Marshalltown junior wins twice to reach quarterfinals; Bantz falls in state debut
DES MOINES — When Xayvion Anderson goes on the offensive, he’s not easy to slow down.
Marshalltown wrestling head coach Luke Cross said all it took was Anderson remembering that himself.
Anderson, the Bobcats’ 157-pound junior, took a shot after a careful start to his second-round match at the Class 3A state tournament, and it paid off as part of a 4-3 victory over AJ Pontier of Indianola to advance Anderson on to Thursday’s quarterfinal round as part of a 3A session that begins at 1:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
“If I were to critique that match, I would say Xayvion was almost too cautious,” Cross said. “If he’s shooting, his opponent isn’t shooting, right? He was feeling out the match a little bit and that allowed the kid to get in on him. He did a good job of defending, but the further along you get in the tournament the harder it’s going to be to fight off the shots.”
Pontier and Anderson were tied 2-2 after the second period, and Pontier escaped out of bottom position to start the third for an early 3-2 lead. With 20 seconds remaining, Anderson was able to secure a takedown just before the two went out of bounds.
“That takedown was big,” Anderson said. “And then Coach was just yelling to stay heavy on top, keep the pressure on his back so he couldn’t get up.”
Anderson successfully rode out Pontier for the victory. His next opponent is a district rematch against Southeast Polk’s Abe Bushong, who toppled the 2-seed, West Des Moines Valley’s Cinsere Clark, in a 5-4 decision.
Anderson defeated Bushong in last Saturday’s district final with a pin in sudden victory.
“We know that if Xayvion trusts in his ability, we can punch our ticket past that guy,” Cross said. “But Southeast Polk comes to state to win this tournament, so I think we’re going to see a different kid than we saw at districts.”
The day started with a win in another rematch from earlier in the year, with Anderson comfortably dispatching Cedar Falls’ Ben Backes in a 10-2 major decision.
“That first match is always good to get the nerves out,” Anderson said. “That got me right for my second one for sure.”
Cross said film study revealed the key to not having a letdown in the rematch.
“We saw that every time Xayvion took a shot, we took him down. So all he had to do was shoot,” Cross said with a smile. “He was just firing shots off and I think you could see we had him broken down later in the match. That match got Xayvion amped up to where he believed he could do great things.”
After going 0-2 as a freshman at state and missing out completely as a sophomore, Anderson is now one win away from the semifinals and guaranteeing his spot on the podium.
“I just have to keep believing in my shots, believing I can win these matches and thinking that I’m the best wrestler out there,” Anderson said.
Marshalltown 126-pounder Lucas Bantz got his first taste of the state meet, falling in a 13-4 major decision for Cedar Rapids Xavier’s Jack Foster in a rematch of their meeting at districts which Foster also won.
This time, Foster picked up more points off Bantz.
“Lucas was wrestling with reckless abandon,” Cross said. “Which I can appreciate, but he got a little sloppy sometimes, gave up a takedown in the first period and that kind of set the tone for the match.
Bantz is knocked to the consolations where he draws Shandrel Thompson of Johnston next. Thompson pinned Bantz in a dual with the Dragons in January.
“Lucas continued wrestling hard for six minutes today,” Cross said. “Most kids would gas out in a situation like that, but he’s got a gas tank for days, so if he continues to use that and stay more in control of his emotions, I think we can take the next one.”
Thursday’s state wrestling schedule
Class 3A, 1:30 p.m.
Consolation second round
126: (20) Lucas Bantz, jr., Marshalltown, 34-11 vs. (14) Shandrel Thompson, jr., Johnston, 22-15
Championship quarterfinals
157: (10) Xayvion Anderson, jr., Marshalltown, 40-4 vs. (15) Abe Bushong, jr., Southeast Polk, 27-6
