BLOODHOUND WRESTLING

Fuller 4th at FM Invite; Watson 5th

Fort Madison finishes 11th of 24 at two-day event

Fort Madison sophomore Ren Watson tries to roll Cedar Rapids Kennedy's Zach Stuefen in the first period of the 215 lb. consolation semifinals Saturday at the Fort Madison Invitational. Watson beat Stuefen in pool wrestling Friday, but lost here, moving the Bloodhound to the 5th-place match Saturday afternoon.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Hound sophomore James Fuller works a takedown on Benton Community's Jason Eastman in consolation semifinals Saturday afternoon at the Bloodhound Invitational in Fort Madison.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Fort Madison Head Coach Nic Chiri gives some tips to Ryker Peters Saturday afternoon in Peters' consolation semifinals match against L-M's Jaxxon Wedekind. Wedekind would score a 2nd-period fall to advance to the 3rd-place finals match.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Fort Madison sophomore James Fuller celebrates with coach Nic Chiri, right, and assistant Derek Doherty, Saturday afternoon after winning the right to move into the 3rd-place match at 126 lbs. at the Fort Madison Invitational. Fuller had the best finish of the day for the Bloodhounds at 4th.

Photo by Chuck Vandenberg/PCC

Posted Sunday, December 21, 2025 7:28 pm

Chuck Vandenberg, Pen City Current Editor

FORT MADISON – The Bloodhounds took 11th place and had five top 10 finishers at the two-day Fort Madison Invitational over the weekend.
A packed Fort Madison Jr./Sr. High featured 24 teams, including a Fort Madison junior varsity squad. Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont won the event with 468.5 points. Dubuque Hempstead was second at 357, Clear Creek-Amana was third with 354 points. Burlington Notre Dame was 4th with 328.5 points.
Sophomore James Fuller had the best finish on the day, taking 4th place at 126 pounds. The 2025 state qualifier lost twice to Van Buren’s Leo Jirak by fall in the first period, once in the second round of the championship bracket, and the second time in the 3rd-place match. Otherwise Fuller went 2-1 in pool wrestling Friday night. Wrestling Friday night was to determine the championship brackets on Saturday. Fuller went 2-2 in the top bracket and had a nice comeback win over Jason Eastman of Benton Community.
Eastman had a 7-0 lead scoring a nearfall in the first period. Fuller then got things going halfway through the second period, scoring a 3-point takedown at 1:14 for the only points of the period. He scored two more takedowns in the third period and then was able to ride Eastman to the win after the Benton senior was warned for stalling.
That win put Fuller into the 3rd-place match with Jirak. Jirak scored a quick takedown and a nearfall and then compromised Fuller for the pin leading 7-0.

Ren Watson, wrestling at 215, won his 5th-place match over Logan Clark of Cedar Rapids Kennedy by fall in the second period. Watson went 3-0 in pool wrestling Friday and was 2-2 on Saturday with a loss to Zach Stuefen by a close 9-4 decision. Watson recorded a reversal with less than 30 seconds to go in that match to cut the lead to 6-4, but Stuefen got a late control for 3 points to seal the win. Watson defeated Stuefen in pool wrestling Friday 11-5. The sophomore was in the top 8 bracket to start Saturday where he won his first match with a quick 19-second pin over Washington’s Brayden Vermillion. He then lost to eventual runner-up Braxton Plants of Montezuma by fall in the first period.
Ryker Peters won 6th place at 150 lbs., falling in the fifth-place consolation bracket to Sam Myers of Kennedy by fall halfway through the first period. Peters also went 3-0 in pool wrestling Friday to land in the top 8 bracket Saturday. He lost his opening round match Saturday to eventual runner-up Brady Peterson of Benton by technical fall. Peters downed Mediapolis’ James Garrison in his first consolation match and then lost his next two to earn 6th place.
Rainer Johnson placed 8th at 165 lbs. after going 3-0 in pool wrestling, but an injury early Saturday caused him to have to medical forfeit through the consolation bracket. Clifford Stewart placed 10th at 190 lbs., falling in the 9th-place match to Peyce McCoy of Dubuque Hempstead.
Other Bloodhound results:
Adam Oronia 17th (106); Zane Houtz 13th (113); Justice Lightfoot 15th (120); Cole Quittem 14th (120); Iyov Kelly 18th (120); Cash Blancart 14th (132); Camron Maxwell 18th (132); Oliver Schleich 12th (132); Liam McEntee 17th (138); Gabriel Raldiris 18th (144); Eric Cornelis 19th (157); Seth Sturm 21st (157); Owen Davolt 16th (165); Jake Haessig 12th (165); Roan Ruble 18th (165); Jack Benner 11th (175); Peter Seyb 19th (175); Beau Wagner 14th (215); Cal Hennings 16th (285); Baylor Ferreira 19th (285).