NIACC's Church moves to semifinals

COUNCIL BLUFFS - NIACC sophomore Isaac Church is two matches away from being a national champion.

Church edged North Idaho's Hunter Bidelman 4-2 Friday night in the 141-pound quarterfinal match at the NJCAA men's national wrestling championships at the Mid-America Center.

Church, the fourth-seed, now faces Pratt's top-seed Easton Taylor in Saturday morning's semifinals. Taylor advanced to the semifinals with a pin and two major decisions.

Earlier Friday, Church (16-2) picked up a 17-5 major decision over Snow's Will Korth and pinned Nassau's Ryan Paladino in 7 minutes, 27 seconds.

Church was 3-2 at last year's national tournament as a freshman at 141 pounds.

In the 184-pound quarterfinals. Northwest's eighth-seeded Aziz Fayzullaev pinned NIACC's ninth-seeded Jessey Colas in 2:13.

North Idaho's Noah Poe-Hatten pinned Colas (16-4) in 4:51 in in the consolation side of the bracket Friday night.

Earlier Friday, Colas advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-4 win over Iowa Western's Bruce Lukehart and a 18-1 technical fall over Southwestern Michigan's Nathan Adrina.

In the 149-pound consolation bracket Friday night, NIACC's Cordell White (12-4 with eight falls) pinned Triton's Anthony Bitner in 1:50 and he also stuck Caleb Nadig of Northwest in 3:54.