A pair of Guthrie County wrestling teams will compete in tournament action today. The annual Crusader Invitational takes place at Coon Rapids-Bayard High School. The Panorama Panthers and the West Central Valley Wildcats are among the schools set to compete in the tournament. Other schools scheduled to compete at the event include AC/GC, Audubon, East Sac County, English Valleys, Exira/EHK, Riverside. Oakland, and South Central Calhoun.
Today marks the first competition of the new year for the Panorama Panthers wrestling team. The Panthers enter 2018 as the No. 16 ranked team in the first Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials dual team rankings of the season. Panorama wrestling coach Jason Kirtley tells Raccoon Valley Radio that its the first time in his decade as head coach that Panorama has been ranked in the IWOCA.
The West Central Valley wrestling team has two duals under their belt in 2018 after hosting a nonconference triangular Thursday in Stuart. West Central Valley topped Tri-Center, 66-15 and lost to Logan-Magnolia, 46-30. Matthew Clark (160) and Alex Wells (285) recorded a pair of pinfall victories for West Central Valley Thursday.
First matches of the Crusader Invitational begin at 10 a.m. from Coon Rapids-Bayard High School.