Sports 17 December 2018

Exceeding the seed

Let’s put it this way, New Hampton/Turkey Valley’s wrestlers weren’t exactly enamored last week when the Battle of Waterloo brackets came out.
There were the Chickasaws, the two-time defending Class 2A state dual-meet champions and unbeaten in duals this season, seeded fifth in the Friday morning “Smith Bracket.”
“That was pretty much a slap in the face,” senior Max Babcock said, “and we talked about it a lot all week. It definitely gave us some motivation.”
It worked as the Chickasaws finished third in bracket, losing only to Class 1A power Don Bosco, on Friday, and although New Hampton/Turkey Valley went just 1-2 in the third-place pool on Saturday, coach Nick Hemann felt his team had grown throughout the weekend.
“Overall the weekend wasn’t that bad,” he said. “We probably could have walked out of there 3-0 on Saturday, but I liked what I saw from guys on Friday and, you know what? I liked a lot on Saturday. The only 2A teams to finish ahead of us were Assumption — and I know we’re better than them — and [top-ranked] West Delaware. Considering we have maybe three guys not in our lineup right now, I think that says a lot.”
For details, please see the Dec. 18 Tribune.

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