By Kristi Nixon

DES MOINES — With four into the finals, the top-ranked Osage wrestling team clinched the Class 2A team title and won both the state dual and individual team title in the same year for the first time in school history.

Osage’s Tucker Stangel reacts to winning the Class 2A 145-pound semifinal on Friday, Feb. 17. Stangel and the Green Devils clinched the 2A title after the semifinal round. EJ Photo?Kristi Nixon

The Green Devils will seek crowns by Blake Fox (120), Anders Kittelson (132), Tucker Stangel (145) and Nick Fox (170).

The already-earned victory was dampened somewhat when defending state champion at 220 pounds, Barrett Muller, went to the mat and was deemed unable to continue. According to head coach Brent Jennings, he will likely injury default out the rest of the tournament to finish sixth.

“Pretty unfortunate for Barrett,” Jennings said. “Tough on the team, too, because this team, they’re a family. They are pretty tight. Unfortunate he couldn’t wrestle the match, or finish it. Anything can happen, it’s athletics, whether it’s a knee, a head… and unfortunately that’s the way it went down.

“Nick’s match clinched it. That ended the tournament, no one can catch us. Four in the final, that ties the record for Osage. In 1940, we had four in the finals, we had four state champs.”

Osage won the title that year and this makes the fifth individual state championship for the Green Devils.

Kittelson, whose father Ryan won a state wrestling title with Decorah in 1990 and is one of the Osage assistant coaches, says he doesn’t feel the pressure to match what his father has done.

“I mean, maybe at first when I was coming into high school,” Kittelson said. “I might have felt a little pressure. But, I’ve lost my freshman year, I lost last year. There’s no pressure anymore. I’m doing it for myself. That’s one thing my dad has always told me, ‘you’re not doing this for me, not for my mom, my sister. I’m doing it for me and to glorify God.’ So, it’s what all it’s all about. Now there’s no pressure on me, because I love it. I expected to be here tomorrow night.”

Neither is there pressure in facing Greene County’s Kale Petersen, who is gunning for his third state title.

“Not on me,” Kittelson said. “All the pressure is on him. He’s my teammate, love the kid, great competitor. Great teammate. I’m looking forward to it, but there is no pressure on me, it’s all on him. He’s coming in, committed to Iowa. He’s going for his third. I haven’t won one, I’ve got nothing to lose. He’s got it all to lose.”

Nick Fox said he wasn’t even thinking about his match as his younger brother Blake started things off for the Green Devils with a 4-3 decision over Carson Doolittle of Webster City with the difference a quick reversal with 30 seconds left in the match.

“I was just so nervous for him,” Nick Fox said following his 10-2 major decision over Forest City’s Kellen Moore. “After his match, it all kind of went away and I was ready to go.

“I was ready to wrestle right after that. I think we wrestled pretty good. Obviously, we want everybody in the finals, but that’s not going to happen most of the time. We had a lot of energy. I think we are going to keep going tomorrow, too.”

All of the Green Devils feed off of the energy the others bring, particularly the sea of green brought by the fans in all directions of the Well.

“It’s awesome having Blake at 120, gets us started,” Kittelson said. “We are a team, everyone up and down the lineup, we’re stacked. We feed off each other, the fans, of everything. 2-for-2 so far… We’re going to put it to everybody. We’re confident we’ve got the team championship locked in and now we are just striving for the top.”

Nick Fox added, “Fans, everybody, it’s just awesome.”

Chase Thomas (152) and Max Gast (170) dropped close matches in the semifinals and will try to wrestle their way to third as is Mac Muller, who won two matches Friday to get to that point.

“I’m really happy for the kids,” Jennings said. “Blake Fox did well as a freshman and handling the pressure and did a great job. Anders, workmanlike fashion, kept hanging in there and Tucker did what he needed to do, like he’s done all year. And Nick is Nick.

Class 2A Team Scoring (Osage has clinched the team title)

1. Osage 144.5; 2. Burlington, Notre Dame 89.5; 3. West Delaware 81.5; 4. Mount Vernon 80; 5. Sergeant Bluff-Luton 71.5.

Semifinal results

120 — Blake Fox (O) dec. Carson Doolittle (Web. City) 4-3

132 — Anders Kittelson (O) dec. Matt Beem (Glenwood) 3-1

145 — Tucker Stangel (O) dec. Michael Macias (Assumption) 7-2

152 — Cooper Sanders (Vinton-Shellsburg) dec. Chase Thomas (O) 9-2

160 — Dawson Bond (Red Oak) dec. Max Gast (O) 5-3

170 — Nick Fox (O) major dec. Kellen Moore (FC) 10-2

220 — Henry Christensen (Ballard) won by injury default over Barrett Muller (O) 1:34.

Consolation results

195 — Will Ward (W Delaward) dec. Cole Jeffries (O) 11-4

220 — Mac Muller (O) dec. Trent Patton (Glenwood) 8-1; M. Muller (O) pinned Carter Heilskov (H-D) 5:19.

Osage Championship matches

120 — B. Fox (50-2) vs. Vinny Mayberry, Glenwood (35-1)

132 — Kittelson (50-2) vs. Kale Petersen, Greene County (41-0)

145 — Stangel (39-0) vs. Ty Koedam, Sergeant Bluff-Luton (47-5)

170 — N. Fox (48-2) vs. Ethan DeLeon, Sioux City Heelan (44-0)

Saturday Consolation matches

152 — Thomas (32-7) vs. Brenden Heying, Benton Co. (39-4)

160 — Gast (43-8) vs. Jack Wajda, Spirit Lake Park (15-1)

285 — M. Muller (43-8) vs. Russel Coil, Col. Community 43-6)

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