Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Where: Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Last Year

2017 Top 5: 1. Cedar Rapids Prairie 224.5; 2. City High 188; 3. Dubuque Hempstead 176.5; 4. West High 146; 5. Cedar Rapids Xavier 128.

Ranked Teams

3A No. 7 West High

3A No. 9 Dubuque Hempstead

3A No. 10 City High

2A No. 2 Dubuque Wahlert

What to Watch

Last year Cedar Rapids Prairie crowned two champions and used its depth to win its fifth straight MVC tournament title by better than 35 points.

Don’t expect that type of separation from this year champ.

As many as six teams, including both City High and West High, could factor into the title race in a MVC tournament that is as wide open as any in recent memory.

City High went from 10th to runner-up in two seasons and has the talent (top-ranked 195-pounder Jacob Dykes) and depth (six ranked wrestlers) to make a run at its first super meet title since 2002.

West High boasts two of the MVC’s best in senior 160-pounder Nelson Brands and 220-pounder Francis Duggan and is tied for tops with six ranked wrestlers.

Prairie and 2A second-ranked Dubuque Wahlert both have five ranked wrestlers while Dubuque Hempstead has four.

Who to Watch

For the past three seasons the MVC tournament has served as a personal highlight film for Brands who is seeking to become the ninth four-time MVC champ of all-time.

Brands has been named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler each of the past three seasons and enters 43-1 this year and unbeaten against in-state opponents.

The Iowa recruit brings a 22-match winning streak into Saturday’s tournament.

Weight Class to Watch

Take your pick.

In a tournament that features 40 ranked wrestlers three separate weight classes could feature showdowns between a pair of top-ranked wrestlers from difference classes and another has the potential for a meeting of the top two-ranked wrestlers in Class 3A.

Class 3A top-ranked Brands and 2A top-ranked Josh Ramirez (Wahlert) could get a rematch in the 160-pound bracket while 3A No. 1 Francis Duggan and 2A No. 1 Boone McDermott (Wahlert) could meet for the second time in three days at 220 pounds.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s 3A top-ranked Ben Sarasin and 2A No. 1 Kolton Bartow of Dubuque Wahlert could meet at 170 pounds.

Dykes (33-0) is top-ranked at 195 pounds and could meet No. 2 Tyrell Gordon (37-2) of Waterloo East.

Ranked Wrestlers

106:     5. Bryce Parke (Linn-Mar) Fr.

            7. Ivan Thomas (CR Xavier) Fr.

            9. Ethan Wood-Finley (City High) Soph.

            10. Bailey Roybal (Cedar Falls) Fr.

113:     4. Dillon Gottschalk (Dubuque Hempstead) Sr.

            *8. Jakey Penrith (Cedar Falls) Jr.

120:     *3. Conrad Braswell (CR Prairie) Jr.

            10. Keegan Schultschik (CR Xavier) Sr.

126:     *2. Joe Pins (Dubuque Hempstead) Jr.

            9. Cam Shaver (CR Kennedy) Sr.

132:     *4. Will Foreman (CR Washington) Sr.

            7. Lance Bormann (City High) Sr.

            8. Dylan Falck (CR Kennedy) Soph.

            9. Graham Gambrall (West High) Fr.

138:     5. *Trenten Wennermark (CR Prairie) Sr.

            10. Joey Harney (City High) Sr.

152:     6. Kyle Hefley (City High) Jr.

160:     *1. Nelson Brands (West High) Sr.

            2A No. 1 Josh Ramirez (Dubuque Wahlert) Sr.

            4. Alex Ward (Dubuque Hempstead) Sr.

            6. Wilfred Kadohou (City High) Sr.

            10. Tanner Doyle (Cedar Falls) Sr.

170:     *1. Ben Sarasin (CR Kennedy) Sr.

            2A No. 1 Kolton Bartow (Dubuque Wahlert) Sr.

            2. Jacob Wempen (Linn-Mar) Jr.

            8. Mike Jasa (CR Prairie) Sr.

            9. Ashton Stumpf (West High) Sr.

182:     6. Will Hoeft (West High) Soph.

            7. Derek Horak (CR Prairie) Sr.

            8. Cade Parker (CR Kennedy) Soph.

195:     *1. Jacob Dykes (City High) Sr.

            *2. Tyrell Gordon (Waterloo East) Sr.

            8. Ashton Stoner-DeGroot (CR Prairie) Soph. 

            2A No. 9 Declan Duffy (Dubuque Wahlert) Sr.

220:     1. Francis Duggan (West High) Sr.

            2A No. 1 Boone McDermott (Dubuque Wahlert) Sr.

            9. Cameron Jones (CR Kennedy) Jr.

285:     5. Dylan Olson (Dubuque Hempstead) Sr.

            2A No. 7 Blake Bradley (Dubuque Wahlert) Sr.

            10. Guy Snow (West High) Sr.

*-Denotes returning MVC Champ