Fuller ready for next year already

DES MOINES – After getting a chance to let the final result set in Thursday, Bloodhound James Fuller said he’s ready for next season.
Fuller, a student from Central Lee who wrestles in the shared program with Fort Madison, lost in an upset in his consolation match with Dubuque Hempstead’s Ike Heysinger at 113 lbs. with a pin in the first round.
The freshman qualified for state in his first varsity crack by winning the district qualifier in Iowa City last weekend. He said he’s been at Wells-Fargo before, but in youth tournaments. This was different.
“I thought this was pretty cool,” he said. “When I was a little kid, I was there before. It was something I wish more people could experience.
“I knew what I was going up against, I just caught there. Next year I’m looking forward to going again and doing better.”
Showing a maturity beyond a 9th grader, Fuller said he tried to prepare for what Heysinger would bring to the mat, but got caught early.
Not too early however, as Fuller racked up a 5-0 lead after the first 30 seconds. He scored a 3-point takedown on a flip off a head lock and almost got a slap at 1:33 when he got a two-point nearfall. However, Heysinger took advantage of a weight shift by Fuller and was able to score a reversal that caught Fuller compromised.
Heysinger got the Bloodhound’s shoulders down and Fuller almost escaped, but was wrangled in for the pin :52 seconds into the match.
“He had got those double-unders on the reversal. I tried to prepare for that. He got that and he kept pressure into me. I noticed I was slipping slowly and I tried to bail out because he could’ve scored more points out of that,” Fuller said.
The next thing he knew, he was trying to kick out of the hold, but Heysinger got a quick slap for the pin.

Head Coach Nic Chiri said Fuller came off the mat and didn’t even know what had happened or how.
“He came off and said, ‘I don’t even know what just happened there’,” Chiri said.
“We told him, if you get a chance for the headlock, go for it. And he caught him and got him close, but when the reversal hit, James is not as flexible. He fought out once, but couldn’t get out the second time.”
Chiri said he was happy with the progress Fuller made over the season to prepare for the meeting.
“Super proud of him. In the middle of the season, he wasn’t even in our lineup, and then to build all that and make it all the way up here, and then win a match. Just couldn’t be happier for him.”
Fuller’s road started with a win on Wednesday, the first day of wrestling. He was seeded 10th of 24 to start the tournament. That match went a full six minutes with Fuller getting a pin with one second left, leading 11-8. Fuller got the lead with less than 30 seconds left in the match.
He suffered a quick pin to Waverly-Shell Rock’s Kipton Lewis to send him into consolation wrestling on Thursday morning where he suffered the elimination at the hands of Heysinger.
“He’ll celebrate this. We just need to give him some time, but he’s gonna celebrate this,” Chiri said.
“He’s better than that and he deserves to be on the podium, especially where he was in the bracket. But that’s the way it is up here, these are the best wrestlers in the state.”
The team has set up a welcome home celebration for Fuller at noon Sunday at FMHS’ multi purpose room.