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Sinn will wrestle for 2A 150-pound championship
Sinn’s father has been there every step of the way
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
DES MOINES — All Williamsburg’s Nile Sinn needed was one time, one moment.
Sinn got that time against Mount Vernon’s Mikey Ryan in the Class 2A 150-pound semifinal match at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Boys State Wrestling Tournament Friday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
A spot in the title match was on the line. Sinn knew the challenge he’d face in Ryan, and he came ready.
Sinn lost to Ryan by major decision at the Wamac conference tournament. In fact, he had never beaten Ryan in any of their previous matches.
“I knew I had to slow his pace down. He’s extremely fast paced, and I knew that would be tough to deal with,” Nile Sinn said. “I tried to slow him down with fakes and put him on the defense a bit.”
Sinn did exactly that.
After one period, the match was scoreless.
Sinn got an escape point in the second, and Ryan did the same in the third.
Neither was able to execute a takedown, and the match headed to sudden victory.
No one scored. The match headed to overtime — two 30-second periods in which each wrestler starts on top.
Both escaped, making the score 2-2 and sending the match to double overtime, otherwise called the ultimate tiebreaker.
Because Sinn scored the first match, position was his choice. Sinn chose bottom, meaning he had to escape in 30 seconds to prevent a Ryan win.
“I definitely did not like it 2-2 going into the ultimate tiebreaker, but you got to do what you got to do,” Nile Sinn said.
With just under 10 seconds remaining, Sinn was able to kick himself out for the escape and the gritty 3-2 win.
A familiar face was there in the coaches’ chairs the entire match, ready to embrace Sinn after his win — his father, and assistant coach, Jeff Sinn.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Sinn said. “He’s the best coach and dad I could ever ask for. I love that guy and I’m super grateful he’s able to be around me every single day.”
Jeff Sinn has been with his son every step of the way through Nile’s wrestling career. Now he gets to watch — and coach — his son as a senior in the state championship match.
“I’ve always been super proud of the way Nile has carried himself,” Jeff Sinn said. “We’ve been defeated by Mikey several times, and he’s handled it with class.”
“I told him before he went out there, winning and losing takes care of itself, but believe in yourself as much as I believe in you. All we need is one time.”
The stage is now set for the championship match against one-seeded Shane Hanford of West Marshall.
Class 2A finals will wrestle front and center in the middle mat in the all-classes night session to close the state tournament out.
“I told a reporter yesterday that wrestling in the middle of the ‘dog bone’ was pretty sweet,” Nile Sinn said. ”There’s nothing like being in the 2A mat at the state finals.“
It’s a surreal moment for Sinn to close out his wrestling career in the title match and to have his father there beside him.
“I’m going to feel just like him,” Jeff Sinn said. “I’m going to have to keep my composure and not get overwhelmed by the situation.”
The finals sessions begins at 5:15 tonight with an award ceremony and a grand march, followed by finals in all classes starting at 106, working up to heavyweight.
