Oskaloosa Wrestling had a great year at the high school level and another one of their state qualifiers has signed to wrestle at the collegiate level.

145 pounder Drew Sams capped off a great high school career with yet another trip to Wells Fargo Arena and the State Wrestling Tournament. Although he had a successful year in 2017, Sams was not pleased with his 1-2 finish at state, missing the podium.

“I didn’t have the outcome I wanted at state,” said Sams. “I don’t want my wrestling career to fall short, so I wanted to continue it. I felt like I could do some good things.”

When shopping for his collegiate program, Sams wanted to keep it close geographically. He eventually selected Graceland University in Lamoni.

“I was thinking local, I was thinking I was going to go to [William] Penn,” Sams explained. “But this program is only five years old. I like what they got going on there. I like their coach. It feels like a great atmosphere when I went on a visit. I just like what they got going.”

Sams was one of five wrestlers to qualify for state for Oskaloosa. Indian Head Coach Chase Weber says Sams has been a great leader for the program.

“He’s one of the kids that showed what you need to do to keep getting better as far as offseason,” Weber said. “Showing up every day, being in the [wrestling] room, making weight, and not missing any matches, that kind of stuff.”

Sams joins Osky teammate Jason Beebe as wrestlers moving on to the next level. Beebe recently signed to wrestle at William Penn University in Osky.

You can go back and listen to Oskaloosa postseason wrestling action, including at the state tournament, by going to kboeradio.com and clicking “Stream Archive.”