Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Class 1A District 8

When: Saturday, Noon

Where: Wilton  

Teams (Number of qualifiers): Lisbon (12), Wilton (10), Wapello (5), Louisa-Muscatine (5), Alburnett (4), Bellevue (4), Regina (3), North Cedar (3), Lone Tree (2), Durant (2), Cascade (2), Midland (2), West Branch (1), Northeast (1).

Ranked Teams: No. 2 Lisbon

Area Qualifiers

138: Sam Aitchison (Regina) Soph. 22-20

160: Aidan Udell (Regina) Soph.  29-7

182: Morgan Hartz (West Branch) Jr. 21-12

195: Rowan Udell (Regina) Sr. 36-0

What to Watch

After sending just one wrestling to the state meet last season Regina has three district qualifiers seeking to punch their ticket to the state meet.

Senior 195-pounder Rowan Udell is the top candidate to extend the Regals’ streak of state qualifiers but must navigate a strong bracket that features the top-ranked wrestler in 1A.

Sophomore 160-pounder Aidan Udell (29-7) is doing his best wrestling of the season at the right time using a sectional title to reach the district meet for the first time.

Aidan Udell will face Bellevue sophomore Jacob Waller (23-9) who spent most of the season competing at 170 pounds the district semifinals.

Tenth-ranked Midland sophomore Cayden Miller (30-5) would be the likely championship opponent if Udell can get past Waller.

Miller won an 8-4 decision over Udell in the finals of the John Byers Invitational last month

West Branch junior Morgan Hartz will attempt to snap a state meet drought that stretches back to 2016 by becoming the first West Branch state qualifier since Drew Finnegan.

Hartz (21-12) advanced with a district runner-up finish and will face Bellevue senior Luke Giesemann (32-13) in the semifinals.

Hartz is 0-3 against Giesemann this season with the most recent meeting a fall for Giesemann at the River Valley Conference earlier this month.

Who to Watch

Regina sophomore Sam Aitchison has come a long way in a short amount of time on the wrestling mat.

In just his third year of competitive wrestling Aitchison (22-20) is a district qualifier for the first time after winning a wrestleback match to place second at 138 pounds at the Sectional 16 meet last week.

Aitchison has already doubled his win total from last season and will look to add to that on Saturday.

The sophomore opens with top-ranked and undefeated Cael Happel (44-0) of Lisbon in a loaded bracket that also features TyQuan Strowder (31-6) of Bellevue and sectional champion Christophe Ewart (21-10) of Wapello.

Weight Class to Watch

In a district meet that features three top-ranked wrestlers and five brackets with a pair of ranked wrestlers the most anticipated possible matchup is at 195 pounds.

Unbeaten and fourth-ranked Rowan Udell has been one of the best stories of the season so far in the Your Prep Sports area.

Udell lost nine matches last year as a junior and had his season end at the sectional meet for the second time in three seasons.

This season Udell has won 36 consecutive matches to open the season putting himself in prime position to secure his first trip to the state meet.

Udell (36-0) will face Alburnett senior Noah Neofotist (18-6) in his district opener and could get a chance to prove himself as a legit title contender in the finals.

Top-ranked Lisbon junior Cole Clark (40-2) enters as the favorite after placing fifth at 182 pounds last season.

The only in-state loss for Clark this season came to 3A second-ranked Ashton Stoner-DeGroot of Cedar Rapids Prairie.  

Ranked Wrestlers

106:     No. 6 Quincy Happel (Lisbon) Soph.  

113:     No. 7 Cade Siebrecht (Lisbon) Soph.

120:     No. 3 Damon Huston (Midland) Jr.

            No. 7 Brandon Paez (Lisbon) Fr.

126:     No. 2 Aidan Noonan (Cascade) Jr.

            No. 5 Kael Brisker (Wilton) Jr.

132:     No. 1 Robert Avila Jr. (Lisbon) Soph.

138:     No. 1 Cael Happel (Lisbon) Sr.

145:     No. 3 Daniel Meeker (Wapello) Sr.

            No. 9 Brody Hawtrey (North Cedar) Sr.

152:     No. 2 Marshall Hauck (Lisbon) Sr.

160:     No. 10 Cayden Miller (Midland) Soph.

170:     No. 6 Max Kohl (Lisbon) Soph.

182:     No. 5 Coy Baker (Wilton) Sr.

195:     No. 1 Cole Clark (Lisbon) Jr.

            No. 4 Rowan Udell (Regina) Sr.

220:     No. 6 Tyler Thurston (North Cedar) Sr.

285:     No. 4 Brant Baltes (Lisbon) Jr.

            No. 7 Gabe Hayes (Louisa-Muscatine) Sr.

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