Prairie sees progress in fourth-place dual finish

 DES MOINES – Cedar Rapids Prairie Coach Blake Williams took a moment at the present to analyze his program's future.He likes the potential he sees from the Hawks, who earned a second straight fourth-place finish at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Duals last night at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.“There were a lot of newcomers in the lineup this year that got a lot of good experience,” Williams said. “I think the future is very bright for Prairie wrestling.“Many of these kids are back and hopefully we can get back down here.”The Hawks went 1-2, losing to state champion Bettendorf, 43-19, in the semifinals and rested some starters letting younger wrestlers step in to experience the state event in a 42-24 loss to second-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock for third.“They were scrapping,” Williams said. “It was nice to see.”The Hawks (21-5) have qualified three straight years and four out of the last five. They send out four senior starters -Trey Blaha (152), Skyler St. John (160), Jesse Hynek (95) and heavyweight Corey Meyer – with two straight trips to the semifinals.“It's always nice,” Blaha said. “We just come ready for each dual and do what we do.”Blaha is one of four seniors that have been in the Hawks lineup. He can see Prairie's tradition of reloading its lineup continuing with the next wave of wrestlers. They did it this season, replacing eight seniors from last year.“That kind of is what we're known for,” Blaha said. “We always have guys prepared to step in the lineup. The underclassmen are ready to come in.”Prairie opened by winning the rubber match with Mississippi Valley Conference rival Linn-Mar. The Hawks trailed 24-15, capturing four of the final five weights. Prairie's 10th-ranked 182-pounder Jarod Cadena moved up to 195 and pinned the Lions' No. 3 Andrew Holladay. Heavyweight Jonah Manson sealed the win with a fall in the final match.“It was a hard-fought dual between two good teams,” said Williams, adding, “Credit to our guys. They found a way to win.”The Hawks had beaten Bettendorf in December, but the Bulldogs weren't denied their second title in three seasons. Top-seeded Bettendorf (18-4) reached the finals for the fourth straight year, beating Southeast Polk, 35-27. Jack Wagner (106) and Jacob Schwarm (113) closed the dual with consecutive first-period pins, avenging a loss to the Rams in last year's state championship.Iowa City West (23-7) returned to the state duals after a 10-year streak was snapped last season. The Trojans fell to Southeast Polk (22-2) in the opening round but rebounded to finish 2-1 Wednesday.“We wrestled pretty well overall,” West Coach Mark Reiland said. “Having Polk right off the bat wasn't the greatest draw in the world. We battled.”They recorded consecutive wins over Cedar Rapids Jefferson (30-29) in the consolation semifinals and Pleasant Valley (51-9) for fifth.The Trojans had a mix of seniors that wanted to wrestle and others who needed the experience.“We came to compete,” Reiland said. “Every meet we asked them if they were ready to go.”Cedar Rapids Jefferson (14-3) reached the state duals tournament for the first time since 1994. The J-Hawks matched their seed, placing seventh. Goals were set higher but qualifying is a step in the right direction.“It's an experience,” Jefferson Co-head coach Matt Orton said. “We got to bring all of our kids up here and got them an opportunity to be on the floor, see the lights and see what it is like. It's a great step for our program.”The J-Hawks only have four seniors and only one qualified for the individual state meet. The State Duals was an experience to build on for next season.“We learned a lot,” Jefferson 113-pounder Joseph Sibomana said. “We improved a lot. Just keep continuing.”The J-Hawks suffered two close losses, including a 32-26 quarterfinal setback to second-seeded Waverly-Shell Rock. They closed the dual with a 58-12 win over Linn-Mar.“We came out with fight,” Sibomana said. “I thought we could do better, but it is worth it.”Linn-Mar placed eighth and finished with a 22-9 mark. It was the Lions fourth straight State Duals appearance.