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The remaining Lake Mills wrestlers placed third and fourth on the podium Saturday at the close of the Iowa state wrestling tournament.

Lucas Oldenkamp, the Bulldogs’ 106-pounder, placed third after winning both of his consolation matches Saturday, and Hayden Helgeson, at 120 pounds, placed fourth.

“Lucas wrestled well throughout the tournament but looked his best on the final day,” said coach Alex Brandenburg. “Hayden wrestled the best he had all year and reached his goal of placing in the top five.”

The effort of the sophomore duo was a big reason Lake Mills was able to place 17th in the team scoring out of 120 1A schools.

Freshman Steve Brandenburg (132 pounds) and sophomore Wyatt Hanna (220 pounds) each came up one win short of placing.

“Steve and Wyatt had good tournaments, but both were disappointed to not be state place winners,” Brandenburg said. “Although it is disappointing to barely miss out on placing, these are the kids who usually evaluate where they need to improve the most and work hard to get better.”

Fortunately, both wrestlers are underclassmen and will have multiple chances to place in the future.

Sophomore Cody Cox (145 pounds) and senior Geraldo Vazquez (113 pounds) competed hard but were knocked out of the tournament on the second day of competition.

“Geraldo improved so much this year, and it was an amazing accomplishment to qualify for state,” Brandenburg said. “It was nice to see Cody healthy enough to show what he can do when getting in a normal routine of practice and matches.”

Vazquez will be missed next year, as he is the Lake Mills wrestling team’s only senior on the roster. Cox is only a sophomore, so he will have a couple more chances to get a state medal.

The state tournament wrapped another successful campaign for the Lake Mills wrestling program, and next year should be one to look forward to with nearly the entire roster returning.

Lucas Oldenkamp (third place at 106)

Round 1: pinned Evan Jagodzinske (Kingsley-Pierson), 0:44.

Round 2 – beat Ryan Groom (North Mahaska), 4-3.
Quarterfinal: beat Davis Bramman (Riverside, Oakland), 4-0.
Semifinal: lost to Mason Shirk (Wilton), 1-0
Cons. semi: beat Wesley Sadler (Lisbon), 6-2.
3rd place match: beat Cooper Hinz (Jesup), 4-0.

Geraldo Vazquez (qualifier at 113)

Round 1: lost to Gavin Kiger (Logan-Magnolia), 7-3.
Cons. round 1: received a bye.
Cons. round 2: pinned by Caleb Swedin (Graettinger-T/R-A), 3:51.

Hayden Helgeson (fourth place at 120)

Round 1: received a bye
Round 2: beat Kaben Morrow (Sioux Central), 8-6.
Quarterfinal: lost to Brandon Paez (Lisbon), 16-0.
Cons. round 4: beat Kellen Oliver (Riverside, Oakland), 4-3.
Cons. round 5: beat Luke Guseman (Highland, Riverside), 5-2.
Cons. semi: pinned Tegan Slaybaugh (AC/GC), 4:47.
3rd place match: lost to Tayten Coufal (Alburnett), 11-2.

Steve Brandenburg (qualifier at 132)

Round 1: beat Sam Myer (St. Edmond), 19-3.
Round 2: lost to Gable Porter (Underwood), 16-0.
Cons. round 2: beat Kai Carritt (Logan-Magnolia), 5-0.
Cons. round 3: beat Riley Parkis (Kuemper Catholic), 4-0.
Cons. round 4: lost to Gavin Reed (Columbus Catholic), 5-3.

Cody Cox (qualifier at 145)

Round 1: lost to Cale Seydel (West Branch), 6-2.
Cons. round 1: received a bye
Cons. round 2: lost to Boden White (Denver),18-2.

Wyatt Hanna (qualifier at 220)

Round 1: received a bye
Round 2: pinned by Gavin DeHoogh (Western Christian), 1:33.
Cons. round 2: beat Jackson Zwanziger (Nashua-Plainfield), 9-2.
Cons. round 3: pinned Tate Dierking (Southeast Warren/M-D), 5:53.
Cons. round 4: pinned by Aiden Heitland (AGWSR), 3:47.