Practice has started for 2011-12 prep season

IOWA CITY -- Practice for the 2011-12 prep wrestling season has started, and I dropped in to the Iowa City West practice room after a stop at University of Iowa wrestling team's weekly press gathering on Tuesday.

West was the Class 3A state dual champion last year, posting a 37-2 record and going 13-0 in the Mississippi Valley Conference. The Trojans were state runners-up in the 3A traditional tournament in Des Moines, placing four in the finals and receiving titles from Phillip Laux (103) and Jack Hathaway (125). Keegan Wakefield (119) and Dakota Bauer (130) were state finalists last season, while Gradey Gambrall, who did not compete at the state tournament last year, was a state runner-up in 2010.

In his 13th year as Trojans head coach, Reiland welcomes back 10 returning starters and three more letterwinners. West has four Division I signees on this squad. Bauer has signed with Iowa State, Hathaway with Oregon State and Laux and Koethe will wrestle for the University of Wisconsin next year. With the new weight classes, West may have a logjam unless a wrestler is willing to make a cut for the team.

Former Hawkeye national qualifier and two-time Class 1A 171-pound state champion Chad Beatty demonstrates a low-level double-leg takedown during practice.