Wrestling fans from all over eastern Iowa descended on rural Riverside Saturday for the 14th Annual Gary Curtis Invitational. Highland High School welcomed wrestlers from 11 schools to participate in this year’s event, including Washington, Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union, Cascade, Iowa City Regina, Muscatine, New London, South Tama, Tri-County, West Branch, West Liberty, and Wilton.

The Demons provided wrestlers for all 14 weight divisions, and had no one place lower than sixth place. Junior Austin Hazelett (138) and freshman Tristan Westphal-Edwards (160) came away with tournament championships. Hazelett won his quarterfinal and semifinal bouts by fall, and the championship match by an 11-0 major decision over West Liberty’s Ivan Escobedo. Westphal-Edwards advanced through the quarterfinal round with a bye, and won his semifinal match by fall in 1:29. He grinded out a victory by decision (5-3) in the championship round over Regina’s Nick Milder.

Junior Trey Van Weelden (152), who entered the tournament as Washington’s last undefeated wrestler, suffered his first loss of the season in the 152 pound tournament championship match. He lost by fall 5:16 into the grapple. Senior Michael Ellingson (145), juniors Kyle Anderson (132) and Karlton Skubal (182), and sophomore Mitchell Huisenga (285) all placed second after falling in their championship matches.

Highland’s West brothers earned first place finishes for the Huskies. Junior Bryce West (120) advanced to the championship round with first period pins in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches. He claimed first place in the 120 pound weight division after a 21-6 technical fall in the final match.

Junior Drew West (126) won a pair of matches by fall against Columbus and Washington wrestlers. He won his quarterfinal match with the Wildcat’s Armando Quiroz with a pin 3:17 into the grapple. West met Washington’s Andrew Waite in the semifinal round and won by fall 30 seconds into the match. He took first place in the 126 pound weight division with a 14-3 major decision in the championship.

Columbus seniors Josh Keller (113) and Tucker Morrison (170) claimed first place in their respective brackets. Keller pinned his first two opponents to advance to the championship match. He claimed the 113 pound championship with a 14-9 decision. Morrison pinned his quarterfinal opponent in 40 seconds. His toughest match of the day came in the semifinals against Washington senior Bryce Rickey, winning by a 5-2 decision. Morrison claimed first place in the 170 pound bracket with a win by fall in 1:24.

Saturday marked the 50th year of the Highland wrestling invitational, which was renamed to the Gary Curtis Invitational in 2002. Curtis spent 33 years as a teacher at Highland High School, 25 of them as the school’s wrestling coach, before retiring from the district in 2002.