Iowa
Iowa state wrestling 1A finals recap, Don Bosco makes history
Don Bosco’s Hayden Schwab talks state title after return from injury
Don Bosco’s Hayden Schwab talks state title after return from injury
In a sport with so much tradition within Iowa, it’s hard to set new bars to reach.
Even so, Don Bosco found a way to do it at this year’s Iowa state wrestling tournament. The Dons won their 18th traditional team state title, passing Waterloo West for the most all-time. It’s the program’s eighth in a row, a streak dating back to 2019.
Don Bosco crowned six individual state champions, which ties a 2001 Lewis Central record for the most in a single year. Ty Martin (106 pounds), Kaiden Belinsky (113), Hendrix Schwab (120), Hayden Schwab (126), Dawson Youngblut (144) and Ethan Christoffer (175) each left with a state title. Youngblut, an Iowa commit, won his third and has a chance for four next year. The Schwab brothers, sons of UNI coach Doug Schwab, are now both two-time state champions. Also contributing was Blake Irvine, who took seventh at 132 pounds as the team’s lone state medalist outside of finalists.
It’s a surreal moment for the small-town team from Gilbertville, surpassing a Waterloo West program with so much rich tradition, behind names like Dan Gable, having made so much history within the state. While the Dons are far from the biggest school, they’ve found a way to have it all within their wrestling room.
Hayden Schwab pointed to the people behind the program, particularly the fans who helped propel the team to new heights.
“I don’t know if there’s a more dedicated group of people,” Hayden Schwab said. “They’re driving for these little 1A tournaments in the middle of the year, we got huge crowd at the Hudson tournament. You gotta say the people.”
From World-level talents like Hayden Schwab overcoming a torn labrum, high-end Division I prospects like Youngblut and gritty wrestlers like Kyler Salis, who had the dual state title-clinching match against Jesup two weeks ago, Don Bosco has built a small-town school into Iowa’s most-accomplished program.
“We’ve all grown up together, gone to club together and we just make each other better every day,” Youngblut said after clinching the team title on Feb. 20. “Not just in wrestling, but in life. We’re all brothers.”
Class 1A Iowa state wrestling tournament final matchups
106 – Don Bosco’s Ty Martin vs. South Central Calhoun’s Karson Wuebker, 1-0 decision
Martin escaped in the second period from bottom, while Wuebker did not in the third in a bout decided from par terre.
113 – Don Bosco’s Kaiden Belinsky over WACO’s Ian Maize, 17-2 technical fall
Belinsky saved his best match for last, recording five takedowns and two near-fall points in his state title victory.
120 – Don Bosco’s Hendrix Schwab over Martensdale St. Marys’ Jensen Dyer
Schwab’s takedown just 17 seconds into his finals match, plus a second-period reversal, was all he needed to secure his second state title.
126 – Don Bosco’s Hayden Schwab over Earlham’s Max Millage, fall (1:24)
Coming off an injury, Schwab had a dominant state tournament with two technical falls and a quick win by fall in his finals match.
132 – Jesup’s Cooper Hinz over Lawton-Bronson’s Riley Watts, 4-1 decision
The future Michigan Wolverine had to gut this one out, recording a takedown with 23 seconds left to go to secure the state title for second-placed Jesup.
138 – Riverside’s Drew Anderson over Louisa-Mucatine’s Hayden Riggan, fall (1:26)
Takedown, takedown, takedown, takedown, then finally a pin. Anderson didn’t leave this one to chance.
144 – Don Bosco’s Dawson Youngblut vs. Pleasantville’s Blake Rowson, 17-0 technical fall
Youngblut had just two takedowns in this match, but turns from the top position helped him earn the shutout
150 – Lake Mills’ Steve Brandenburg over Iowa Valley Marengo’s Chance Hoyt, fall (1:51)
Brandenburg only needed one takedown, as he ran the bar and pinned Hoyt in short order.
157 – West Hancock’s Teague Smith over Westwood’s Boston Peters, 7-4 decision
In a battle between a veteran in Smith and a talented sophomore in Peters, Smith’s two first-period takedowns were the difference.
165 – North Mahaska’s Ryan Groom over South Winneshiek’s Kyle Kuboushek, 6-3 sudden victory
The senior found a way in overtime, as Kuboushek disengaged from the handfight for a moment and Groom took advantage for a takedown.
175 – Don Bosco’s Ethan Christoffer over Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley’s Brock Mulder, fall (1:47)
Don Bosco’s sixth state champion nearly pinned Mulder off of his first takedown with four near-fall points, but he was able to get one in the closing moments of the first period to put a bow on the Dons’ special night.
190 – Starmont’s Keaton Moeller over Nodaway Valley’s Caleb Christensen, 21-6 technical fall
The UNI commit came back from missing all of last season with injury with pure dominance, winning all of his matches on the weekend by fall or technical fall.
215 – Woodbury Central’s Carter Wright over Don Bosco’s Kyler Salis, 20-3 technical fall
Aside from giving up a takedown early in the third period, Wright dominated with a mix of takedowns and near-fall points to win a state title.
285 – Nodaway Valley’s Ashton Honnold over Earlham’s Keegan Long, fall (0:55)
Another three-time state champion was crowned, as this UNI commit hit a highlight-reel blast double on Long to take him straight to his back for the win by fall.
Class 1A team scores after the finals at the Iowa state wrestling tournament
- 1st – Don Bosco (222 points)
- 2nd – Jesup (115.5)
- 3rd – Woodbury Central (103)
- 4th – Nodaway Valley (80.5)
- 5th – Lisbon (77.5)
Full team scores and updated brackets can be found on Flowrestling.com.
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on offense, defense development
Iowa State football coach Jimmy Rogers on how the Cyclones offense and defense is developing.
After securing multiple commitments on the offensive side of the ball, Iowa State football has landed its first defensive commitment in the 2027 recruiting class.
Keaton Wollan, a three-star linebacker out of Amery, Wisconsin, committed to the Cyclones on April 21. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker announced his decision on social media.
He chose Iowa State over other offers from Texas Tech and North Dakota State. He previously visited Ames in March, but he also took recent visits to Minnesota and Wisconsin.
As a junior at Amery High School, Wollan was a two-way standout and earned all-state honors for the 2025 season. Defensively, he racked up a team-high 125 total tackles, including nine for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also had four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, three interceptions and one defensive touchdown.
Offensively, he had a team-high 932 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on 160 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 179 yards, and he was an impact player in the return game, logging more than 500 kick and punt return yards.
According to 247 Sports Composite rankings, Wollan is the No. 93 linebacker prospect in the country and the No. 11 overall recruit in his class from the state of Wisconsin.
Wollan is the sixth player to commit in the Cyclones’ 2027 recruiting class.
Iowa State football 2027 recruiting commitments
As of April 21
- Gavin Ericson-Staton, OL | Lombard, Illinois/Montini Catholic
- Isaiah Hansen, RB | Newton, Iowa/Newton HS
- Koen Hinzman, OL | Hudson, Michigan/Hudson Area HS
- Will Slagle, OL | Grinnell, Iowa/Grinnell HS
- Bryson Thompson, WR | San Antonio, Texas/Claudia Taylor Johnson HS
- Keaton Wollan, LB | Amery, Wisconsin/Amery HS
Eugene Rapay covers Iowa State athletics for the Des Moines Register. Contact Eugene at erapay@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @erapay5.
Avoiding common car crashes
Discover the common causes of car crashes and learn how to avoid them.
Prepare for more overnight closures at the northeast mixmaster as the Iowa Department of Transportation closes the ramp connecting westbound Interstate 80 and northbound Interstate 35.
Here’s what to know.
When will the Iowa DOT close the westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 ramp?
The westbound I-80 to northbound I-35 ramp will be closed to traffic from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning from April 21-24.
What’s the detour when the Iowa DOT closes the westbound I‑80 to the northbound I‑35 ramp?
During the closures, drivers wanting to go from westbound I‑80 to northbound I‑35 will follow a signed detour.
Instead of taking the closed ramp, motorists will stay on westbound I‑80, bypassing the northeast mixmaster connection. They’ll then exit at U.S. Highway 69, turn around, and head back east on I‑80, where they can connect to northbound I‑35 using the open portion of the northeast mixmaster.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
An Iowa women’s basketball transfer portal visitor committed to one of the Hawkeyes’ conference foes instead. Former Iowa State guard Kenzie Hare took a visit to Iowa during her transfer portal recruitment, but the 5-foot-9 guard committed to Indiana on Sunday night.
Hare had several visits throughout her transfer portal recruiting process, including trips to Michigan and Illinois State, but the Des Moines Register’s Chad Leistikow reported that Hare also visited Iowa.
On3’s Talia Goodman reported Hare’s commitment to the Hoosiers.
Hare has one year of eligibility remaining. This past season with the Cyclones, in 32 games played and 31 starts, Hare averaged 6.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on 40.5% field goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range. A hip injury limited Hare to just 10 games during her first year with the Cyclones in the 2024-25 season.
The soon-to-be redshirt senior transferred to Iowa State before the 2024-25 campaign after spending two seasons at Marquette from 2022-24. Hare averaged a career-best 14 points per game on 45.5% field goal shooting and 42.5% 3-point shooting during the 2023-24 season with the Golden Eagles.
Had Iowa been able to lure the Naperville, Ill., native to Iowa City, Hare would have been another valuable addition to the Hawkeyes’ backcourt depth. But, Iowa has landed other backcourt reinforcements throughout this transfer portal cycle.
The Hawkeyes inked both Dani Carnegie and Amari Whiting.
Carnegie was a first-team All-SEC selection this past season at Georgia, averaging 17.8 points per game on 42.7% field goal shooting, 35.4% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Whiting averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals per game on 42.5% field goal shooting, 32.1% 3-point accuracy, and 71.6% free-throw shooting.
As Hare joins a promising core of players in Bloomington, the Hawkeyes will once again face the former Cyclone at least once this upcoming season as part of their Big Ten regular-season slate.
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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