Hawks hammer competition, face tough stretch

Cedar Rapids Prairie dominated the Marshalltown Duals last weekend. The Hawks, sixth in Class 3A ratings of the Iowa Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association dual rankings, went 5-0, outscoring their opponents by an average of 60-13 (300-65 total),

Prairie is 18-5 overall and 8-0 in the Mississippi Valley Conference, hosting No. 3 Iowa City West and Cedar Rapids Washington Thursday. The Hawks will then head to Geneseo, Ill., for a tournament this weekend before a Metro showdown with ninth-ranked Linn-Mar on Jan. 19 at Prairie.

Prairie is led by Josh Wenger (113) and Chris Walters (120), who have 25 wins apiece. Junior Austin Gould has posted 22 wins at 182 for the Hawks, who has a wrestler with a .500-record at each weight and six with 20 or more wins.