Iowa
Southeast Polk wrestling wins 3rd straight Iowa state duals title
Southeast Polk’s Wil Oberbroeckling discusses Rams’ state duals title
VIDEO: Southeast Polk’s Wil Oberbroeckling discusses Rams’ state duals title
CORALVILLE − After a regular season full of dual dominance, the Southeast Polk wrestling team capped it off with an Iowa boys state duals championship on Saturday, Feb 7.
It’s the third straight for the program and the fifth since 2019. The Rams now own eight boys state duals titles, which is the third most in Iowa and only behind Don Bosco (16) and Davenport Assumption (9).
The Rams opened with a wire-to-wire victory over Pleasant Valley, winning 11 of 14 bouts to claim the dual, 54-15. In the semifinals, Southeast Polk drew its likely top challenger for a title against No. 4-seed Dowling Catholic.
While Southeast Polk lost the opening two matches to the Maroons by fall to Cruz Gannon at 106 pounds and technical fall to Jack Wallukait at 113, the Rams bounced back to win 46-25 over Dowling Catholic. In total, the Rams won nine of 14 matches to reach the finals.
Southeast Polk drew Indianola for the final dual to secure a team title. Ultimately, the hammers at the beginning of the lineup shined for the Rams as they blitzed Indianola, 57-11. At 106 pounds, Amir Newman-Winfrey rolled to a 15-0 technical fall over Indianola’s Chandler Brown. Indianola’s Cain Crosson answered with a win by fall over Jaren Wirtz, but Southeast Polk went on to win the next eight matches to clinch a third-straight duals title.
The Rams got wins from Mat Prine at 120 (fall over Max Metzger), Eddie Woody at 126 (fall over Hayden Wessel), Nash Hanson at 132 (18-3 technical fall over Cameran Cunningham), Nico DeSalvo at 138 (fall over Grady Nelsen), Wil Oberbroeckling at 138 (17-1 technical fall over Stoney Wood) and Justis Jesuroga at 150 with a thrilling 6-1 win by decision at the buzzer over Elijah Blewitt. Alex Penzkover clinched the dual at 157 for Southeast Polk, winning in sudden victory (4-1) over Rylan Hilton. After a win for Dokken Biladeau at 165, Southeast Polk was able to let some junior varsity guys on the mat and enjoy the win.
“Our lineup hasn’t really been full until the last few weeks, so it was nice to see everyone kind of come together and get some really good wins,” Southeast Polk head coach Jake Agnitsch said.
The Rams were one of several central Iowa teams that found success. Following Indianola as a runner-up, Waukee Northwest secured a 36-29 win over Dowling Catholic in the third-place dual. Dallas Center-Grimes also took sixth in the program’s first appearance in the event since 2010.
Those teams will all be chasing the Rams in two weeks at the traditional state tournament. The tough part for them is that the Rams’ leaders have stepped up into their new roles and gotten things rolling at the perfect time.
“We were the younger guys looking up to Mike Slade, the Martinsons and now we had to step into that and show all the younger guys what it’s like to work hard and win championships,” Oberbroeckling said.
- 1. Southeast Polk
- 2. Indianola
- 3. Waukee Northwest
- 4. Dowling Catholic
- 5. Linn-Mar
- 6. Dallas Center-Grimes
- 7. Iowa City West
- 8. Pleasant Valley
Eddyvillle-Blakesburg-Fremont emerges from Class 2A to claim duals state title
For the the forth-consecutive year, we have a new Class 2A duals team state champion. This time around, it was the Rockets of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. It’s the program’s first-ever duals state title in what was only the school’s fourth-ever appearance in the tournament.
The Rockets opened with a 40-29 dual victory over Alburnett in the first round, downing a quality program that has been in these moments plenty in recent years. They followed it up with a 41-25 victory over Clarion-Goldfield-Dows to reach the finals, where they won a thriller of a dual vs. Decorah.
The lightweights from 113 pounds to 144 pounds racked up 31 of the team’s 37 points in the 37-33 dual win over the Vikings. Those same guys will be the ones hoping to win state titles in Des Moines in two weeks, and could very well propel the Rockets to a traditional state title as well.
“We’ve probably been doubted as a dual team, just because we have a lot of really good individuals,” Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont head coach Dimitri Boyer said. “It’s something they’ve looked forward to and something that’s been our goal sheet.”
- 1. Eddyvillle-Blakesburg-Fremont
- 2. Decorah
- 3. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows
- 4. Independence
- 5. Alburnett
- 6. West Delaware
- 7. Algona
- 8. Glenwood
Don Bosco wins sixth duals title in a row
The Dons winning Class 1A’s state duals title is one of the more-reliable things wrestling fans in Iowa can count on from year-to-year. Don Bosco secured its 16th duals state title with a 53-27 over Logan-Magnolia in the first round, a 52-15 win over Hinton in the semifinal and a 36-30 win in the finals over Jesup in what was the dual of the day.
Going into the final match of the dual at heavyweight, the score was just 33-30 and the state title hung in the balance. Don Bosco’s Kyler Salis’ second-period takedown to win a 5-3 decision was the decider, as the Dons showed grit to walk away with another state title.
“I’m proud of our kids for being composed and getting the job done,” Don Bosco head coach Chris Ortner said.
Don Bosco already had a firm lead on the most dual state titles heading into the tournament, but the program’s continued dominance of Class 1A extended another year behind a special group of wrestlers. The Schwab brothers Hayden and Hendrix, Ty Martin, Kaiden Belisnky and Dawson Youngblut are just a few of their state title contenders as they look to potentially have a historic state tournament in two weeks.
- 1. Don Bosco
- 2. Jesup
- 3. Hinton
- 4. Lake Mills
- 5. Woodbury Central
- 6. Riverside
- 7. Logan-Magnolia
- 8. Nashua-Plainfield
Match-by-match results and 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
Former Iowa State star, All-American Audi Crooks announces transfer destination
Former Iowa State center Audi Crooks has committed to Oklahoma State via the NCAA Transfer Portal. She has one season of eligibility remaining.
Crooks made 99 appearances and 95 starts during her three seasons at Iowa State. She averaged 25.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game this past season, while shooting 64.9% from the field. Additionally, the 6-foot-3 star shot 1-11 from 3-point range.
Crooks played a leading role for the Cyclones from the moment she stepped on campus. She is a three-time All-Big 12 First-Team selection and two-time All-American. On April 2, Crooks announced her intention to enter the transfer portal.
“Cyclone Nation, thank you all for embracing me and showing up to Hilton every single game day. I’ve met so many of you out in the community, and I will cherish all of the genuine connections that I’ve built during my time at Iowa State,” Crooks wrote. “Words cannot fully express how grateful I feel to have called this place home.
“I want to thank my teammates for their friendship and all the great memories. … I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here.”
Now, Audi Crooks will aim to thrive in her new environment. Oklahoma finished the 2025-26 season with a 24-10 overall record.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened on April 6 and closes on April 20. The new 15-day window was enacted following a recommendation by the women’s basketball oversight committee. Athletes don’t have to commit to a new school by the April 21 deadline.
To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.
Iowa
5 people wounded in shooting near University of Iowa campus, including 3 students
Five people were shot and injured at an Iowa City pedestrian mall near the University of Iowa campus overnight, police said Sunday. Students from the university were among the injured, according to school officials.
The Iowa City Police Department responded to a report of a large fight in the 100 Block of East College Street at 1:46 a.m. early Sunday, the department said in a news release. Arriving officers heard gunfire.
Multiple victims were hospitalized, police said. Police confirmed to CBS News that one person was in critical condition, while the other four victims are stable.
University of Iowa President Barb Wilson said in a statement that three students were among those shot. None of the victims has been publicly identified.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation is ongoing. Police said they are seeking information about five “persons of interest associated with this shooting.” The university also shared the request for information.
The pedestrian mall was closed for several hours and reopened Sunday afternoon.
Iowa
Vote: Who Should be Iowa’s High School Athlete of the Week? (4/19/2026)
Here are the candidates for High School on SI’s Iowa high school athlete of the week for April 13-18. Read through the nominees and cast your vote.
Voting closes at 11:59 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 26. The winner will be announced in the following week’s poll. Here are this week’s nominees:
Taylor Roose, Pella boys track and field
Roose competed in three events at the Norwalk Invitational, winning all three in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump.
Daxon Kiesau, Urbandale boys track and field
Kiesau swept the throwing events at the Norwalk Invitational, taking first place in the shot put and the discus.
Alex Burger, Southeast Valley boys track and field
Competing at home, Burger dominated, earning four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles and the long jump while running on the winning 4×200-meter relay and shuttle hurdle relay.
Kolby Hodnefield, Clear Lake boys track and field
Hodenfield, a defending state champion, broke the meet, venue and school record in the 200 and the 400 at the Clear Lake Invitational. He added victories as part of the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Both relays also set meet records.
Easton Moon, North Polk boys tennis
Moon has started off his senior season on the courts unbeaten, winning all four matches while dropping just one game in 44 played.
Ava Lohrbach, Gilbert girls golf
One of the top golfers in the state, Lohrbach has had a hot start, firing a 35 in her nine-hole debut and a 72 for her 18-hole opener.
Nathan Manske, Algona boys golf
An elite quarterback and basketball player, Manske is showing his golfing skills this spring, coming out with a state-low 30 in a nine-hole event.
Ella Hein, Tipton girls track and field
Hein set school records in the 400-meter run and long jump at the Tiger/Tigerette Relays while also locking in the Blue Standard and qualifying for the Drake Relays. She won the long jump (18-6) and was second in the 400.
Maeve Bowen-Burt, Iowa City High girls track and field
The sophomore helped the Little Hawks land three Drake Relays events on the last night of qualifying, advancing in the 400 hurdles, along with the sprint medley and 4×400 relays.
About Our Athlete of the Week Voting
High School on SI voting polls are meant to be a fun, lighthearted way for fans to show support for their favorite athletes and teams. Our goal is to celebrate all of the players featured, regardless of the vote totals. Sometimes one athlete will receive a very large number of votes — even thousands — and that’s okay! The polls are open to everyone and are simply a way to build excitement and community around high school sports. Unless we specifically announce otherwise, there are no prizes or official awards for winning. The real purpose is to highlight the great performances of every athlete included in the poll.
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