The three remaining Lake Mills Bulldogs competed in the consolation rounds at the Iowa state tournament Saturday morning. The Bulldogs had a wrestler place fourth, sixth and eighth, respectively, on the final day of the tournament.

Sophomore Elijah Wagner was the highest-placing Bulldog, taking fourth place with a tournament record of 4-2. Wager earned his way to the consolation final with four decision wins. He won his first match of the tournament with a 6-2 decision, followed by a tough 3-1 overtime loss in the second round. Bouncing back from the loss, he rattled off a 5-3 win, 7-2 win and 3-1 win to reach the third-place match. Wagner lost by just two points in his final match, earning him the fourth-place finish. Wagner ends his season with a 50-5 record.

“Elijah had a great tournament to cap off an amazing sophomore year,” coach Alex Brandenburg said. “To place this high at an upper weight at his age is quite an accomplishment, and his future looks even better.”

Senior Caiden Jones was the second-highest finisher for Lake Mills, coming away with sixth place. After losing a 5-0 decision in the opening round, Jones came back with a 10-9 win, a 12-1 major decision and a 10-4 win, making his way to the consolation semifinals. In the semifinals, Jones lost a 6-2 decision and fell in a heartbreaking 3-2 decision in the fifth-place match. On top of his sixth-place finish, Jones finishes his senior campaign with a 47-6 record.

“Caiden really opened up his offense after the first round loss and wrestled the best he has all season,” Brandenburg said. “He has been a huge part of our success the last four years by winning a school record 191 matches.”

Junior Tyler Helgeson finished in eighth place for Lake Mills, falling in both of his matches Saturday. After winning a 9-1 major decision in the first round, Helgeson dropped a one-point match in the second round, sending him to the consolation bracket. A 9-0 major decision advanced him to the third round, however, he would fall victim to a second-round pinfall that sent him to the seventh-place match. Despite a solid performance, a 3-0 decision loss ended his season with an eighth-place finish. Helgeson finishes his season with a 35-10 record.

“Tyler did some of his best wrestling of the season at state, especially considering he was battling a sore elbow,” Brandenburg said. “He is still on track to be the first Lake Mills wrestler to place all four years of high school…

“Having three state place winners was a great way for us to finish up an exceptional season,” Brandenburg said. “Our entire team worked extremely hard this year, and all members should be proud of helping these three bring home medals.”