JUCO wrestling: No. 13 Warrior men knock off fifth-ranked Panthers
Dec. 2—IOWA FALLS — The 13th-ranked Indian Hills men's wrestling team picked up its third consecutive Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) dual victory on Wednesday night after knocking off fifth-ranked Ellsworth Community College, 28-17, at Dittmer Gymnasium.
The Warriors (3-0, 3-0 ICCAC) remain unbeaten through the team's first three league duals this year following the team's win over the Panthers (0-4, 0-3 ICCAC). With the win, the Warriors move to 4-0 all-time over the Panthers since the team's inaugural year in 2020-21.
Ellsworth jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead through the opening two matches at 165 and 174 pounds before sophomore Cade Linn scored a major decision at 184 pounds. Linn built a marginal lead and eventually pulled away for the 11-0 victory. The dual win was the first of the year for Linn.
After a narrow 3-2 loss at 197 pounds that put the Warriors behind 12-4, sophomore Kawaun Deboe came up with a crucial victory in the heavyweight battle. Deboe, a returning All-American and currently the nation's third-ranked wrestler, led 5-1 in the closing seconds before turning a takedown into a pin with just nine seconds remaining in the match. The victory was the first of the year for Deboe.
Freshman Riley Bettich kept the momentum going at 125 pounds and scored his third consecutive dual fall of the year. Bettich pinned his opponent 2:04 into the opening round to give Indian Hills its first lead of the night at 16-12.
Indian Hills scored 12 more team points by way of forfeit to put the match out of reach as the Warriors kept its unbeaten streak alive to open the new year.
The Warriors are now just one of two teams in the ICCAC to boast a 3-0 record after third-ranked Iowa Western dropped No. 19 Iowa Central, 27-13, on Wednesday night. Indian Hills will now head to Nebraska to compete at the Doane Open on Saturday before wrapping up the first half of the year at the Art Kraft Memorial Tournament in Illinois on Dec. 10.
