Honnold claims John J. Harris gold

What could have been was part of the theme for the Nodaway Valley/OM boys wrestling team coming out of the 2025 John J. Harris Invitational.

An injury and a sickness claimed two of the Wolverines' top wrestlers, preventing them from competing at the meet. Nine Wolverines competed at the meet and scored 88 team points to place eighth out of 26 scoring teams.

Atlantic won the two-day event with 220 points. Winterset was second with 200.5 points and Oakland Riverside third with 157 points. Wayne, Mount Ayr, Central Decatur and Southwest Valley were other Pride of Iowa Conference schools competing.

“We were without a couple guys due to injury and illness and we definitely had some points left on the mat but overall very proud of the kids we had who showed grit and fought for a respectable 8th place team finish” said NV/OM head coach Brad Honnold. “The goal was different but it wasn’t in the cards so we asked the kids to just go out and battle and fight for every point every match. I think for the most part that occurred.”

The Wolverines' goal for their tournament events has been to win the tournament, but with a partial lineup, that was tough. The tournament featured 11 teams with 10 or more wrestlers in their lineups.

Junior Ashton Honnold improved to 36-0, winning four matches at the tournament and claiming the 215-pound weight class. He pinned Jonathan Galvez from Clarke in 1:00, Landon Fuller from Shenandoah in 1:15 in the quarterfinals, and Seth Vanderlinden in 1:55 in the semifinals. In the finals, Honnold dismantled Clarinda’s Mason Nally by a 19-4 tech fall in 4:51.

Two Wolverines placed fourth at there respective weight classes: Keyin Steeve at 126 and Caleb Christensen at 175.

Christensen went 3-2 and collected his 30th win of the season. He pinned John Sanga from Clarke in 53 seconds and Aidan Vergaminni from Missouri Valley in 37 seconds. Christensen lost in the semifinals but advanced to the third place match with a pin over Bracken Collier from Mount Ayr in 2:52 in the consolation round.

Steeve improved to 29-4 with three wins on the weekend. He won an 18-3 tech fall over Grant Oesch from Central Decatur and a pin over Karver Hart from Centerville in the quarterfinals. Steeve lost in the semifinals and reached the third place match with an 18-13 decision win over Bryson Martin from Mount Ayr in the consolation round. Steeve placed fourth after having to withdraw out of precaution due to injury.

Freshman Josh Nelson placed fifth at 106, going 3-2 in five matches. He improved to 26-12 with the wins, pinning Reilly Becker from CAM in 1:36 and Colt Key from Creston in 1:36. After losing in the semifinals, Nelson won the fifth place match over Tucker Olsen from Tri-Center in 1:00 to claim fifth.

Wrestling but not placing were Jett Christensen at 132, Kasen Hansen at 138, Eli Harris at 144, Matthew Nelson at 157, and Trevyn Colton at 113.

The Wolverines will be back on the mat this Thursday at home for a dual meet with Southeast Warren and Southwest Valley. The Wolverines will be in Guthrie Center Saturday at the ACGC Charger Invitational.