Smith makes history for Lady Hounds wrestling

CORALVILLE – On Thursday night when Fort Madison junior Mara Smith was asked if she wanted a 3rd-place match with West Delaware’s Kylee Shoop, the Bloodhound hesitated, smiled, and then nodded. No words.
She got her wish on Friday night in front of a packed Xtream Arena in Coralville on the biggest stage in Iowa girls' high school wrestling.
It was such a big stage head coach Kyle Doherty even donned a tie.
The Bloodhound junior moved into Friday wrestling after a 2nd-round consolation win over Kallie Gibbons of Mason City Thursday night, and was ready for a little recuperation.
Shoop was ranked No. 4 in IAWrestle’s final season rankings and came into the tournament seeded 3rd, which set up a chalked 130-lb. bracket. Nos. 1 and 2, Mackenzie Childers of Cedar Rapids Prairie and Calista Rodish of Raccoon River Northwest, faced off in the finals, with Shoop and Smith battling for third and fourth. Smith came into the tournament seeded 4th and ranked 6th.
She walked out with a 4th-place medal and another big smile as she set Bloodhound history as the first girl ever to step on the podium at a state wrestling tournament. This is the third official year for girls' high school wrestling in Iowa.
“This feels really good,” Smith said. And then looked to the future.
“I feel like this will push more girls to want to do the same thing. I hope that lights a spark in some people. We’ve got girls coming up like Kat and B, and we’re moving.”
The Class 2A 3rd-place match at 130 lbs. started with a sizing up period, a move that followed the game plan, according to Doherty.
“One big thing going into this match was trying to get our tempo going,” he said. “But the big thing in that first period was we don’t have to do too much. If something comes about and we execute and score we want that, but we didn’t want to force things. Especially in this match against that type of opponent.”
For the first minute it was handfighting with Shoop, but Smith went for a leg. Shoop defended and the two scrambled back up where Shoop was able to get Smith in a “cow catcher” around the head and flip her to the mat. Smith almost rolled out before control, but Shoop got the 3-point takedown. Smith escaped a few seconds later for a 1-3 deficit after the first period.
Shoop put up some points with an escape on the second period start. The two battled on their feet for a good portion of the second period before Shoop got another takedown and a nearfall in the later half of the period.
Smith would take advantage of a little height difference and leverage a reversal right at the end of the period for a 10-3 score. Shoop was warned for stalling a few seconds into the third, but was able to stave off a couple shots from Smith. With time winding down, the Bloodhound started to take some risks and got caught again for a takedown but quickly rolled it into a reversal with just over a minute left. She then went to work trying to get Shoop in a package, but the West Delaware senior turned into a stone and Smith was unable to get her compromised in the final minute falling 13-5 in a major decision. Shoop was not given any deductions for stalling in the final minute to keep her moving.

Smith said she was happy with her effort.
“I wasn’t unhappy with it. It’s disappointing that it didn’t come out how I wanted it to, but I feel like I fought my best. I could’ve just sat there and got pinned, but I fought,” she said.
“Some calls don’t go your way – that’s okay.”
Doherty tipped his cap to Shoop and said it was a good match to watch and Smith did what they had planned.
“It’s hard to turn someone in a turtle position. It’s unfortunate that’s part of a strategy, but Mara did a fantastic job with her pressure and effort,” he said.
He said whether the junior moves up a weight or stays where she’s at next year, she will be formidable.
“She’s gearing up for track now and we’ll be in the weight room. She’ll figure next year out, but wherever she goes, she’s gonna be tough. She’s starting a tradition now, getting her name on a wall. It couldn’t have happened to a better person. She’s easy to work with and a really hard worker.”
Smith battled through the opening day of wrestling Thursday going 2-1 on the day. Her first round win was a 12-7 decision over South Tama’s Brooklyn Mitchell. Smith got out of sorts very early but battled back for the win.
Then Arabella Varvel got a second-period pin over the Bloodhound in the quarterfinals sending her to consolation wrestling. Smith had a couple shots at a cradle in the first and second periods, but Varvel was able to power out of the holds. The early aggression took a toll and Smith suffered the fall at 3:45.
The loss sent her to consolation wrestling where she went 2-0 on Thursday where she got a well-wrestled third period pin over 6th seeded Kallie Gibbons of Mason City. Smith was leading 14-2 at the time of the fall.
Friday wrestling started with a morning fall over Tatum Heaberlin in the third period. The match was deadlocked at 0-0 going into the second period. Smith deferred to start the period and Heaberlin took a top start. Smith escaped after about 30 seconds and the two hand-fought for about a minute before she could grab a takedown for a 4-0 lead. With the top start going into the third period, Smith got a caution on the start and then set up the ride for a minute before locking up a cradle for the fall.
That moved her to the consolation semis against Linn-Mar’s Brielle Parke. Smith went to a more patient, methodical match. Smith got behind 6-0 when Parke got control about 15 seconds into the match. Parke was given a caution at 1:21 and then got Smith’s shoulders compromised for a 3-point nearfall and a 6-0 lead. Smith saved the match, squirming out and slipping over, scoring a two-point reversal in front of the Linn-Mar coaches for a 2-6 deficit. She then was able to work the reversal into a package in the middle for the pin at the 1:33 mark.
Fort Madison’s Briena Fenton and Kat DiPrima were eliminated on Day 1, but both got their first wins at a state tournament.