By Dana Becker | Photograph by Matthew Putney 

What a primary weekend of prep wrestling in Iowa followers was handled to. There have been meets statewide with the perfect of the perfect in motion towards each other.

The stacked Dan Gable Donnybrook went down contained in the Xtream Area in Coralville, whereas Independence as soon as once more hosted the Cliff Eager Invitational. However that was removed from it.

Humboldt, who welcomed in Iowa State vs. Grand View for a collegiate twin in entrance of a packed home earlier this 12 months, did the identical for highschool wrestlers, whereas meets had been additionally held in Cedar Falls, Brooklyn, Cascade, Mount Vernon, Manchester, Grimes, Wapello and others.

Iowans battle better of greatest at Donnybrook

In only a brief period of time, the Dan Gable Donnybrook has grow to be one of many state’s premier highschool wrestling tournaments. This season was no totally different, as wrestlers from Iowa, Nebraska and different surrounding states got here collectively contained in the Xtrream Area in Coralville to warmth up the motion.

Defending state champion Koufax Christensen of Waukee Northwest got here out on prime, besting Hunter Taylor from Liberty, Mo., for the crown at 120 kilos.

Iowa Metropolis West’s Alexander Pierce secured the 106-pound title, Ryder Block of Waverly-Shell Rock did the identical at 138, whereas Grant Kress of Linn-Mar claimed first at 152. Iowa Metropolis Highs’s Gabe Arnold and Ben Kueter shined shiny, profitable their respective weight divisions, whereas a handful of others completed out on the awards stand.

Kueter, who made a reputation for himself over the summer season on the worldwide wrestling scene, pinned his strategy to the finals earlier than scoring a technical fall vs. Dubuque Hempstead’s Joseph Lewis within the finals at 220 kilos.

Pierce was on the other finish of the spectrum from Kueter, as he claimed shut selections on his strategy to gold. That included a 6-5 resolution over Marmion Academy’s Nicholas Garcia within the finals.

Cliff Eager title goes to Osage

Previous to the beginning of the Donnybrook, the Cliff Eager Invitational hosted by Independence continuously drew a few of the prime skills within the state. The occasion stays one of many huge ones of the early season, and Osage made a press release by racking up 359 factors to seize the crew title over Alburnett, Carlisle and others.

Tucker Stangel proved why he’s an elite wrestler, profitable the 145-pound title with a razor-thin 3-2 resolution over Carlisle’s Jaxon Miller within the finals. He racked up 45.5 factors towards the Osage complete.

Nick Fox did the identical at 170 kilos, incomes 47 crew factors with 4 falls and a significant resolution, which got here within the championship match vs. Caden McDermott of Nice Valley.

Anders Kittelson superior to the finals earlier than dropping to defending state champion Kale Petersen of Greene County, scoring 42 factors for the Inexperienced Devils. He had three pins and a pair of main selections.

Blake Fox overcame a semifinal loss to the extremely regarded Blake Gioimo of Cedar Rapids Prairie to position third, going 6-1 on the day with 38 crew factors scored. Mac Muller was additionally a runner-up, incomes silver at 285 kilos with 4 pins throughout his event run.

The likes of Carter West, Jace Hedeman, Brandon Paez, McKinley Robbins, Isaiah Fenton, Carson Klostermann, CJ Walrath, Braden McShane, Rusty VanWetzinga and Wyatt Smith had been all particular person champions.

Paez had one of many wins of the event, besting Gioimo, an Iowa State commit, within the finals, 7-0.

The Dons do it once more at Keith Younger

Over in Cedar Falls, Class 1A energy Don Bosco obtained the higher of West Des Moines Valley, North Scott and the remainder on the Keith Younger Invitation.

Jaxon Larson, Kaiden Knaack, Kyler Knaack and Jared Thiry all completed undefeated to win their respective weight divisions, whereas Cole Frost, Myles McMahon, Jacob Thiry and Mack Ortner secured silvers so as to add to the crew complete.

Jabari Hinson of Ames gave the Little Cyclones a optimistic end, because the sophomore bested Valley’s Nate Bierma for the 126-pound with a significant resolution. One other teen from Ames, freshman Danarii Mickel, topped senior AJ Petersen of North Scott, 1-0, to win at 195 kilos.

Maddux Borcherding-Johnson, one of many prime soccer recruits within the state, was the heavyweight champion, because the Norwalk senior topped Ortner within the finals with a 59-second fall. The 6-foot-3 lineman dedicated to Iowa State earlier this 12 months.