Panorama boys wrestling ties school record with 5 state qualifiers

Five Panorama wrestlers punched their tickets to the state tournament at the meet: Landon Kirtley (138), Will Knapp (150), Gabe Wagner (157), Blake Schwartz (165) and Joel Cooper (285).

By Cyote Williams | Times Vedette

Panorama boys wrestling competed at the IHSAA 1A District 4 tournament at Interstate 35 on Saturday, Feb. 15. Five wrestlers punched their tickets to the state tournament at the meet: Landon Kirtley (138), Will Knapp (150), Gabe Wagner (157), Blake Schwartz (165) and Joel Cooper (285). To qualify for the 1A state championship tournament, wrestlers needed to place first or second in their weight class. Kirtley won the second-place match over Kacyn Watson of Central Decatur. Knapp initially lost in the quarterfinals to Austin Henderson of Wayne, Corydon. Knapp battled his way back through the consolation bracket to face Henderson again in the third-place match, where he would win. Then, in the second-place match, he defeated Brenner Sullivan of Woodbine. Wagner won the second-place match against Mavrick Hutton of Interstate 35. Blake Schwartz won his second-place match against Connor Murdock of Woodbine. Joel Cooper punched his ticket by defeating Keegan Long of Earlham in the second-place match. The 1A first round begins on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 1:30 p.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The tournament will go through Saturday, Feb. 22. Tickets for the state meet are available for purchase HERE. Streaming information can be found at www.ihssn.com.