Audubon’s shot at repeat trip to State Duals tripped up by Logan-Magnolia

Panthers shock Wheelers 53-15 in 1A Regional Dual final

By Drew Herron - AJ Sports Editor / Feb. 12, 2014

AUDUBON – The Wheelers’ hopes of a return trip to the State Dual Meet were cut down Tuesday night, as Logan-Magnolia used some early successes to seize the momentum and rout Audubon 53-15 in the 1A Regional final at AHS.

It proved to be a shocker for both sides, as Audubon was less than two weeks removed from defeating Lo-Ma (36-31) in dual action during a quad meet at AHS on Jan. 30.

On Tuesday, Logan-Magnolia started with four straight wins, and things quickly snowballed in its favor.

The dual started at 195 pounds, a swing weight class that the Wheelers hoped to pocket. Audubon junior Jordan Hansen was plugged in to face Lo-Ma’s Brandon Buffum in what developed into a competitive match that ultimately went in the Panthers’ favor by a narrow 3-2 decision.

Then, Lo-Ma got an enormous boost that likely put them on their way.

Wheelers’ senior 220-pounder Matt Fett was working over his opponent Tanner Winther, and was 33 seconds away from completing a major decision with a 10-0 lead before things changed dramatically. Winther caught Fett in bad position on a shot, flipped and pinned him.

The point swing charged Logan-Magnolia’s side of the gym and it might have been a psychological blow from which Audubon could not recover. It was also one of five weight classes the Wheelers lost Tuesday that they picked up last time.

This time around, Audubon won just three weight classes, and only two of them were contested. Junior 126-pounder Brad Kerkhoff won by fall over Brady Wilson at 2:38, and Trevor Smith etched out a 6-1 decision over Colton Fischer at 152 pounds. The other victory for Audubon Tuesday came at 113, where Kyle Juelsgaard won by forfeit.

In the semifinals leading up to the dual with Logan-Magnolia, Audubon stormed past Southwest Iowa of Sidney 57-18, while Lo-Ma persevered through a competitive bout with East Mills to win 40-25.

Logan-Magnolia advances to the State Dual Meet to be held on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. It is the first appearance at the State Duals for the Panthers since 2011, which was the last in a stretch of 10 straight appearances. No. 8-seeded Lo-Ma will face top-seeded Alburnett in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Now, Audubon will shift its entire focus towards Saturday’s District Meet at Underwood, where the Wheelers will attempt to push all five of its remaining individuals on to the traditional State Tournament.

Kyle Juelsgaard (113), Brad Kerkhoff (126), Jake Mulford (132), Trevor Smith (145) and Matt Fett (220) remain alive for the Wheelers, all of whom enter Districts as Sectional champions.

Wheeler Notes: Audubon senior Lucas-Smith Petersen earned his 100^th career victory Tuesday night during the semifinal round by pinning SWI’s Logan Ross at 1:49.