Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

WAMAC Conference Meet

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Where: West Delaware High School

2019 top-5: 1. West Delaware; 2. Solon; 3. Williamsburg; 4. Independence; 5. South Tama 140.5

Ranked teams: Class 2A No. 1 West Delaware; Class 2A No. 5 Independence; Class 2A No. 6 Solon

What to watch: Over the past two seasons West Delaware has slowly put a stranglehold on the rest of the WAMAC field.

After placing eighth at the 2017 WAMAC meet the Hawks have won back-to-back conference titles distancing themselves from the rest of the field more each season.

West Delaware was 20 points clear of runner-up Solon in 2018 and defended its crown in impressive fashion last season finishing 54.5 points in front of Solon.

The Hawks have the talent and depth to widen the gap again this season and will have home mat advantage on their side Saturday as well.

West Delaware boasts eight ranked wrestlers including six that are ranked in the top five at their respective weight as it attempts to improve on its one individual champion from last season.

The battle in the team standings should be for the runner-up spot with Solon and Independence the top challengers.

Solon has a trio of top-three ranked wrestlers in seniors Zeb Gnida and Jax Flynn and sophomore Hayden Taylor.

Taylor (39-0) is a defending WAMAC champion and is top-ranked ranked at 145 pounds while Gnida (36-5) and Flynn (35-6) are ranked third at 152 and 170 pounds respectively.

Clear Creek Amana has a pair of wrestlers coming off third-place WAMAC finishes last season looking to move up the podium.

Senior Sam Stevens is ranked eighth in Class 3A at 126 pounds and joins132 pound sophomore Kael Scranton as Clippers seeking to improve on third-place WAMAC finishes from last year.

Of the 14 weight classes at the WAMAC meet 13 feature a ranked wrestler and 10 have at least two wrestlers in the top 10.

Who to watch: Solon sophomore Hayden Taylor will look to continue his path toward becoming a four-time conference champion on Saturday after riding roughshod through the field on his way to a WAMAC title as a freshman.

Taylor won the 126-pound title last season via 26-12 major decision over Wyatt Bieschke.

This season Taylor has been dominant posting 21 pins on his way to a 39-0 record.

West Delaware fourth-ranked sophomore Jadyn Peyton joins Taylor as ranked wrestlers in the 145-pound bracket.

Taylor defeated Peyton 9-3 in a regular season meeting in December.

Weight class to watch: There may not be a more loaded field at any conference meet around the state on Saturday than the 170-pound bracket in the WAMAC.

Four of the top five ranked wrestlers in Class 2A are in the 170-pound field including each of the top three making the bracket one of the toughest and most intriguing anywhere on Saturday.

Independence senior Cole Davis (34-1) is top-ranked and won the 160-pound WAMAC title last season.

Maquoketa senior Abe Michel (28-2) is ranked second with his only loss to an in-state foe this season a 7-5 sudden victory setback at the hands of Davis.

Solon senior Jax Flynn (35-6) enters ranked third with half of his loss total coming at the hands of Davis and Michel.

Toss in fifth-ranked West Delaware junior Jared Voss, last year’s WAMAC runner-up at 160, and the 170-pound bracket is a must watch for wrestling fans.

Flynn will need to be at his best on Saturday to get a shot at his first conference title.

The senior has dropped a pair of one-point decisions to Michel, his likely semifinal opponent, falling 9-8 and 7-6 in two meetings this year.

Ranked wrestlers

106:     Class 3A No. 8 Niyo Gady (Marion) Sr.  

113:     Class 2A No. 2 Cole Whitehead (Center Point-Urbana) Jr.

            *Class 2A No. 2 Keaton Zeimet (Central DeWitt) Jr.

120:     Class 2A No. 6 Kaden Gryp (Williamsburg) Jr.

            Class 2A No. 10 Blake Engel (West Delaware) Soph.

126:     *Class 2A No. 3 Isaiah Weber (Independence) Soph.

             Class 3A No. 8 Sam Stevens (Clear Creek Amana) Sr.

             Class 2A No. 9 Wyatt Bieschke (Benton Community) Sr.

132:     Class 2A No. 7 Keegan Scheeler (Center Point-Urbana) Sr.

138:     Class 2A No. 1 Jalen Schropp (Williamsburg) Sr.

            Class 2A No. 9 Logan Peyton (West Delaware) Fr.

145:     *Class 2A No. 1 Hayden Taylor (Solon) Soph.

            Class 2A No. 4 Jadyn Peyton (West Delaware) Soph.

152:     Class 2A No. 3 Zeb Gnida (Solon) Sr.

160:     Class 2A No. 4 Cael Meyer (West Delaware) Jr.

            Class 2A No. 7 Matthew Doyle (Independence) Sr.

170:     *Class 2A No. 1 Cole Davis (Independence) Sr.

            Class 2A No. 2 Abe Michel (Maquoketa) Sr.

            Class 2A No. 3 Jax Flynn (Solon) Sr.

            Class 2A No. 5 Jared Voss (West Delaware) Jr.

182:     *Class 2A No. 3 Jack Neuhaus (West Delaware) Sr.

            Class 2A No. 8 Austin Roos (Benton Community) Jr.

195:     Class 2A No. 1 Wyatt Voelker (West Delaware) Soph.

            Class 2A No. 5 Christian Kremer (Independence) Sr.

285:     Class 2A No. 2 Carson Petlon (West Delaware) Jr.

             Class 2A No. 3 Taven Rich (Maquoketa) Sr.

            Class 2A No. 9 Cole Cremeens (Williamsburg) Sr.

*-Denotes defending conference champion

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