Kober and Koethe impress
on day two at Fargo

BY MATT PFIFFNER
A pair of Iowans took several steps towards making up for missed opportunities last year on the second day of the 2009 Cadet/Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D.

Cadet 145-pounder Justin Koethe of Iowa City West remained undefeated after a pair of victories Sunday afternoon and will battle fellow undefeated grappler Michael Nord of North Dakota Monday morning, with the winner wrestling for the National Greco-Roman title that evening and the loser wrestling for third.

Koethe wrestled well last year in Fargo in his first trip to the Cadet Nationals, but fell just short of earning All-American honors in both Greco-Roman and freestyle. The Iowa City West sophomore-to-be has already clinched his first All-American honor and will be looking to hit the top of the podium on Monday.

The other Iowan who is looking to improve on last year's performance is Junior 285-pounder Kyle Kober of West Branch. Kober finished second in the tournament last year and would like to close out his high school career on top.

"A lot of people don't like doing Fargo their senior year and I don't know why. It's a great atmosphere and great competition," he said. "I want to win it to be able to say I was the best in the nation. I want to prove to people that I am that good."

Even though his goal this week is to win a National title in Greco-Roman or freestyle, Kober said he doesn't think that will compare with becoming West Branch's first wrestling State Champion last February.

"People say Fargo titles are awesome, but I don't think it would be better that that State title," he said. "I think about it every day."

Finishing second at Fargo last season has given Kober a shot of confidence coming into this week, but he said it also puts a little more pressure on him.

"I came in with a little more confidence, but last year no one knew who I was," he said. "My dad said there's a program that said I'm favored to win it, so there's a target on my back."

CADETS WILL ALL-AMERICAN SIX
In the same position as Koethe in the Cadet Greco-Roman tournament is 285-pounder Caleb White of Tri-Center (Neola). White will wrestle Donny Longendyke of Minnesota Monday with a trip to the finals on the line.

Four other Iowa Cadets have also clinched All-American honors. Phillip Laux will wrestle for third place at 91 pounds, while Dylan Peters at 98 and 112-pounder Gunnar Wolfensperger will both wrestle for seventh. Joe Scanlan at 215 has a round robin match Monday morning to decide if he wrestles for first, third or fifth.

FOUR JUNIORS SURVIVE ROUGH DAY
Of the 22 Junior Greco-Roman wrestlers who began the tournament on Sunday morning, only four were left standing by Sunday night.

Kober is undefeated at 285, while Jack Hathaway at 105, Elijah Sullivan at 140 and 215-pounder Ryan Fank each have one loss.

Kober is one of six wrestlers still alive on his side of the bracket and one of two undefeated grapplers. It looks like it could come down to him and fellow undefeated wrestler Donovan Green of Florida for the spot in the finals.

Hathaway starts tomorrow with a bye, which will greatly improve his chance to earn All-American honors, with just five wrestlers left on his side of the bracket. The top four placers on each half advance to the medal round. In an unusual circumstance, Hathaway wrestled both Cadet and Junior Greco-Roman. He went 0-2 after a brutal draw in the Cadet tournament, but has flourished in the Junior competition.

Sullivan and Fank both have work to do to earn All-American honors. Sullivan has eight wrestlers left on his half of a draw, while Fank has five.

The action begins at 9 a.m. Monday with the Cadet and Junior Greco-Roman and Women's Junior freestyle competition.