The Mid-Prairie Golden Hawk wrestling team secured a top half of the conference finish at Saturday’s River Valley Conference Championship meet at Tipton. The Golden Hawks ended the event with 127 points, in sixth place. West Liberty made a late charge to defend their conference title with 211.5 points, edging Camanche by 10. The Hawks had two wrestlers make the finals with Cael Garvey at 160lbs and Gannon Callahan at 285lbs. Garvey was beaten in the title match by Will Esmoil of West Liberty by fall. Callahan was bested by Connor Andersen of Anamosa by fall in the title match. After the meet, Mid-Prairie head coach Justin Garvey talked about his two finalists. “At 160, Cael Garvey comes into what might have been the toughest bracket in the tournament. He got a 2nd period pin in the first match. In his second match he had a tough kid from Regina who he hasn’t come out on the top side against much in the past. He gutted out a tough match, stayed in good position, got points when he needed to and wrestled smart. In the finals he goes up against a tough kid from West Liberty who is ranked No. 2 at 152lbs. He got in a bad position, took a bad shot, went to our back and that was it. To go from not placing at conference last year to finishing second, he made big strides but have a lot of work ahead of us this week. Gannon Callahan at 285, another sophomore, first round wrestled well. Second round he gets a huge fall against a kid from Tipton that he has never beaten. Really big match for him. He draws a tough kid from Anamosa in the finals. Both of them are sophomores, neither one has been to the title match before, it’s a learning curve.”

Other top finishers for the Hawks included Cory Allen third at 182, Isaac Boucher third at 195 and Josh Wallington third at 220. The Golden Hawks will next be in action Saturday at the sectional tournament in Williamsburg.