Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The postseason sprint is here in wrestling.

It starts with district meets across all three classes on Saturday with the state meet set to run February 19-22 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Before the action gets rolling on Saturday Your Prep Sports takes a look at every district meet featuring an area team.

Here is a look at the Class 1A district that feature teams from the Your Prep Sports area.

Class 1A, District 12

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Where: Wilton High School

Teams: Regina; West Branch; Durant; English Valleys; Highland; Lone Tree; Louisa-Muscatine; New London; Northeast; Springville; Wilton

Ranked teams: No. 3 Wilton

What to watch: West Branch has been a 1A program on the rise the past several seasons and appears poised for yet another strong postseason performance this season.

The Bears have five returning state qualifiers leading a strong group of wrestlers seeking state tournament trips on Saturday.

West Branch has four ranked wrestlers led by fifth-ranked sophomore Ethan Humphrey (17-2) at 106 pounds and sixth-ranked senior Tate Frantz (34-8) at 190 pounds.

Humphrey and junior Cooper Gates (33-4) who is ranked eighth at 165 pounds are both returning state medalists.

Junior Cash Hatfield (24-2) is ranked seventh at 144 pounds and was a state qualifier at Regina last season.

Junior 132-pounder Logan Christoffel (34-12) is a returning state qualifier while freshman 113-pounder Teague Thomas (24-14), sophomore 150-pounder Keaton Gates (33-17) and junior 157-pounder Maddux Rushton (20-17) should all be in the mix for top-two finishes.

Regina will look to build on its three qualifiers from last season.

Senior 175-pounder Leren Fernandez (36-7) and sophomores Porter Shetler (33-10) at 215 pounds and Simon Shetler (30-17) at 285 pounds lead the charge of potential qualifiers for Regina.

Who to watch: A state medalist two seasons ago as a freshman West Branch 165-pounder Cooper Gates missed a second consecutive state medal last season.

Gates has been impressive this season and will look to add to his medal count next week in Des Moines.
Eighth-ranked Gates (33-4) brings a 10-match winning streak into the postseason, a stretch that includes a second win this season over 2A third-ranked Ryker Dengler of West Liberty.

No. 11 Owen Milder of Wilton joins Gates as ranked wrestlers in the 165-pound bracket.
Gates won the lone regular season meeting between the two 13-7 at a January 9 dual meet.

Weight class to watch: The lone weight class with three ranked wrestlers in District 12 the 190-pound bracket is set up for an all-out battle for the top two spots.

Fifth-ranked Wilton junior Gatlin Rogers, sixth-ranked West Branch senior Tate Frantz and No. 10 Kamdyn Kraklio of Durant are all ranked in the top 10 and will battle for two spot at the state tournament.

Rogers and Frantz have already met three times this season.

Rogers won the first two meetings 8-0 and 9-3 before Frantz won a 10-5 decision in the semifinals of the River Valley Conference tournament earlier this month.

Ranked Wrestlers

106: No. 5 Ethan Humphrey, Soph., West Branch

106: No. 12 Romann Derksen, Fr., Wilton

113: No. 6 Austin Etzel, Sr., Wilton

120: No. 3 Liam Adlfinger, Jr., Wilton

126: No. 3 Mason Shirk, Jr., Wilton

132: No. 4 Owen Adlfinger, Sr., Wilton

138: No. 3 Gabriel Brisker, Jr., Wilton

138: No. 8 Gage Burden, Sr., New London

144: No. 7 Cash Hatfield, Jr., West Branch

144: No. 9 Jordan Dusenberry, Sr., Wilton

165: No. 8 Cooper Gates, Jr., West Branch

165: No. 11 Owen Milder, Sr., Wilton

190: No. 5 Gatlin Rogers, Jr., Wilton

190: No. 6 Tate Frantz, Sr., West Branch

190: No. 10 Kamdyn Kraklio, Jr. Durant

285: No. 9 Grant Gray, Sr., Northeast

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