Independence boys’ wrestling attempt to earn 5th State Duals berth in 6 seasons

INDEPENDENCE — Michael Doyle recalled the bus ride home from the season-opening dual at Decorah.

The Independence boys’ wrestling coach wondered about the Mustangs’ potential. He questioned whether the team would even have a winning record, nevertheless postseason duals.

“Ultimately, kids had to come in to practice and want to work hard,” Doyle said. “They have to want to be coachable. They have to want to get better every day. We talk a lot about that.”

The Mustangs grew stronger as the season progressed. The reward is the chance to host a Class 2A regional dual Tuesday and face the winner of No. 12 North Polk and No. 22 Union Community for a berth to the state duals tournament Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

“We just keep moving forward inch by inch every day,” Independence senior 138-pounder Kaden Kremer said. “Doyle likes the term of ‘1 percent better’ every day, which I take to heart. I feel like seeing the individual success from others pushes each other and everyone wants the best for each other. It’s good for our confidence. I feel like it translates to our own confidence.”

The Mustangs are looking for their 13th state duals appearance. They reached the 2A state finals two years ago. Wrestling has long been considered an individual sport. The team aspect is valued at Independence.

“We talked at the beginning of the year about what this team needs to do to have fun,” Doyle said. “Going to State Duals was one of the first things a lot of kids said. They want to go back to State Duals because that’s fun. That makes wrestling fun. It’s a goal of our program.

“The team concept is really important here. I almost would say it’s more important than individual because our kids fight for each other. This is something they can do together.”

Independence qualified for State Duals four straight seasons from 2019-22. The Mustangs fell short last season at rival West Delaware. The year hiatus has not set well with them. They have been determined to return.

“It took a hit to us seniors,” Kremer said. “We really want to go back to State Duals for a last time.”

Doyle said the team hasn’t shied away from talking about State Duals during the second half of the season. He said younger wrestlers and newer wrestlers to the lineup need to realize they don’t need to wait to be good. They all have a role to play to avoid a similar result to last season.

“We didn’t make State Duals last year,” Doyle said. “We have a group of kids where that bothers them. They took it upon themselves to get in position to get back to the State Dual tournament, because that is something this program wants to do every year.”

Independence boasts a 21-5 record. The Mustangs defeated North Polk, 46-20, at the EM/GMG Duals on Jan. 20. They also beat Union, 38-35, at the Battle of Waterloo in December. The Mustangs realize those results don’t mean much Tuesday.

“There is a lot of energy in practice,” Doyle said. “We are looking forward to it. This is where we want to be.”

Second-ranked Mount Vernon and No. 4 West Delaware give the Wamac Conference three regional hosts. Mount Vernon faces the winner of No. 14 Solon and No. 18 Columbus Community. The Hawks awaits the winner of No. 13 Benton Community and No. 23 Decorah.

In Class 3A, No. 8 Linn-Mar hosts for the third straight season. The Lions will wrestle either No. 9 Waverly-Shell Rock or No. 23 Pleasant Valley in the regional final.

Alburnett was fourth at State Duals last season. The top-ranked Pirates host a 1A regional dual that includes a first-round dual between No. 16 Pleasantville and No. 17 Earlham. Lisbon, ranked 10th, wrestles No. 24 North Butler/Clarksville in the first round with the winner taking on host and seventh-ranked Jesup.

Clear Creek Amana (17-6) opens against No. 20 North Scott in a 3A regional dual at Dubuque Hempstead. The Mustangs will wrestle the winner for a State Duals berth. The Clippers are making their regional dual debut and have seven wins over regional duals participants.

Cedar Rapids Prairie slipped four spots to No. 13 in the decisive IHSAA poll. The Hawks will wrestle No. 19 Iowa City West in a first-round dual at Bettendorf. The winner advances to the final against the No. 3 Bulldogs.

For just the second time in school history, Cedar Rapids Xavier earned a spot in the regional duals field. The Saints debuted at No. 21 and wrestles No. 11 Johnston in the first round at Ankeny Centennial. The winner takes on the host Jaguars in the final.

Iowa City High is ranked 16th and is paired with No. 17 Norwalk at No. 1 Southeast Polk.

2024 IHSAA boys’ wrestling regional duals

Tuesday

(All first-round duals start at 6 p.m.)

Class 3A

At Linn-Mar

No. 9 Waverly-Shell Rock vs. No. 23 Pleasant Valley

Final

No. 8 Linn-Mar vs. WSR/Pleasant Valley winner

At Bettendorf

No. 13 Cedar Rapids Prairie vs. No. 19 Iowa City West

Final

No. 3 Bettendorf vs. Prairie/I.C. West winner

At Ankeny Centennial

No. 11 Johnston vs. No. 21 Cedar Rapids Xavier

Final

No. 5 Ankeny Centennial vs. Johnston/Xavier winner

At Pleasant Hill

No. 16 Iowa City High vs. No. 17 Norwalk

Final

No. 1 Southeast Polk vs. City High/Norwalk winner

At Dubuque

No. 12 Clear Creek Amana vs. No. 20 North Scott

Final

No. 7 Dubuque Hempstead vs. CCA/North Scott winner

At Indianola

No. 15 Ankeny vs. No. 18 West Des Moines Valley

Final

No. 2 Indianola vs. Ankeny/Valley winner

At Fort Dodge

No. 14 Carlisle vs. No. 22 Waukee

Final

No. 4 Fort Dodge vs. Carlisle/Waukee winner

At Waukee Northwest

No. 10 Bondurant-Farrar vs. No. 24 Dallas Center-Grimes

Final

No. 6 Waukee Northwest vs. B-F/DCG winner

Class 2A

At Mount Vernon

No. 14 Solon vs. No. 18 Columbus Community

Final

No. 2 Mount Vernon vs. Solon/Columbus winner

At Manchester

No. 13 Benton Community vs. No. 23 Decorah

Final

No. 4 West Delaware vs. Benton/Decorah

At Independence

No. 12 North Polk vs. No. 22 Union Community

Final

No. 6 Independence vs. North Polk/Union winner

At Osage

No. 15 Anamosa vs. No. 19 Crestwood

Final

No. 1 Osage vs. Anamosa/Crestwood winner

At Ballard

No. 9 Humboldt vs. No. 24 Williamsburg

Final

No. 8 Ballard vs. Humboldt/Williamsburg winner

At Algona

No. 10 Hampton-Dumont vs. No. 21 New Hampton/Turkey Valley

Final

No. 7 Algona vs. Hampton-Dumont/NHTV

At Creston

No. 15 Carroll vs. No. 20 Winterset

Final

No. 3 Creston vs. Carroll/Winterset winner

At Sergeant Bluff

No. 11 Glenwood vs. No. 17 Webster City

Final

No. 5 Sergeant Bluff-Luton vs. Glenwood/Webster City winner

Class 1A

At Alburnett

No. 16 Pleasantville vs. No. 17 Earlham

Final

No. 1 Alburnett vs. Pleasantville/Earlham winner

At Jesup

No. 10 Lisbon vs. No. 24 North Butler/Clarksville

Final

No. 7 Jesup vs. Lisbon/North Butler/Clarksville winner

At Gilbertville

No. 15 MFL MarMac vs. No. 20 Nodaway Valley

Final

No. 2 Don Bosco vs. MFL/Nodaway Valley winner

At Wilton

No. 13 West Branch vs. No. 18 Truro I-35

Final

No. 3 Wilton vs. West Branch/I-35 winner

At Lake Mills

No. 14 Denver vs. No. 18 Akron-Westfield

Final

No. 4 Lake Mills vs. Denver/Akron-Westfield winner

At Nashua

No. 12 Emmetsburg vs. No. 22 Central Springs

Final

No. 5 Nashua-Plainfield vs. Emmetsburg/Central Springs winner

At Britt

No. 11 Wapsie Valley vs. No. 23 Oakland Riverside

Final

No. 6 West Hancock vs. Wapsie Valley/Oakland Riverside winner

At Hinton

No. 9 Logan-Magnolia vs. No. 21 Shenandoah

Final

No. 8 Hinton vs. Lo-Ma/Shenandoah winner

Note: Regional dual champions advance to the state duals tournament Feb. 3 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com