The IHSAA will hold the first round of the state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines on Wednesday this week. The Iowa football program has strong connections to talented wrestlers, as they’ve been able to bring them in and transform them into first-round NFL draft picks like Tristan Wirfs and Tyler Linderbaum.
Who could be next? We’ll see a few future Hawks and Iowa targets wrestle for state championships later this week.
One of the two four-star prospects Iowa signed in their 2024 recruiting class, Cody Fox from East Buchanan will head to Des Moines as the second seed at heavyweight with a record of 44-2. Last season, he finished sixth in the same weight class.
Fox totaled 62.5 tackles, including ten tackles for loss and four sacks on defense this football season. He was also an all-state offensive lineman for the third year in a row.
Potentially waiting for Fox in the final will be Mason Knipp, the #1 seed out of Columbus Catholic in Waterloo. The most recent addition to the Hawkeyes 2024 preferred walk-on class, Knipp is the reigning 1A champion at 220 pounds. He took the title last year by defeating then-defending 220-pound state champion, Jared Thiry of Don Bosco Gilbertville. He scored a winning takedown with 29 seconds left in sudden victory for a 3-1 win.
Knipp enters the week with a 34-0 record.
During his senior campaign on the football field for the Sailors, Knipp posted 78 tackles, including 36.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He was a pivotal piece in Columbus’ run to the 1A semifinals in 2023.
Ethan Wood, a junior out of Mount Vernon, returns to the state tournament this season, jumping from 195 pounds last year to heavyweight this winter. He enters the event as the five-seed with a record of 39-9. At last season’s state tournament, he bowed out in the round of 16.
Wood took multiple game day visits to Kinnick this fall. On the gridiron, he posted 36 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks for the Mustangs on defense. Offensively, he caught 24 passes for 347 yards and three scores. He has received interest from North Dakota, North Dakota State, South Dakota, South Dakota State and St. Thomas.
The six-seed in the same class and weight is another 2024 PWO, Trent Cakerice. He has a record of 37-3. Like Wood at the 2023 state tournament, the Grundy Center product was eliminated before he could earn a medal, falling in the quarterfinals.
For the football state champion Spartans, Cakerice posted 56.5 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks in 2023.
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Seeking his second-straight state championship is Dreshaun Ross out of Fort Dodge. Ross took the belt at 195 pounds last year, and enters this week’s event as the one seed at 220-pounds with a 43-0 record.
Ross is the only football recruit on this list with an offer that has yet to sign. He’s a priority for the Hawkeyes in their 2026 recruiting cycle.
As mentioned before, the All-American wrestler may be keeping an eye on Iowa linebacker and wrestler Ben Kueter to see how his career pans out over the next two years, as Ross may have a chance to compete in both sports at Iowa as well.
On the football field this fall, Ross ran the ball 120 times for 729 yards and eight touchdowns on offense and posted 61.5 tackles and 11 tackles for loss on defense. He also had two interceptions as well.
In addition to an Iowa football offer, Ross also has offers from Iowa State, Purdue, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and Kansas State.
Drew Campbell returns to the state meet looking for his first-ever medal. Last season, he was defeated in the round of 16 by current Hawkeye fullback, Rusty VanWetzinga. This year, he enters the tournament as the four-seed with a record of 26-3.
As a senior captain for the football Tigers, Campbell posted 64.5 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss and six sacks this season.
Big Ten volleyball continues with a true Midwest matchup between Nebraska and Iowa.
The Huskers host the Hawkeyes in the hopes of extending their 33 consecutive wins at home. That shouldn’t be a problem as they’ve never lost to Iowa through 38 matches played.
However, Nebraska will likely be without sophomore phenom Andi Jackson, who missed Nebraska’s road match against Illinois with an injury. Transfer Leyla Blackwell stepped in for her first start, though, recording six kills and three blocks from the middle.
As the underdogs, the Hawkeyes will put up their best fight against the No. 2 team in the nation. They won their first two Big Ten matchups in five sets each. Freshman outside Malu Garcia led the way with 17 and 11 kills, earning her the conference’s Freshman of the Week honors. She leads the Hawkeyes this season with 2.76 kills per set, though Iowa will need to find a more balanced attack to get past the best defense in the nation.
Here’s how to watch the Big Ten matchup between Nebraska and Iowa volleyball.
MORE: How to watch every Nebraska volleyball match in 2024
The Nebraska vs. Iowa volleyball match will not be broadcast nationally, but local viewers can find the game on Nebraska Public Media. However, cord-cutters can stream the match on Big Ten Plus.
Nebraska hosts Iowa on Sunday, Oct. 6. First serve is set for 3 p.m. ET from Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln, Neb.
Below is a look at the Huskers’ next five matchups on their schedule.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) |
| Sun., Oct. 6 | vs. Iowa | 3 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 11 | vs. Purdue | 8:30 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 12 | vs. Rutgers | 8 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 18 | at Michigan State | 6 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 19 | at Ohio State | 3:30 p.m. |
Below is a look at the Hawkeyes’ next five matchups on their schedule.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) |
| Sun., Oct. 6 | at Nebraska | 3 p.m. |
| Fri., Oct. 11 | vs. Rutgers | 7 p.m. |
| Sat., Oct. 12 | vs. Purdue | 7 p.m. |
| Wed., Oct. 16 | at Northwestern | 9 p.m. |
| Sun., Oct. 20 | vs. Oregon | 1 p.m. |
Video: Kirk Ferentz says Leshon Williams, Seth Anderson are back healthy
Kirk Ferentz discusses a variety of topics ahead of Iowa’s matchup with Ohio State in Columbus.
Iowa football can’t seem to get out of its own way at Ohio State.
Trailing 7-0 in the second quarter and having already missed a field goal, the Hawkeyes’ offense got to a 4th-and-inches near midfield. Iowa had just turned the Buckeyes over on downs, and getting points on the subsequent drive would’ve been a big momentum swing.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz seemingly thought so as well and sent out the punt team to run a fake, where the ball was directly snapped to one of the players lined up in front of punter Rhys Dakin. Iowa successfully converted the fourth down, only for the referees to signal that Ferentz had called a timeout right before, negating the play.
More: Iowa vs. Ohio State score today: Live updates, highlights from Week 6 game
Having already played his hand, Ferentz then had his team do a real punt after the timeout, but Dakin did not hit it well and the ball only went 22 yards.
Ohio State then appeared rejuvenated and converted consecutive plays of 21 and 23 yards. But luckily for the Hawkeyes, star linebacker Jay Higgins forced a fumble and recovered the ball to keep Iowa’s deficit at one score.
The Ohio State Buckeyes are set to take on the Iowa Hawkeyes today in what will be the biggest test of the season so far. While Iowa may be their biggest test, Ohio State is still expected to dominate.
To this point in the year, the Buckeyes have lived up to all of the hype. They are a team that many expect to win a national championship this season. While they have a lot of work to do in order to accomplish that goal, they have shown why they’re receiving that hype throughout the first four games.
Looking ahead to today’s game, they have another opportunity to show just how dominant they’re capable of being.
One notable analyst is expecting another dominant win for Ohio State today.
Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt took a look at today’s Big Ten matchup. He made a massive prediction for the Buckeyes.
“My question is, Iowa is so one-dimensional, will they be able to move the ball on this Ohio State defense? When you give a defense like this a team that is one dimension, it’s like, OK, they can load up on Kaleb Johnson … Ohio State should be able to at least slow down or stop Kaleb Johnson. There’s just not enough of a threat on offense for Iowa outside of that.”
With that breakdown, Klatt offered his prediction for the game. He sees Ohio State beating the Hawkeyes by a final score of 42-10. That would be just another sign that this team has what it takes to win a championship.
Obviously, the biggest key for the Buckeyes to shut down Iowa will be limiting star running back Kaleb Johnson. He has been one of the best running backs in the nation. If Ohio State can keep him in check, the Hawkeyes’ offense will struggle to move the football.
Offensively, the Buckeyes need to take care of the football. As long as they don’t make costly mistakes, Ohio State will move the football and put up points.
While Iowa is going to play hard and bring everything they have, the Buckeyes are simply more talented. On paper, Klatt’s prediction should end up being 100 percent correct.
All of that being said, Ohio State simply needs to play their game and match the Hawkeyes’ energy and intensity. If they do that, they will be in a great place to move to 5-0 on the season.
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Charter will offer Peacock for free with some cable subscriptions next year
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