Smith moves into semis at IGHSAU state wrestling

CORALVILLE – From tears to cheers.
That was Bloodhound Mara Smith’s first day at the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Class 2A State tournament Thursday in Coralville.
With about 20 seconds gone in the second period of her first match at 140 lbs.,  the senior, in her fourth state tournament, felt a stretch in her left shoulder and then got up and felt a pop.
The emotion and tears of that moment set in for a few seconds as she received a medical timeout and was looked over by trainers and coaches. On the restart, Smith started down and was quickly pulled to the mat by Western Dubuque’s Khloe Schmitt and the match was stopped again due to the pain in her shoulder.
During the second medical timeour, Smith said she knew one more medical timeout would cost her the match. She wasn’t letting that happen.
“If I had one more medical timeout, it would have been over and I would have had to end the match, so I was like I can’t… no matter how bad it hurts, I have to keep going. I have to let it fly,” she said.
“I thought 'I have one more match and then I can have the whole day to rest. Do I want to lose it because I’m in a little pain and then have to wrestle back to finalize a state placing or just win it now'. And I was like 'screw it, just win the thing'.”
On the restart, she was able to score a reversal out of the down spot and then was able to headlock Schmitt and pull her to the mat and record a 2-point nearfall for a technical fall win at 17-1.
Smith had two four-point nearfalls in the first period, but didn’t get a slap much to the chagrin of Head Coach Kyle Doherty.
“Her going down in the first match is not characteristic of her. Once was alarming and twice was scary,” he said.
“Obviously, that girl was pinned in the first period and we could’ve avoided some of that, but she’s seen that girl three times in the last two weeks, so the familiarity there kept the game plan straight.”
After the win, Smith said her family took off looking for a brace to help mobilize and compress her shoulder, a move that she said was helpful in her quarterfinal match against No. 6 Lauryn Metcalf.
“I was really scared. This is my senior year. This is it and I’ll never come here again so I just had to push through it. I was so nervous that I wouldn’t be able to go again. When I heard it pop, it was painful, but it scared me more than anything because I’ve never felt anything like that before,” she said.

“Thanks to my brother. He ran to get me a brace. He was on it. It actually does help by compressing and so I didn’t have to think about it and just wrestled smart. I didn’t take the shots I would normally take, but just stayed patient.”
In that quarterfinals match, Smith and Metcalf started out physical with some heavy hand fighting. Smith said she wanted to wrestle smarter and not quite as aggressive with the shoulder in the back of her mind. Both girls wrestled to no points in the first period. Smith was able to take advantage of a neutral start in the second period to work a takedown about 30 seconds into the period. Metcalf was able to score a reversal on Smith, but the Lady Hound quickly turned the tables and scored the pinfall just moments after.
Doherty, who suffered through some injuries in his years at the Iowa boys' state wrestling tournament, said he was happy with the grit Smith showed at the end of the first match and in the second one.
“When you’re injured, especially at the state tournament, you’re doing everything you can to shove it back. With a shoulder, you’re moving and stretching more, but you have to go in with a clear mind,” he said.
“At state, it’s one match at a time and you’re going to do whatever you can to win that match and Mara did that.
“She needed that girl to come out with heavy hands to be like 'I’m all right'. That girl was in for a fight and that opened a door for Mara, mentally. To get a pin at state anytime is great, but to do it after an injury is something else.”
The win moves her into the semifinal match and guarantees her a spot on the podium for the second year in a row. She will take on No. 2 seed Makana Miller of Waverly-Shell Rock on Friday at approximately 1:15 p.m.
Kat DiPrima won her first match after a little bit of a slow start at 145 lbs. The Hound junior surrendered a 3-point takedown halfway through the first period, but following a 1-point penalty on an illegal hold, DiPrima scored an escape for a point with :30 left in the first period.
Panya would take a 4-1 lead in the second period when she got an early escape. DiPrima then locked up Panya and took her to the mat for three points and a 4-4 tie, and then rolled Panya over and was able to cinch up a pin with Panya inverted on the mat with her feet in the air and shoulders pinned down.
The win moved DiPrima into a tough match with top-seeded Lizzy Wolf of Benton Community. Wolf recorded a takedown in 10 seconds, but DiPrima would wriggle loose and execute a Granby rollout to score an escape and get back to her feet halfway through the period. But Wolf would get another takedown at the 1:08 mark that transitioned into a pin to send DiPrima into the consolation bracket against Liberty’s Callum Wu.
After starting 0-0 through the first period, Wu rolled up a 5-0 lead in the first period with an early escape and a takedown. DiPrima would get an escape with 18 seconds left in the second period and trailed 5-1 headed into the third. DiPrima would get more aggressive in the third period trying to make up the points and almost had Wu on a hip toss near the edge of the circle, but Wu fought off the move and overpowered DiPrima to the mat again for a 3-point takedown and a  3-point nearfall  to rack up a 12-1 lead that would hold out through the 3rd period for the major decision. The loss ended DiPrima’s run as she went 1-2 on the day. It was her second trip to the tournament and has a year left.
“Kat’s first match, she wasn’t awake until it started rolling into her favor a bit,” Doherty said.
“The second match - she had wrestled that girl at Urbandale. Kat did two great things. Got her hips down on the carry, just not quite enough, and that Grandby was beautiful.”