The North Butler-Clarksville boys wrestling season was highlighted by two individual state qualifiers Jaxon Shew at 113 and Maddox Morrison at 132.
Shew finished his first varsity season with an impressive 47-8 record. He won a Top of Iowa Conference title and placed second at the Class 1A district tournament to earn his first state tournament berth.
Morrison concluded his sophomore season at 29-14. He captured a Class 1A district title and placed third in the Top of Iowa Conference before competing at the state tournament.
Head Coach Adam Holm reflects on each wrestler’s first trip to state.
“Really pleased with both of them. Maddox, making it to the state tournament as a sophomore and Jaxon as a freshman is big accomplishments. We see a lot of growth in both those two,” says Holm. “Maddox is one step from the stand and Jaxon’s two wins from the stand. We think if they just really perform well, I think they will be happier. They’re just going to have that bitter taste for a little while.”
Four additional Wolves wrestlers posted standout seasons, including Jack Bartels at 138 (37-21), Peyton Knoll at 165 (34-18), Evan McCormick at 144 (31-23) and Brekken Schlader at 215 (27-16).
With off-season open mats underway on Thursday’s and Sunday’s, Holm shares a focus area of the Wolves training.
“I think we need to be a little bit more aggressive. We’ve got to be little more physical. I think a few matches, we let the other kid dictate how things were going to go. Want to try to get that instilled to them before we start next season. Just be more aggressive, more hand fighting and don’t let them dictate the match.”
The Wolves, after graduating seniors Weston Miller, Cain Nielsen, Ryland Pitzenberger and Brekken Schlader, are projected to return 20 wrestlers next season.
