Two champs, two national qualifiers for RO grapplers

For the first time in program history, three Red Oak wrestlers have qualified for nationals, placing third or higher at the Iowa USA Freestyle/Greco State Tournament held last weekend, May 6-7 in Sioux City.
Freestyle/Greco style wrestling begins at the Bantam level and goes up to Veterans for both males and females.
Aiden Smith, 10-year old from Red Oak, won the Intermediate 65 pound championship in both freestyle and Greco. Smith wrestles with the Powerhouse Wrestling Club of Council Bluffs, under the direction of Keith Massey.
Justin McCunn won the championship Cadet 152 weight division and Thomas Bentley placed third in the Cadet 170 weight division for the Red Oak Tiger Wrestling Club, coached by August Manz.
During the school year, Bentley and McCunn are members of the high school wrestling team, wrestling folkstyle.
“I feel that this (freestyle/Greco) helps teach me mat awareness and how to scramble,” McCunn said.
Bentley and McCunn advance to nationals held in Fargo, N.D.
Smith advances to regionals in Rochester, Minn. with his win.
Bruce Lukehart also wrestled at the state tournament, but lost to his opponent, McCunn.
“Yeah, he’s my teammate, and we wrestle a lot in practice during the season,” McCunn said. “Wrestling is a lot mental, and I can’t worry about him being my teammate. At the tournament, he was just my opponent.”
Aiden’s father, Adam Smith, is hoping that wrestling continues to grow in Red Oak and become a powerhouse.
“Fargo Nationals is huge for these guys,” Adam Smith said. “It’s an amazing feat for Justin and Thomas.”
This is McCunn’s first year competing at the state tournament.
“Qualifying for Nationals has been an expectation for some of us,” McCunn said. “I feel like a lot of hard work came together this year for me.”
As for Aiden, he wants to be a national champion in college and wrestle in the Olympics when he is older.
“Wrestling is good because it teaches you learning for life,” Aiden said. “You learn that it’s not always going to go your way.”
Although right now, it seems that it is for the wrestling program.