My bags are packed and I'm ready to be Des Moines bound, too bad I have those pesky college classes to get through first. The Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament is the high school equivalent to the Masters because it is an "event unlike any other". The Wells Fargo Arena will be jam-packed all week. Name another high school sporting event that does that? I'll wait. Now don't get me wrong, the quality of wrestling in Iowa is second to none and that certainly helps. There are great matches everywhere throughout the tournament. The three-day event is non-stop and action-filled which makes me excited. I will be there all week covering 111 wrestlers from these respective conferences; The Bluegrass, Hawkeye 10, Missouri Rivers, Pride of Iowa, Rolling Valley and Western Iowa.
Now let's take a look at the annual Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament
LETS DUAL
I'm not old enough to remember when State Duals were held the week after the individual tournament, and held in Cedar Rapids. Maybe someone who was can tell me whether they were a fan of it or not. State Duals usually comprises of the usual suspects and this year is not much different.In Class 1A, Lisbon is the defending state champion and has the horses to repeat with eight ranked wrestlers, but they will have to get by Don Bosco in the finals. The Don's are stacked as well, with nine ranked wrestlers. Also, don't count out Denver who brings eight ranked wrestlers on Wednesday or a Missouri Valley squad that might be wrestling with a little extra motivation this week.
In Class 2A, New Hampton/Turkey Valley is the reigning champion and they are ranked number one in Class 2A. The Chickasaws have become a mainstay in Des Moines lately. They bring seven ranked wrestlers to Des Moines, but their first-round opponent, Webster City brings six ranked wrestlers with them. Is it crazy to say that dual could decide who makes the final?
In Class 3A, Fort Dodge is pretty darn loaded if you haven't heard. The Dodgers have 13 state qualifiers and could have at least four state finalists, however, they will have to dethrone the reigning state champs, Southeast Polk. The Rams will match up with the Dodgers in the semi-finals with the winner likely to face a Valley squad that has three top-ranked wrestlers. This one could be a ton of fun.
INTERESTING EARLY MATCHUPS.
The state tournament is not seeded, the match-ups are derived from a pre-determined formula, this leads to some really interesting early matchups.In the first round of Class 1A 220 pounds, Nicholas Gaes (Alta-Aurelia) is 47-0 this year and ranked fourth, he will face Chaz Clark (Pleasantville), who is a defending state-runner up and ranked third. Clark lost to second-ranked Kaleb Reeves (Sigourney-Keota) in his district final.
The most intriguing first-round match in Class 2A comes at 106 where second-ranked Matthew Lewis (Centerville) will face third-ranked Keaton Zeimet (DeWitt-Central)
In Class 3A, I think the most interesting first round-match comes at 220 pounds, between third-ranked Isaac Bales (Glenwood) and fifth-ranked Beau Lombardi (Valley), Bales got pinned last week while leading his match and could come out angry, however Lombardi will be no easy task. All three of his losses have occurred courtesy of second-ranked Greg Hagan (Dowling Catholic).
On a side note, there is also a chance that two area wrestlers who are ranked second in their respective classes could meet the top-ranked wrestler in the second round. In Class 2A at 285 pounds, second-ranked John McConkey (Atlantic-CAM) could face top-ranked Cooper Lawson (Webster City) and in Class 3A at 182 pounds, second-ranked Anthony Sherry (Glenwood) could face Joel Shapiro (Valley), I'm not sure that it is a great recipe for the state to have its championship caliber matches take place on Friday afternoon rather than Saturday night, but it is what is.
THE FOUR-TIME CLUB
Two wrestlers have the opportunity to join rare air and they will do it in the same weight class and potentially do it in a matter of seconds from each other; Brody Teske (Fort Dodge) and Alex Thomsen (Underwood) look to become the 26th and 27th four-time state champions in state history. If Teske wins the title, he'll finish his career with a record of 174-1, if Thomsen wins his career will finish with a record of 190-1. Those two losses you might ask? They were to each other in matches that were epic. I was there for the Teske win, it was epic. Believe me. It's safe to say we've been pretty spoiled getting to watch two of the best in the country for the last four years.
THE THREE-TIME CLUB
Three wrestlers will have the opportunity to take home their third state championship and their last name's all start with the letter b, unfortunately, they are all seniors, so we won't see a four-time champion next year. Kyle Biscogglia (Waukee, 120), Michael Blockhus (New Hampton/Turkey Valley, 138) and Nelson Brands (Iowa City, West, 160) could become three-time champions at 120, 138 and 160 respectively. Assuming Thomsen and Teske claim their fourth title, Biscogglia, Blockhus, and Brands would become the 81st, 82nd and 83rd wrestlers to win three-state titles and the fourth, fifth and sixth to do it whose last names start with the letter b, but I digress.
THE TWO-TIME CLUB
17 wrestlers have the opportunity to claim their second championship, three wrestlers won it as a freshman and have a chance to win four state titles; Cullan Schriever (Mason City, 106), Adam Allard (West Sioux, 113) and Cael Happel (Lisbon.120). Four wrestlers still have the opportunity to become a three-time state champion; Aiden Reeves (Albia, 120), Julien Broderson (Davenport Assumption, 182), Kaleb Krall (Wapsie Valley, 152) and John Henrich (Akron-Westfield, 160). 11 wrestlers hope to finish off their high school wrestling career with a second state championship; Joel Shapiro (Valley, 182), Grayson Kesterson (Williamsburg, 113), Matt Robertson (Davenport Assumption,132), Bryce Esmoil (West Liberty, 195), Jordan Baumler (North Fayette Valley, 220), Chance Throndson (Riceville, 145), Grant Stotts (Valley, 152), Donny Schmit (Wapsie Valley, 132) and Tanner Sloan (Alburnett, 195).
THE ONE-TIME CLUB
MATH ALERT-There is 672 wrestlers competing this week, two can become four-time champs, three can become three-time champs and 17 can become two-time champs. That means that 650 wrestlers have the opportunity to claim their first state title, I would love to name all of them, but unfortunately, I don't have time to do that.
AREA KIDS WHO COULD IMPRESS
The one thing I look for each year is which area wrestlers could take the state by surprise. To me, it would not be surprising, but to the rest of the state, it might be.In Class 1A, I will be keeping an eye on Mount Ayr's 106-pounder Bryce Shaha, Shaha has just two losses in his freshmen campaign and has two impressive wins over fourth-ranked Connor Atkisson (Tri-Center). I fully expect Shaha to contend for a medal.
Bedford/Lenox will bring six wrestlers to the Wells Fargo Arena, but none have been more impressive than their 182 pounder, Derek Venteicher. If you are unfamiliar with Venteicher's story let me fill you in. The senior had never wrestled at sectionals, yet alone the state tournament. Venteicher was injured as a freshman, in his sophomore year he was disqualified from a tournament the week before sectionals, so he could not wrestle at sectionals and was injured his junior year. Venteicher has been making up for lost time this season, dominating opponents while having just one loss. That one loss came to top-ranked Logan Schumacher (Martensdale-St. Mary's) who he could face in the semis if he gets there.
Also, keep an eye on 138 pounder Austin Gutknecht (Clarinda), Gutknecht is making his fourth straight appearance in Des Moines but has come up short of medaling the last three years. Gutknecht has switched to a different gear and appears to be wrestling with a purpose. I expect to see him on the medal stand Saturday night.
In Class 2A, 132-pounder Chase McLaren (Atlantic/CAM) has wrestled with a chip on his shoulder and told me last week that he tries to make each match a dogfight and that he expects to win a state title. There's lots of tough talent at the state tournament, but can McLaren's drive and expectation be fulfilled? Also, keep an eye on Shenandoah's Nick Dickerson (182). Dickerson has kicked it into high gear lately and looks to finish his career in style.
In Class 3A, I cannot help but love the story of Glenwood's 195 pounder, Kenny Lampman. The senior had not wrestled varsity until January of this year and now he is a district champion. If Lampman makes the podium, he will probably be the most unlikely of state medalist. I root for underdogs, so I will be a fan of Kenny Lampman this week, as we all should be.
SOMETHING SPECIAL IS BREWING
This will not get the state-wide credit it deserves, so I'll do it here. Everybody will talk about Fort Dodge bringing 13 to Des Moines or Denver supplying nine, but the production from Bedford/Lenox, AHSTW, and Red Oak cannot be overlooked.
All the stars aligned for Bedford/Lenox this year. Everyone stayed relatively healthy, a handful of seniors stepped up and a handful of underclassmen showed their potential and the end result is six wrestlers participating on the state's grandest stage. Bedford/Lenox has had three state-qualifiers in the last three years. This year they have double that. That's awesome.
This season, AHSTW took home their first-ever district champion and will have six wrestlers representing them this week, five of whom will return next year for Coach Evan McCarthy, oh and the Vikings have the top-ranked wrestler at 170 in Gabe Pauley who is looking to become AHSTW's first champion since Heath Lamp in 2003.
As for Red Oak, two years ago they did not have a single state champion, this year Coach Teigan Podliska will rock the awesome orange pants (at least I hope) for five state qualifiers. The most astonishing thing is that none of those state participants will graduate. This year, Red Oak broke the 43-year-old school record for most state qualifiers, this might just be the tip of the iceberg.
LET THE FUN BEGIN
How about we just go ahead and roll out the mats now? I'm stoked.
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