McDonough excited to compete in hometown

CEDAR RAPIDS - One of the Metro's top wrestlers returns home.

Matt McDonough carved his niche as four-time state medalist at Linn-Mar High School before winning two NCAA titles in three national finals appearances for the University of Iowa.

McDonough will have one more chance to perform in front of his hometown supporters when he takes on former Indiana wrestlers and current Iowa State assistant Angel Escobedo in an undercard match in Agon V: Iowa against the World at the U.S. Cellular Center on Friday night, beginning at 7:30.

McDonough said he looks forward to returning to his roots.

'It's a pretty exciting thought to be able to wrestle in Cedar Rapids again after changing my life to Iowa City,” McDonough said. 'It's a good reminder of where I came from and what I'm about, being able to wrestle in front of my hometown again.”

McDonough, a current U.S. National Team and University World Team member, won three state championships for the Lions, becoming just the fourth Metro wrestler to win at least three state titles. He won at 112 pounds as a sophomore in 2006, adding 119 and 130 crowns the following two years.

McDonough never competed at the USCC for State Duals. He guessed the last time he competed in that building was for an AAU tournament in junior high.

'One part of it being a fun time is that it's some place I used to wrestle when I was a little kid, looking up to big name wrestlers,” said McDonough, who said the venue doesn't alter his approach if it were held anywhere else. 'It's a great thing to be at that point myself now.”

Area fans still had plenty of opportunity to watch him compete for the Hawkeyes, becoming a four-time national qualifier with a 112-9. His .931 winning percentage ranked 11th all-time at Iowa. Friends and family followed him all over the country and now get to watch him without hitting the road. He expects plenty of family and Linn-Mar wrestling supporters to fill the seats.

'That's what I like,” McDonough said. 'I like to have a big cheering section. I like to have a lot of family there, so I don't expect it to be any different. I have been blessed with a great family that really drove the extra mile to watch me compete and cheer me on.”

McDonough said the venue doesn't matter as much as the goal he plans to accomplish in it. Redemption is one of the goals. McDonough has not wrestled Escobedo since the finals of the 2010 Big Ten Championships. Escobedo won that match, 6-4, even though McDonough went on to win the 125-pound NCAA title that year. They haven't faced each other in freestyle competition until Friday.

'I think this is a great chance to wrestle someone who I wanted to have another shot to wrestle and to compete against a top-tier international U.S. guy, and put on a show for the fans,” McDonough said. 'More so than anything, I want to get in there and do what I love the most and that is scrap with a tough opponent.”

The card billed, 'Iowa against the World” will feature four other former Hawkeyes that McDonough wrestled with at Iowa. Brent Metcalf will face teenage phenom Aaron Pico in the main event. The co-main event has Tony Ramos taking on 2008 Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo.

Former Iowa City West state champion and Iowa NCAA champion Derek St. John will wrestle former Northwestern national finalist Jason Welch. Former Hawkeye and Hawkeye Wrestling Club member Phil Keddy has Cyclone Wrestling Club's Deron Winn. Three matches feature high school wrestlers who have verbally committed to wrestle at Iowa.

'It's awesome,” McDonough said. 'It's a blast from the past, stepping on the mat knowing you have four other teammates, half of a college lineup, wrestling other guys and these are all Hawkeye alumni. On top of that, three guys are going to be Hawkeyes. It's your team against the country.”

The upstart promotion has tried to provide a new outlet for wrestlers to compete and make a career out of the sport they have been dedicated for most of their lives. The future of the sport could be impacted by the success of these events.

'It's a great event,” McDonough said. 'The chance for international wrestlers throughout the country to get a chance to compete in front of a large crowd, to earn some respectable profit and to do what we love the most all at the same time, it's something this sport needs.”

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