Vikings win 1A sectional, advance seven wrestlers to districts

 GUTHRIE CENTER (Feb. 2) -- The AHSTW wrestling team put together another outstanding sectional meet performance on Saturday afternoon, claiming seven district qualifiers and placing first with 217.5 points at the Class 1A, Sectional 3 tournament in Guthrie Center.
 Seth Kiesel (160 pounds), top-ranked Gabe Pauley (182) and 6th-ranked Gavyn Fischer (220) all placed first while sectional runners-up for the Vikings included Hayden Fischer at 106, Elliot Young (126), Joel Sampson (132) and Ben Ehlers (138). All seven will advance to the 1A District 2 Tournament at Interstate 35 (Truro) on Saturday, Feb. 9, at noon.
 By placing among the top two teams, AHSTW also punched its ticket to regional duals on Tuesday, Feb. 5, in Missouri Valley.
 AHSTW followed up last year’s exceptional sectional meet - 10 district qualifiers - with another quality showing and finished 40.5 points ahead of second-place ACGC (177). Panorama, which matched the Vikings’ seven district qualifiers, finished third with 158, followed by Nodaway Valley (155), West Central Valley (147) and Ogden (104). The top five teams all advanced at least four wrestlers to districts.
 AHSTW ended the day with a 16-15 match record, including 10 wins by fall.
 Garrison Gettler (120), Gabe Madsen (170) and Caden Larson (195) all placed third, with Madsen winning twice. Jaedan Rasmussen (145), Denver Pauley (152) and Leland Barr (285) each placed fourth and Kaedyn Cornejo (113) took fifth.