Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

The wrestling postseason gets rolling across the state on Saturday with districts in all three classes.

District Saturday has a slightly different format this season than previous years.

Gone are the sectional meets in Classes 1A and 2A with district meets in all three classes on Saturday opening the start of the postseason.

In Class 3A the top three qualifiers from eight districts around the state advance to the state meet in the first season of 24-person state meet brackets.

As postseason wrestling begins we take a quick look at all six district meets featuring teams from the Your Prep Sports area starting with the three Class 3A districts featuring area teams.

Class 3A, District 1  

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Where: Bettendorf High School

Teams: City High; Liberty High; Bettendorf; Burlington; Davenport North; Davenport West; Dubuque Senior; Fort Madison

Ranked teams: No. 4 Bettendorf; No. 6 City High

What to watch: City High had five state qualifiers last season when it finished ninth in the 3A team race and all of those qualifiers are back this season.

The list starts with three-time unbeaten state champion Ben Kueter (33-0) and this season there is plenty of punch behind the 220-pound senior standout.

Kueter is one of three top-ranked Little Hawks joining junior 126-pound Cale Seaton (31-2) and senior 182-pounder Gabe Arnold (35-0).

Seaton is expected back on the mat Saturday for the first time since sustaining an injury in the final round of the Clyde Bean Duals at City High on January 21.

The 126-pound bracket is among the best at the District 1 meet with second-ranked Bettendorf freshman Cody Trevino (39-1) and eighth-ranked Fort Madison sophomore Logan Pennock (35-10) joining Seaton.

Trevino brings a 38-match winning streak into the district meet and is unbeaten against in-state competition.

Junior 132-pounder Kael Kurtz (32-4) is already a two-time state medalist and is ranked fourth entering district competition.

Kurtz faces a potential district title rematch from last season with second-ranked Bettendorf junior Jayce Luna (36-4).

Last season Kurtz won a 4-3 decision over Luna in the district final and Luna won the only meeting between the two this season 8-6 back on December 2.

Junior Jake Mitchell (22-5) is ranked 12^th at 138 pounds and seeking a return trip to the state meet.

Senior Ryan Ott (5-0) was a state qualifier a year ago and has been limited to spot duty this season but will attempt to return to the state meet on Saturday.

Liberty High will be attempting to secure a state qualifier for the third consecutive season.

With ranked wrestlers at all but one weight class and four brackets with multiple ranked wrestlers it will be tough sledding for the Lightning.

Junior Vincezo Lima (31-5) is among the favorites at 195 pounds while junior Anyhlan Peoples (23-9) will being vying for a spot at 138 pounds along with Eduardo Zepeda (18-8) at 182.

Who to watch: It’s been written on this site before but if Ben Kueter is in the field he is always the wrestler to watch. Always.

Kueter has been his dominant self this season as he attempts to put the finishing touches on an unbeaten prep career with a fourth consecutive state title.

The Iowa recruit has 30 pins and a pair of victories by tech fall this season and has yet to have a match last the full three periods.

Weight class to watch: The 195-pound bracket should be a fun one with Lima and eighth-ranked Fort Madison junior Isaac Thacher on a collision course to meet in the finals.

Both Thacher and Lima are seeking return trips to the state meet.

Lima (31-5) was a state qualifier two seasons ago as a freshman and Thacher qualified last season as a sophomore.

Thacher has won eight consecutive matches since dropping three matches to top-five ranked wrestlers at the Ed Winger Invite on January 21.

Lima is coming off an impressive effort at the Mississippi Valley Conference meet where he pinned his way to the 195-pound conference title.

Ranked wrestlers

106: No. 11 Kendall Kurtz (City High) Soph.

113: No. 1 Jake Knight (Bettendorf) Fr.

120: No. 3 TJ Koester (Bettendorf) Soph.

126: No. 1 Cale Seaton (City High) Jr.

No. 2 Cody Trevino (Bettendorf) Fr.

No. 8 Logan Pennock (Fort Madison) Soph.

132: No. 2 Jayce Luna (Bettendorf) Jr.

No. 3 Kael Kurtz (City High) Jr.

138: No. 7 Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf) Fr.

No. 12 Jake Mitchel (City High) Jr.

145: No. 2 Tycho Carmichael (Bettendorf) Soph.

152: No. 5 Elijah Mendoza (Bettendorf) Sr.

170: No. 11 Teague Smith (Fort Madison) Jr.

182: No. 1 Gabe Arnold (City High) Sr.

195: No. 8 Isaac Thacher (Fort Madison) Jr.

No. 10 Vincenzo Lima (Liberty High) Jr.

220: No. 1 Ben Kueter (City High) Sr.

285: No. 8 Cohen Pfohl (Dubuque Senior) Sr.

Class 3A, District 3

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Where: Cedar Rapids Jefferson

Teams: Clear Creek Amana; Cedar Rapids Jefferson; Cedar Rapids Kennedy; Cedar Rapids Washington; Marion; Ottumwa; Cedar Rapids Prairie; Waverly-Shell Rock

Ranked teams: No. 2 Waverly-Shell Rock

What to watch: Clear Creek Amana has enjoyed one of the best regular seasons in recent program history and a strong postseason showing would be the perfect capper to a season of impressive growth.

Sophomore Cale Nash (33-4) and is a returning state qualifier and is one of four Clippers to enter district competition with at least 30 wins on the season.

Clear Creek Amana doesn’t have a ranked wrestler but has plenty of competitors capable of pushing for top-three finishes and spots at the state meet.

Sophomore Kaden Phan (30-11) is wrestling as anyone in the Clipper lineup entering the postseason and is coming off a title at the WAMAC conference meet.

Sophomore Nolan Howell (30-15) should be in the mix in a 126-pound bracket that features a pair of ranked wrestlers in No. 11 Isaiah Price of Cedar Rapids Washington and Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Alex Bumba who is ranked No. 12.

Who to watch: Nash is already a state qualifier capping an impressive 36-win freshman campaign with a trip to the 3A state meet at 106 pounds.

This season Nash has been even more impressive amassing a 33-4 record with three of his four losses coming to top-10 ranked opponents.

Nash was runner-up at the WAMAC conference meet and had an 18-match winning streak end with a 4-0 loss to 2A third-ranked Brady Maury of West Delaware in the finals.

Fifth-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock sophomore Ryker Graff (28-7) is the lone ranked wrestler in the 113-pound bracket though Ottumwa sophomore Ashton Grace (39-4) is returning state medalist and already has a 4-0 win over Nash earlier this season in the finals of the Fort Madison Invitational.

Weight class to watch: The championship chase at 145 pounds should be relatively uneventful.

Top-ranked Waverly-Shell Rock sophomore Bas Diaz (39-2) is the lone ranked wrestler in the 145-pound bracket and is coming off a stellar freshman season in which he finished third at the state meet at 145 pounds.

The chase for the other two state qualifying spots is what should be extremely exciting at 145 pounds.

Clear Creek Amana senior Beck Arant (30-10) expects to be right in the thick of that race.

Arant has been solid all season but has upped his game down the stretch finishing runner-up at the WAMAC meet with a win over 2A No. 10 Carter Straw of Independence in the semifinals and a loss to third-ranked Jackson Jaspers of Mount Vernon in the finals.

Arant is 9-2 in his last 11 matches with both losses to Jaspers, who has handed Arant four of his 10 defeats this season.

The 145-pound field appears open behind Diaz with Cedar Rapids Kennedy junior Cael Smithhart (24-22), Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Casey Kelley (24-14) and Ottumwa Koby Chanthalavanh (23-5) joining Arant in the hunt for state meet spots.

Ranked wrestlers

106: No. 7 Dylan Munson (Cedar Rapids Prairie) Soph.

No. 12 Brennan Geers (Cedar Rapids Washington) Sr.

113: No. 5 Ryker Graff (Waverly-Shell Rock) Soph.

120: No. 4 Blake Gioimo (Cedar Rapids Prairie) Sr.

126: No. 11 Isaiah Price (Cedar Rapids Washington) Sr.

No. 12 Alex Bumba (Cedar Rapids Prairie) Jr.

132: No. 11 Tyler Lee (Cedar Rapids Prairie) Jr.

No. 12 Zane Behrends (Waverly-Shell Rock) Jr.

138: No. 1 Ryder Block (Waverly-Shell Rock) Sr.

145: No. 1 Bas Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock) Soph.

152: No. 8 Ethan Bibler (Waverly-Shell Rock) Soph.

No. 9 Erich Rinderknecht (Cedar Rapids Washington) Jr.

160: No. 2 Danny Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock) Sr.

No. 8 Collin Falck (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) Jr.

195: No. 2 McCrae Hagarty (Waverly-Shell Rock) Sr.

220: No. 12 Caden Wetherell (Waverly-Shell Rock) Soph.

285: No. 3 Jake Walker (Waverly-Shell Rock) Sr.

No. 7 Carter Dawley (Cedar Rapids Prairie) Sr.

Class 3A, District 7

When: Saturday, 10 a.m.

Where: North Scott High School

Teams: West High; Clinton; Davenport Central; Dubuque Hempstead; Muscatine; North Scott; Pleasant Valley; Western Dubuque

Ranked teams: None.

What to watch: West High finished fourth as a team at the Class 3A state meet last season and while repeating that success is unlikely this year a young and talented West High roster is certainly capable of making some more postseason noise.

State tournament qualifiers Braden Doyle (28-15), Kyler Scranton (31-11) and Justin Avila (36-7) all return for West High seeking return trips to state while freshman standout Alexander Pierce has quickly emerged as a state title contender at 106 pounds.

Fellow freshman Campbell Janis (18-15) will look to work into the mix in a 120-pound bracket that features a pair of top-10 ranked wrestlers in Pleasant Valley sophomore Carter Siebel and Dubuque Hempstead sophomore Mitchell Murphy.

Avila was outstanding in his state meet debut last season, winning four consecutive consolation matches on his way to a fourth-place finish at 170 pounds.

As a sophomore Avila has followed up that success, winning 36 matches with all but two of his losses coming to out-of-state foes.

The lone two losses for Avila against in-state competition are to fourth-ranked Gabe Carver of Urbandale and No. 11 Grant Boddicker of Linn-Mar who Avila has also beat twice this season.

No. 10 Scranton started the season at 170 pounds and is 14-4 since making the drop to 152 with one of those losses a 6-4 loss to seventh-ranked Jack Miller of Pleasant Valley who is the other ranked wrestler in the 152-pound district 7 bracket.

Who to watch: Pierce has quickly emerged as a legit title contender in his first varsity season racking up a 36-2 mark.

Second-ranked Pierce has won 19 consecutive matches since his only in-state loss this season against top-ranked Carter Pearson of Southeast Polk on December 17.

Pierce joins fourth-ranked Mitchell Pins (27-6) of Dubuque Hempstead as the ranked wrestlers in the 106-pound bracket.

Pierce is 3-0 against Pins this season with the latest win an 11-6 decision in the finals of the Mississippi Valley Conference meet.

Weight class to watch: West High junior Braden Doyle was a state qualifier a year ago and would like to return to the state meet as a district champion.

No. 10 Doyle (28-15) joins ninth-ranked Pleasant Valley sophomore Duncan Harn (28-10) as the favorites in an interesting 132-pound bracket.

Doyle dropped a 7-5 decision to Harn in sudden victory back on January 21.

Since that loss Doyle is 5-1 with his only loss coming against fourth-ranked Brayden Parke of Linn-Mar at the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament.

A rematch with Harn would like come in the finals with a district title going to the winner.

Other contenders for a state meet spot in the 132-pound bracket are North Scott freshman Will McDermott (22-16) and Western Dubuque’s CJ Kammiller (20-15).

Ranked wrestlers

106: No. 2 Alexander Pierce (West High) Fr.

No. 4 Mitchell Pins (Dubuque Hempstead) Soph.

120: No. 9 Carter Siebel (Pleasant Valley) Soph.

No. 10 Mitchell Murphy (Dubuque Hempstead) Soph.

132: No. 9 Duncan Harn (Pleasant Valley) Soph.

No. 10 Braden Doyle (West High) Jr.

145: No. 6 Justin Avila (West High) Soph.

152: No. 7 Jack Miller (Pleasant Valley) Sr.

No. 10 Kyler Scranton (West High) Jr.

160: No. 1 Josiah Schaetzle (Dubuque Hempstead) Sr.

170: No. 1 Caden McDermott (Pleasant Valley) Sr.

No. 6 Seth Madden (North Scott) Sr.

No. 10 Drew Burds (Western Dubuque) Soph.

182: No. 10 Logan Massey (Western Dubuque) Sr.

195: No. 3 AJ Petersen (North Scott) Sr.

No. 7 Evan Franke (Muscatine) Jr.

220: No. 2 Joseph Lewis (Dubuque Hempstead) Sr.

No. 3 Rusty VanWetzinga (Pleasant Valley) Sr.

285: No. 9 Joey VanWetzinga (Pleasant Valley) Soph.

No. 12 David Borchers (North Scott) Sr.

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