West Holmes’ Dixon reaches Ironman blood round

Competing in arguably the toughest in-season high school wrestling tournament in the nation, West Holmes senior Louden Dixon just missed a top-eight finish at the prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournament Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13 at Walsh Jesuit High School.

“Louden came to Ironman hoping to see some of the best competition in the country, and that’s exactly what he got this weekend,” Knights wrestling assistant head coach Logan Stanley said.

Dixon (4-2, one fall), a state champion and two-time state placer, came up short of earning an Ironman placement Saturday morning when he suffered a 12-2 major decision loss to 157-pound No. 6 seed Gabriel Ballard (Northampton, New York) in the consolation sixth round, where a win guaranteed a top-eight placement in the tournament. Despite the loss, Dixon ended his Ironman Tournament as a top-12 finisher.

“Louden was just one to two positions or situations away from a different outcome here,” Stanley said. “This kid (Ballard) stayed in really good position and tried to tie Louden up a bit. We gave up a takedown on the edge and a tilt at the end of the first period. From there, we’re trying to dig ourselves out of a 7-0 hole. We’re in on his legs a couple times and just were not quite able to finish.”

Dixon, the 12th seed, opened his tournament Friday, sticking Jayden Kainec (Walsh Jesuit) by fall at 1:59 and following that up with a 16-7 major decision victory over Emory Gunby (Bishop McCort, Pennsylvania). Dixon dropped into the consolation bracket after losing a 7-3 decision to fifth-seed Griffin LaPlante (St. Francis, New York) in the championship quarterfinals.

“Louden started off Friday with two dominant wins,” Stanley said. “Then he dropped his third match of the day in the round of 16 to the No. 8 kid in the country (LaPlante). Louden was one or two situations from winning this match. He was down 4-1 in the third period and was firing off attacks trying to make something happen, and LaPlante had a reattack of his own and scored to go up 7-1 with about 30 seconds left. I give Louden credit. He easily could have called this match quits, being down six with 30 to go. But he hit a switch and got a reversal to make it 7-3 and fought to get a turn to the final whistle. He just couldn’t make it happen.”

Dixon stayed alive Friday with a pair of wins in the consolation round to move into Saturday competition, posting a 4-2 decision win over Trevor Jones (Delbarton, New Jersey) and a tight 5-2 decision victory over Jeremy McGrath (Green Fields Academy, Connecticut).

“Louden really showed his tenacity Friday evening, bouncing back from that tough loss,” Stanley said. “He won his next match in a gritty win over a Delbarton, New Jersey kid (Jones), where Louden split his eye (lid) open mid-match. It was a quick turnaround to his next match. Louden had to see the tournament doctors to get the cut on his eye glued and his head taped. This process took longer than we thought, and it was almost time for Louden to wrestle again. Having little time for a proper cool down or warm-up, Louden took care of business, earning the match-winning takedown in the third period. The kid from Green Fields Academy (McGrath) was long and really tough on top with the boots.

"I’m really proud of Louden’s resiliency, the way he was able to bounce back from a tough loss, winning two more close matches to make it to the blood round Saturday morning. I think he loves those situations. He loves the fight. He finds a way to win. He’s just a competitor.”

Dixon had a solid tournament, and despite missing a top-eight finish at the meat grinder known as the Ironman, Stanley said Dixon’s performance was stellar.

“Overall, I’m so proud of Louden this weekend," he said. "This was a great experience for him. Making the blood round of the toughest tournament in the country was very impressive. His effort and hunger to compete are always evident. I know this weekend will only motivate him more.”