Taking a Quick Look at the Class 1A District Wrestling Meets Involving Your Prep Sports Area Teams
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
The wrestling postseason got underway last week with the focus on teams in regional dual meets and later the state dual meet.
Now the attention turns to the individual tournaments with districts set for Saturday across all three classes.
The goal for every wrestler is a spot at the four-day state tournament schedule for February 14-17 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
There are 12 Class 1A districts across the state on Saturday with the top two finishers at each weight class at each district qualifying for the state meet.
Before the action gets started on Saturday Your Prep Sports takes a quick look at the district meets featuring area teams.
Class 1A, District 8
When: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Where: Pleasantville High School
Teams: Regina; West Branch; Baxter; Colfax-Mingo; English Valleys; Lone Tree; North Mahaska; Pekin; Pleasantville; Sigourney-Keota; Van Buren
Ranked teams: None
What to Watch: It has already been a breakthrough season for West Branch which has continued its climb up the Class 1A rankings under head coach Jake Slocum.
West Branch advanced to the regional dual title match last week falling to state semifinalist Wilton in the title match.
The Bears will look to add to what has been an impressive season on Saturday with a strong district showing.
West Branch had six state qualifiers last season and enter Saturday’s district meet poised to surpass that number with six ranked wrestlers.
Seniors Lincoln Edwards (27-6), Cale Seydel (25-8) and Logan Wright (34-3), junior Timmy Hosier (20-14) and sophomores Cooper Gates (32-2) and Logan Christoffel (31-7) are all returning state qualifiers for the Bears.
Freshman Ethan Humphrey (30-4) is ranked 12th at 106 and is seeking a first state tournament trip while senior 215-pounder Quintyn Rocha (30-8), junior 190-pounder Tate Frantz (29-10) and senior 175-pounder Shae Farmer (23-13) should all be in the mix.
Wrestler to Watch: Regina sophomore Cash Hatfield is seeking a return to the state tournament after making his debut in Des Moines as a freshman last February.
Hatfield went 0-2 in his state meet debut at 126 pounds last season but has been impressive this season in a bump up to 138 pounds.
Hatfield (34-13) is coming off a runner-up finish at the River Valley Conference meet where he lost to eighth-ranked Gabriel Brisker of Wilton in the title match.
Weight Class to Watch: A big part of the recent turnaround for West Branch senior Logan Wright is seeking a third consecutive trip to the state meet.
Wright (34-3) is ranked fifth at 285 pounds and is coming off a first-place finish at the River Valley Conference meet.
A state medalist as a sophomore in 2022 Wright will look to put the finishing touches on what has been an outstanding career by helping West Branch reach new heights as a team.
Wright is one of two ranked wrestlers in the 285-pound bracket at District 8 and will have his hands full in the final with Baxter senior Aiden McFadden (38-6).
The 285-pound bracket is one of four on Saturday, along with 120, 132 and 165 to feature two ranked wrestlers.
Ranked Wrestlers
106: No. 12 Ethan Humphrey, Fr., West Branch
113: No. 9 Tommy Booth, Jr., Pleasantville
120: No. 8 Ayden Beck, Jr., Baxter
120: No. 10 Lincoln Edwards, Sr., West Branch
132: No. 6 Ryan Groom, Soph., North Mahaska
132: No. 12 Logan Christoffel, Soph., West Branch
144: No. 10 Zane Mullenix, Fr., Pleasantville
165: No. 2 John McGill, Sr., Colfax-Mingo
165: No. 6 Cooper Gates, Soph., West Branch
285: No. 5 Logan Wright, Sr., West Branch
285: No. 12 Aiden McFadden, Sr., Baxter
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