State medals, plenty of returning talent lead area wrestling teams
Clarinda and Shenandoah’s wrestling programs combined to produce five state qualifiers, three of which ended the season as state medalists.
Interviews and highlights from Clarinda girls wrestling Friday, Feb. 6, at state wrestling
The Shenandoah boys were led by a historic finish to senior Jacob McGargill’s career, which included his 200th career win in his final match, a third-place match victory. Clarinda’s Lily Weinreich and Kylar Downey were fantastic all season and placed fifth and sixth at the girls state tournament. Clarinda’s Aliyah Payne and Shenandoah’s Hayden Roush also qualified for their respective state tournaments.
Clarinda sophomore Aliyah Payne works from the top position Thursday, Feb. 5, against Center Point-Urbana's Lainee Waggener in a consolation match at the state tournament. Despite holding a 9-0 second period lead, Payne lost the match by fall.
This is the first in a series of three winter sports recap stories being published this month. Look for basketball and bowling season recap stories over the next two weeks. Those stories will be followed by the release of the Winter Sports All-Area team, and then stories on the season’s top male and female athlete.
Of the five area state qualifiers, only McGargill is a senior, and what a career he had. Look for more on his achievements after next week’s Shenandoah wrestling banquet, but some of the highlights are four state tournament appearances, three state medals and the program’s all-time wins record, which is his at 200, including a staggering record of 114-2 over the last two seasons. He’s part of an impressive line of really good wrestlers that Shenandoah has had come through the program over the last few years and he may be the best one that has even come through the program.
Roush is part of that line too, winning 49 matches this year and he has a good chance, with a big senior season, to being in the top five in wins in program history when his senior season is complete. What he’ll want more than anything next season, though, is a state tournament medal, something he has fallen one win short of both of the last two seasons.
Shenandoah senior Tyler Babe turns for the fall Saturday, Jan. 24, in the 175-pound third-place match at the John J. Harris Tournament. Babe pinned Creston's Jackson Pettegrew.
Tyler Babe and Owen Nokes are the program’s only other seniors with Babe earning his 100th career win late in the season.
Shenandoah sophomore Landon Fuller looks to turn Red Oak's Oliver Dykes in a 215-pound consolation match Saturday, Feb. 14, at the district tournament. It was a tough 0-2 day for Fuller with a pair of losses by third period fall.
Roush leads a crew next year, including Lukus Major, who also earned his 100th career win earlier this season, Landon Fuller, Will Berning, Carter Wooten and Charlie Liles, among others, that should have the Mustangs set for another strong season.
The Clarinda girls were also really good this season with Weinreich not losing a match until the semifinal round of the state tournament. Her first loss came in a state semifinal and she ended up fifth. Teammate Downey took sixth. It was the second career state medal in a second state appearance for both.
Weinreich won 54 matches and Downey brought home 49 with Downey taking a program record 123 career wins into her senior season. Weinreich isn’t far behind with 103, including 54 this season.
Clarinda seniors Jalon Olson (left) and Kambry Gordon (right) pose for a picture with their season posters Sunday, Feb. 15, during their final wrestling banquet.
The two Cardinal seniors, who made up the entire high school program in the beginning as freshmen, both reached 100 career wins in Kambry Gordon and Jalon Olson. The duo combined for 70 wins this season and while neither could earn the dream finish of a state tournament appearance, what those two have done to build the program is incredible.
There is plenty of talent on this team, one that is already looking ahead to the first girls state duals tournament which comes during the 2026/27 season. They’ll be a contender to be there.
The Clarinda boys continue to build with a very young group this season. They had the numbers to put up four Hawkeye 10 Conference dual wins and finished 7-10 overall.
Clarinda freshman Fisher Graves looks for his next move Thursday, Jan. 22, during a home match against Dayton Van Horn of Atlantic. Graves lost a heartbreaker 15-12 in sudden victory.
Fisher Graves was their leader, earning 30 match wins as a freshman, mainly at 106 pounds. Baylor Hash was off to a good start as well, but an injury abruptly ended his sophomore season. Those two build a nice foundation, leading Cardinal wrestling forward.
Clarinda senior Brayden Tillman battles for position during a district quarterfinal match Saturday, Feb. 14, against Creston's Jose Avila. Tillman lost twice at the tournament, ending his wrestling career.
Will Sump and Brayden Tillman were two fantastic seniors who exit the program.
The Southwest Iowa boys were also a young group as Sidney and Fremont-Mills continued their sharing agreement in the sport, in both boys and girls.
Southwest Iowa sophomore Paxton Campbell secures the fall against Shenandoah's Aiden Dinges Tuesday, Jan. 6. Campbell and the Warriors dropped the dual 48-36 to the Mustangs.
Sophomore Paxton Campbell led the charge this season and was one of six Warriors who finished either third or fourth at the district tournament. Campbell and Evan Lang both finished third and are both sophomores, part of a program that was mostly comprised of sophomores and freshmen.
Southwest Iowa senior Flynt Bell looks for an opening in a match against Shenandoah's Lukus Major Tuesday, Feb. 6, during a double dual at Sidney.
Flynt Bell and Mavryc Morgan were the two seniors that led the Warrior program this season with Bell being one of the Warriors who finished fourth at the district tournament.
The Southwest Iowa and Shenandoah girls teams didn’t have a lot in terms of numbers but had some strong talent.
Southwest Iowa junior Jocelyn Tackett takes down Atlantic's Alivia Knuth Friday, Jan. 30, in a regional consolation match. Tackett ended up fourth.
Junior Jocelyn Tackett led the Warriors all season and finished fourth at the regional tournament, winning nearly 30 matches.
Glenwood's Maya Rivas (left) wrestles Shenandoah's Chloe Nelson during a 135-pound match in Glenwood on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026.
Shenandoah had a pretty good trio in senior Chloe Nelson, sophomore Ashley Hardy and freshman Kyndil Rystrom who all won more than 20 matches and finished with a winning record.
There were a lot of good things that happened on the mat this season, and at least a few of these athletes will be featured again when the Winter Sports All-Area Team is released later this month. First, be on the lookout for a look back at the basketball and bowling seasons over the next two weeks.
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Shenandoah senior Jacob McGargill on a third place senior season and a 200-win career
