“Winning. No matter what I’m doing I want to be a winner at it. I don’t like to lose at anything.”
-Logan Mulnix in an interview from The Gazette in 2012
Logan Mulnix was an incredibly talented, fiery competitor who wrestled for North Linn and graduated in 2012. He was the younger brother of Ryan Mulnix, a 2007 graduate who placed 8th, 2nd and 3rd at state. Logan was accomplished pretty early in the youth wrestling circuit. He placed 2nd to Tyler Shulista one year at state and was a 2X AAU state champion, winning it as a 7th and 8th grader. In the finals as an 8th grader, he defeated a guy named Willie Miklus. This was one of the biggest matches to ever take place in the history of the AAU State tournament, for Willlie was a 5X AAU State Champion coming in and was going for his 6th title…which means you won it every year. It doesn’t happen very often. And Logan Mulnix prevented that from happening.
Mulnix qualified all 4 years he was in HS, placing 7th, 1st, 2nd and then first again. And every year, he had a match or two at the tournament that would amaze those in attendance. Heck, his first ever match as a Freshman at state was a huge win for a Freshman and he did it against my 1st cousin, Senior Jon Swafford from New London, who was coming off an 8th place finish from his Junior season. When a Freshman beats a returning place-winning Senior at state at a weight like 125 lbs, that’s making an early statement. Jon was good. Logan put the place on notice immediately at state that year. Logan lost a 1 point match to the eventual runner-up the next round and then did what he had to do to place 7th at state that tourney. He finished the season with a record of 41-3.
As a Sophomore in 2010, Logan came in with a record of 35-2 and dominated his way through a very balanced 1A 125 lb. bracket. His closest match was a 6-2 win over Jake Kadel in the finals. That bracket also included several other guys who either placed or made the finals at some point of their HS careers. He dedicated his state championship to his brother Ryan, which as the oldest of 4 right-knit brothers, I thought this was so cool of him.
As a Junior in 2011, Logan came in with a 37-1 record and had the tournament that probably stung the most considering he lost a close match in the finals to place 2nd, but still…There were some positives for him in the tournament. In the semis he beat a kid named Trevor Paulson Tri-Center, Neola who was on fire that year… Most importantly, losing in the finals was probably a great learning experience for him that he may have needed at the time.
As a Senior, Logan came into state with an undefeated record and was on top of his game. He officially left his mark as one of the baddest dudes to ever step foot on a Wells Fargo mat after this tournament. He won his 2nd state championship that year and after his first round match, the guys he defeated went back to place 4th, 3rd and of course, runner-up. The kid he beat in the finals was Payton Rice from Sioux Central, Manson. Payton is the son of Stacey Rice, a 3X state champion from the 80’s and to this day, one of the best to come out of our state. And Payton learned well from him. He was really good…a 4X placer, and he didn’t have an answer to anything he encountered vs. Logan in the finals. Logan was on fire that tournament. Great way to end his HS career. He finished with a career record of 163-7.
Logan Mulnix was a pretty entertaining wrestler to watch. If you compared the person he is off the mat to the person he was while on it…it’d seem like a total oxymoron. Like night and day. Every time I saw that kid around when he was not on the mat wrestling, he seemed to always be having fun, goofing off and being funny. However, when it was time to compete, he was locked in and programmed for systematic destruction. His approach was not to get his hand raised after time was up or a pin was called. No, time was something he didn’t want to waste in securing his wins. He wanted to either pin the guy quick or rack the score up and break the other guy mentally as soon as logically possible… His mission was to alleviate any fragment of hope the other guy may have as quickly as possible. And he had the skill set to do so, for guys used to just get frustrated out of their minds with him. His length, leverage and speed just had guys at a loss. Sometimes you’d see a guy attempting a shot and a millisecond after they lunged forward to attempt this, Logan, in a flash would be in on their legs and grabbing their ankles and basically putting them on their butts without even having to put his hips into it. The kid seemed like he had a crazy strong grip…once he got ahold of a guy’s heel on a shot, it was over.
And that’s only the beginning… We haven’t gotten to his ability to ride, yet. Logan had to have been one of the best riders in the entire 2012 graduating class. I mean, he was like a spider playing with his prey. He had an answer for everything and was proficient at every series you could utilize on top whether it be cradles, tilts, bars, legs, etc. He did them all well and what made him borderline impossible to get away from was his ability to go from one series to the next as if it were instinctive to him. This fluent style on top just seemed to leave his opponents broken, lost and without having any answers.
Here is a cool quote I read from Logan Mulnix that he made as a Senior in HS:
LOGAN MULNIX: “What I’m doing differently this year is trying to separate myself. I’m trying to win by large margins every single time. Go out and dominate and make sure no one thinks they can hang with me. I don’t want anyone thinking they’re in the match with me. I’m just going out trying to score more points and more points. I want the kid to be out of the match by the second period.”
2009 2A 125
1. Cole Welter, Jr., Don Bosco
2. Nolan Oviatt, So., Logan-Magnolia
3. Jake Demmon, Sr., Eddyville-Blakesburg
4. Levi Richards, Sr., Nodaway Valley
5. Sean Schneider, Sr., Twin River Valley
6. Dallas Houchins, So., Interstate 35
7. Logan Mulnix, Fr., North Linn
8. Nick Winter, So., Central Elkader
2010 2A 125
1st: Logan Mulnix, North Linn Troy Mills SO 39- 2
2nd: Jake Kadel, New London/WMU JR 49- 1
3rd: Brandon Welter, Don Bosco Gilbertville JR 42- 4
4th: Jordan Johnson, Interstate 35 Truro JR 36- 5
5th: Jack O’Brien, Belle Plaine SR 42- 5
6th: Dillon Lorentzen, Logan-Magnolia JR 42- 8
7th: Zach Ryan, Woodbury Central Moville SR 39- 13
8th: Kyler Deutsch, Nashua-Plainfield JR 37- 11
2011 2A 135
1st: Drew Proctor, Tipton SR 44- 2
2nd: Logan Mulnix, North Linn Troy Mills JR 40- 2
3rd: Brandon Welter, Don Bosco Gilbertville SR 43- 3
4th: Trevor Paulson, Tri-Center Neola JR 31- 4
5th: Steven Brockshus, Sibley-Ocheyedan SR 34- 4
6th: Jared Hefler, Ogden SR 30- 6
7th: Nick Becker, Wilton SR 33- 8
8th: Zach Hatcher, Logan-Magnolia SR 43- 9
2012 2A 138
1st: Logan Mulnix of North-Linn, Troy Mills 45-0 Sr.
2nd: Payton Rice of Manson Northwest Webster 46-4 So
3rd: Scott Weber of Don Bosco, Gilbertville 45-9 Sr.
4th: Sam Solis of Clarion-Goldfield 40-2 Sr.
5th: Ryan Hall of Jesup 30-11 Sr.
6th: Lance Hinschberger of Belle Plaine 39-15 Jr
7th: Carter Funke of Maquoketa Valley, Delhi 44-10 Jr
8th: Logan Loftus of Iowa Valley, Marengo 50-8 Jr
What clubs, schools, etc. did you wrestle for?
CVMC and North Linn HS
What year did you graduate?
2012
Who or what encouraged you to give wrestling a try?
Doug Leclere got my brother involved and I followed!
Do you have any family who wrestled or wrestles currently? Parents, children, brothers, etc.? How did they do?
My brother Ryan Mulnix… he got 8th, 3rd, and 2nd! And was a D-3 national qualifier, and his sons, Sawyer and Landon are also wrestlers. Look out!
What were your youth results? Any rivals there?
I won aau 2x, placed at Tulsa multiple time as high as 3rd, had some amazing team Iowa results in elementary/middle school duals with class of 2012!
What was your record in HS?
163-7 I think
How did you place at state every year?
7-1-2-1
What were some of the most notable adverse challenges or moments you experienced in wrestling and how did it turn out?
Losing in finals my junior year, was extremely tough on me mentally, but I came back to go undefeated and win state as a senior!
How would you describe your wrestling style?
Mark perry is who I tried to wrestle like! I was good scrambling, good from space and tough on top!
How many guys in high school did you go back and forth with or exchange wins with?
Three people: Cole Welter, Jack O’Brien, Jake Kadel!
Who was your most influential coach?
Dwight Sorensen
Was your team competitive in HS/college?
Yes, we got 4th at state as a team 1 year!
Who was your most influential wrestler that you looked up to growing up?
Dan Leclere
Who would you consider the GOAT Iowa HS wrestler?
Brandon Sorensen
How influential was the Cedar Valley Mat Club to you?
Life changing! The battles we had in that room daily were amazing! Without that club I never would’ve accomplished anything I did!
Would you say you were better on your feet or on top?
Top for sure I took pride in it!!
When you wrestled someone, you were a master at breaking your opponent. Is this a skill you developed in time? Could you tell when you “broke” an opponent?
I always thought there was nothing worse than getting ridden out or turned! So I became a master on top and when someone can’t get out it mentally breaks them pretty quick!
Was there ever a win you had that gave you the confidence to bring things up to another level?
Cole Welter my freshman year. I lost in triple overtime at sectionals, but beat him at districts! He already had all the credentials and that win gave me a lot of Confidence!
Are there any wrestlers you’ve seen, past or present that you would compare your style to?
Not really I felt Like my style was unique.
What are some interesting hypothetical matchups between guys from different eras that you would have been interesting in seeing?
Drake Ayala vs Cory Clark! Both sebolt guys and match up wise would be amazing!
Who are some Iowa HS wrestling guys from your era that you have an immense amount of respect for?
Might be biased but Brandon Sorensen! 4xer, 4x AA at Iowa the best wrestler I’ve ever seen!
Who are your favorite current wrestlers?
Spencer Lee, Jayden eiermen love his funky style
What music would you listen to back in the wrestling days?
T.I was my go to.
What was the most upset you ever felt after a loss?
Freshman year quarter finals. Lost my dream of being a 4 timer!
If you could go back and change one thing about your wrestling career, what would it be?
Work ethic, I wasn’t a slacker, but I didn’t train the way I needed to either!
What was your best wrestling memory or accomplishment?
Winning state my senior year with my brother in my corner!!
Who were some of your most notable competitors in high school? College?
Grant Henderson from Alburnett! We had some amazing battles and the atmosphere from our fan bases during those were unreal!
Did you wrestle all year or was it seasonal for you?
All year, loved freestyle.
How would the guys from your day stack up against the guys today?
I’d take class of 2012 over any one ever!
Did you wrestle after high school?
No
What are your favorite sports teams?
St Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears.
What are your hobbies other than wrestling?
Golf and just being with my family!
How good does it make you feel to give back to the sport?
Amazing I love this sport!
How has wrestling shaped you as a person to this day?
Wrestling forms every aspect of you! Hard work, dedication, respect, it’s the best sport in the world!
What do you do now?
I work at Quaker Oats in Cedar Rapids.
Are you still involved with wrestling?
Yes I coach for Cedar Rapids Kennedy
Any advice for upcoming wrestlers?
Summer wrestling is where you make the biggest gains! Get into freestyle!
Any chance we see you wrestle again at an Old Timer’s tournament?
No I wrestle enough of these young guys in practice!
Would you like to give a shout out to anyone you wrestled with, against, coached, etc.?
Just wanna remind Levi Wolfensperger of the Jesup takedown tourney!
Author: Joshua Swafford
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