SavannahSixManFan
11-man fan
Any ya'll ever have to tackle a girl in a six-man football game?
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Cassy Herkelman would have rather wrestled Joel Northrup than to become by default the first girl to ever win a match in Iowa's state tournament. But the 14-year-old said Friday she didn't feel slighted when he refused to wrestle her because she was a girl.
Northrup's decision garnered national publicity a day earlier, when the two were set to meet in a first-round match. Northrup, a favorite to win his 112-pound weight class, cited his religious beliefs and said he didn't think it appropriate to engage with a girl in a combat sport that could get violent.
"He had the right to make his own choice, and he made his choice," said Herkelman, one of two girls in this year's tournament. "It's not like he did what he didn't want to do."
Her father expressed similar sentiments shortly after his pony-tailed daughter was eliminated following losses in two matches Friday. Northrup, who moved into the consolation bracket after defaulting, also was knocked out of the tournament after a loss.
Bill Herkelman said his family held no ill will towards Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore who competes for Linn-Mar High School, or his family.
"That's their belief, and I praise them for sticking to it. This is the biggest stage in wrestling in the state, I would say, and they stuck to their beliefs when it probably tested it the most," he said. "It was probably a tough pill for him to swallow."
Despite the media buzz, there was little reaction from the 6,000 spectators at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines when Herkelman lost her first match Friday. Focus was divided among the several other matches taking place during a tournament that attracts high school wrestlers from across Iowa.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Cassy Herkelman would have rather wrestled Joel Northrup than to become by default the first girl to ever win a match in Iowa's state tournament. But the 14-year-old said Friday she didn't feel slighted when he refused to wrestle her because she was a girl.
Northrup's decision garnered national publicity a day earlier, when the two were set to meet in a first-round match. Northrup, a favorite to win his 112-pound weight class, cited his religious beliefs and said he didn't think it appropriate to engage with a girl in a combat sport that could get violent.
"He had the right to make his own choice, and he made his choice," said Herkelman, one of two girls in this year's tournament. "It's not like he did what he didn't want to do."
Her father expressed similar sentiments shortly after his pony-tailed daughter was eliminated following losses in two matches Friday. Northrup, who moved into the consolation bracket after defaulting, also was knocked out of the tournament after a loss.
Bill Herkelman said his family held no ill will towards Northrup, a home-schooled sophomore who competes for Linn-Mar High School, or his family.
"That's their belief, and I praise them for sticking to it. This is the biggest stage in wrestling in the state, I would say, and they stuck to their beliefs when it probably tested it the most," he said. "It was probably a tough pill for him to swallow."
Despite the media buzz, there was little reaction from the 6,000 spectators at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines when Herkelman lost her first match Friday. Focus was divided among the several other matches taking place during a tournament that attracts high school wrestlers from across Iowa.
