Four Lake Mills wrestlers competed in the Iowa state wrestling tournament in Des Moines, and senior Noah Irons led the Bulldogs with a second-place finish, according to a press release.

The team finished in 22nd place out of 121 schools in class 1A.

Irons made a run at the state title by pinning his first three opponents to advance to the finals.

“Noah was as dominant as any wrestler I have seen the first three rounds of state,” said Lake Mills head coach Alex Brandenburg. “He dominated three opponents and did not surrender a point.”

Irons lost the title match with a 4-2 decision against Tucker Black of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont.

“Unfortunately, Noah did not look the same as he had all season,” Brandenburg said, “It was the first time this season where the opponent was more aggressive. I think his nerves got the best of him, which is understandable wrestling in front of over 15,000 people.”

Irons finished a historic season with a record of 48-1. He broke several school records including career wins, career pins and wins in a season. His first-round pin gave him 100 for his career, which is a rare feat for any high school wrestler.

“Noah has been a cornerstone for building a winning program on and off the mat,” Brandenburg said. “I can’t even begin to express how much he will be missed next year.”

Junior Brady Schmidt split his two matches the first day of the tournament, but lost his third match to finish one win short of placing.

“Brady had a very nice season,” said Brandenburg. “The experience he gained at state this year will help him to get on the stand next year.”

Andrew Olsen followed a similar path to classmate Schmidt as he split his day one matches before losing third round to fall just short of the podium.

“Andrew wrestled great down the stretch,” Brandenburg said. “The confidence he picked up these last few weeks bodes well for having a great senior season. He knows what he has to do to place next year.”

Freshman Michael Olsen rounded out the quartet and was knocked out of action the first day by dropping both matches. “Michael had an incredible run for a freshman,” Brandenburg said. “He has turned himself into a kid who works very hard and will be very successful for the next three years.”

Statistics are in the Scoreboard: Feb. 22 post.