a 5-0 decision to put Mt. Pleasant up, 3-0.

Keokuk went on a 13-point run from there, however, when Eli Riddle won by decision over Mt. Pleasant?s Alec Mathews (132), Shea Hawkins won by major decision over Mt. Pleasant?s Rob Pohren (18-10), and the Panthers had to forfeit the 145-pound match.

Michael Alderson put six more points on the board for Mt. Pleasant during the 152-pound match, when he pinned Keokuk?s Marc Wharton in 2:49.

Jayton Phillips (160) followed that up with a 6-0 decision over Keokuk?s Shawn Haage to bring Mt. Pleasant within one at 13-12.

Lee Alberts distanced the Chiefs a bit with a narrow 10-9 decision over Mt. Pleasant?s Noah Brown (170), but Class 3A?s fifth-ranked 182-pound wrestler, Justin Dilks, brought the Panthers back within one with a 7-1 decision over Dakota Shaw.

Mt. Pleasant?s Colton Aplara (195), also ranked fifth, gave the Panthers the lead with a win by fall over Drake Seitz in 3:36, but Keokuk?s Trevor Roth took it back when he pinned another No. 5, Jacob Dilks (220), in 58 seconds.

Emmett Wester then lost by decision to Keokuk?s eighth-ranked Alex Goss in the heavyweight match, 5-2, and Keokuk went up 25-21.

That would be the Chiefs? last lead however, as Colton Mertens (106) pinned Hunter Finch in 42 seconds, the fastest pin of the night, to put Mt. Pleasant up 27-25.

Connor Eads (113) put the dual out of reach with a win by fall over Gage Hawkins in 3:10, and for good measure, Mt. Pleasant?s Tyler Lanphier (120) won by decision over Camiran Sadeghi, 7-4.

Mt. Pleasant will wrestle at the South Tama Dual Tournament this weekend, starting at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.