The Bobcats rolled through Des Moines East and Des Moines Hoover/North, and battled with a strong Norwalk team in a home quad showdown at the Roundhouse on Thursday night.

MHS started the night 51-23 winners over Des Moines East, cruised past Des Moines Hoover/North 66-10 before Class 3A’s 14th-ranked Norwalk Warriors spoiled the perfect bid, 49-27.

“A year ago after break, we looked the worst we had all season,” MHS head coach Luke Cross said. “This year, I think this is the best we’ve looked in the years I’ve been coaching here. Even though we lost to Norwalk, we’re right in the mix with them, so I’m happy.”

Five Bobcats went 3-0 on the night, including Colby Cross, making his varsity debut at 120 pounds with three pins.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Marshalltown’s Addyson Lovelace, top, secures her headlock on Des Moines Public Schools wrestler Jada Hansen during their 135-pound match in Thursday’s dual meet at the Roundhouse. Lovelace won the match by fall in 2 minutes, 21 seconds.

“Colby’s been wrestling JV this season, behind [Lucas] Bantz and [Nicholas] Wise in the lineup, so that’s a great addition to the varsity to have him dropping down to 120,” Luke Cross said.

Wise (132), Carson Wright (150), Xayvion Anderson (157) and Johan Gomez (215) also went 3-0.

Anderson closed out the night with a 3-2 decision against Dominic Tigner of Norwalk, a state-qualifier at 152 last year. Anderson added a forfeit victory and a 4-0 decision over Daniel Zeoh of Des Moines East.

“He’s looking great,” Cross said. “I was wondering after his first match with the East kid, but then I saw that kid wrestle the Norwalk kid and realized he was a solid kid. … I think you’ll see Xayvion in the rankings soon.”

Gomez has already been a mainstay of statewide rankings and backed it up again on Thursday.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Marshalltown’s Carson Wright top, restricts Norwalk’s Maksym Rooney-Kozak with the headlock, resulting in a win by pinfall for the Bobcat in a time of 5 minutes, 54 seconds.

“His conditioning is way better than it was last year,” Cross said. “He’s relied a lot on his natural talent in years past and now he wants to be the best in the state and that means working harder than anyone else. And he’s getting there, he’s training hard and pinning guys that he wasn’t pinning at this time last year.”

In addition to Colby, Dalton Zednichek and Michael Narvaez Correa have dropped down weights since the beginning of the season to help round out MHS’ lineup – though that’s created a surprising opening at 190 as a result.

“We’ll fill it,” Luke Cross said. “We’re a work in progress, but we’re getting closer to what you’re going to see at the end of the year.”

The Allie Morrison Duals are next, back at the Roundhouse on Saturday.

MHS starts the morning against North Polk, followed by Cedar Falls, Des Moines Roosevelt, Webster City and Johnston.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Marshalltown’s Velkis Zelaya, top, turns a deficit into a win by pinfall, rallying to beat Avah Blakeman of Des Moines Public Schools during Thursday’s wrestling meet at MHS. Zelaya won the match in a time of 3 minutes, 34 seconds.

“It’ll be a grinder,” Luke Cross said. “A kind of day where we could go 4-1 or 1-4. … But I learned long ago not to get caught up on the in-season results versus where we’re at at the end of the year, just so long as we’re getting better throughout the season.”

The MHS girls only had one varsity dual on Thursday against Des Moines Public Schools, falling short 42-39.

Rayna Bastidas won by 11-9 decision and Velkis Zelaya, Addyson Lovelace and Meya Roberts scored pinfall victories. Ava Kusserow, Deanna Mancillaz and Nintee Tarr received forfeits – DMPS ended the dual with a forfeit victory at 235 to put them over the top.

“I saw some good things and a lot that we need to work on tomorrow,” MHS girls coach Brian Trowbridge said.

Zelaya’s win was a shocker, down 11-3 before reversing into a pinning combination to topple Avah Blakeman at 120.

“She’s definitely one of the hardest workers in the wrestling room and it showed in that match, it paid off,” Trowbridge said. “She stuck it out until the end and ended up on top.”

Marshalltown’s girls will also compete on Saturday in the auxiliary gym – Woodward-Granger, West Marshall, West Fork and Johnston will be coming to town.

“It’ll be good to give all the girls a few matches,” Trowbridge said. “Hopefully some good experience and hopefully we can end up on top.”

GIRLS

Des Moines Public 42, Marshalltown 39

100–Lemuna Gurisho (DM) won by forfeit; 105–Kennedy Pahl (DM) won by forfeit; 110–December Paw (DM) pinned Kaitlyn Yepez, 1:20; 115–Rayna Bastidas (MHS) dec. Tosh Cherniss, 11-9; 120–Velkis Zelaya (MHS) pinned Avah Blakeman, 3:34; 125–Ava Kusserow (MHS) won by forfeit; 130–Deanna Mancillaz (MHS) won by forfeit; 135–Addyson Lovelace (MHS) pinned Jada Hansen, 2:21; 140–Nintee Tarr (MHS) won by forfeit; 145–Hope Davies (DM) pinned Zakyiah Stokes, 1:44; 155–Meya Roberts (MHS) pinned Delaney Clark, 1:06; 170–Torilyn Simmons (DM) won by forfeit; 190–Kayliana King (DM) pinned Ireland Banderas, 4:00; 235–Dayanara Soriano-Amaya (DM) won by forfeit.

———-

BOYS

Marshalltown 51, Des Moines East 23.0

157–Xayvion Anderson (MHS) dec. Daniel Zeoh, 4-0; 165–Dalton Zednichek (MHS) pinned Anthony Marquez, 0:47; 175–Michael Narvaez Correa (MHS) won by forfeit; 190–Nic Scott (DME) won by forfeit; 215–Johan Gomez (MHS) pinned Wesley Jordan, 3:15; 285–Ty Jones (MHS) pinned Issac Lara Marquez, 3:42; 106–Michael Lewis (DME) won by forfeit; 113–Damien Rodriguez (MHS) pinned Devin Audsley, 0:51; 120–Colby Cross (MHS) pinned Derek Shannon, 2:40; 126–Lucas Bantz (MHS) pinned Camron Bennett, 3:11; 132–Nicholas Wise (MHS) pinned Gabriel Flores, 2:50; 138–Carter Cadwell (DME) dec. Ivan Pantoja, 144–Dorian Hilson (DME) over Jordan Haynes, 10-7; 150–Jason Rivas (DME) tech. falled Carson Wright, 19-2.

Marshalltown 66, Des Moines North-Hoover 10

165–Dalton Zednichek (MHS) pinned Cody Jackson, 1:31; 175–Dein Gaye (DMNH) major dec. Michael Narvaez Correa, 16-5; 190–Kyle Pierce (DMNH) won by forfeit; 215–Johan Gomez (MHS) won by forfeit; 285–Ty Jones (MHS) pinned Jose Castillo Jr., 3:04; 106–no match; 113–Damien Rodriguez (MHS) won by forfeit; 120–Colby Cross (MHS) pinned Andres Martinez-Cruz, 0:32; 126–Lucas Bantz (MHS) won by forfeit; 132–Nicholas Wise (MHS) won by forfeit; 138–Ivan Pantoja (MHS) won by forfeit; 144–Mochamad Pramana (MHS) pinned Javier Canseco-Garcia, 2:56; 150–Carson Wright (MHS) won by forfeit; 157–Xayvion Anderson (MHS) won by forfeit.

Norwalk 49, Marshalltown 27

165–Tyler Stanford (N) pinned Dalton Zednichek, 4:41; 175–Victor Esparza (N) pinned Zach Kirkland, 4:34; 190–Harrison Tripp (N) major dec. Michael Narvaez Correa, 13-3; 215–Johan Gomez (MHS) pinned Carter Eden, 1:24; 285–Kolton Borcherding-Johnson (N) pinned Ty Jones, 3:16; 106–Cameron Clark (N) won by forfeit; 113–Tyler Harper (N) pinned Damien Rodriguez, 3:18; 120–Colby Cross (MHS) pinned Madox Ward, 3:35; 126–Aiden Moret (N) dec. Lucas Bantz, 5-2; 132–Nicholas Wise (MHS) pinned Blake Lee, 2:28; 138–Tate Turner (N) pinned Ivan Pantoja, 1:22; 144–Liam McLaughlin (N) pinned Mochamad Pramana, 1:14; 150–Carson Wright (MHS) pinned Maksym Rooney-Kozak, 5:54; 157–Xayvion Anderson (MHS) dec. Dominic Tigner, 3-2.