Alburnett ready to “bring the fight“ to the State Duals boys’ wrestling tournament

Bring the fight. Be the fight.

Alburnett has adopted the mantra that seems to fit their personality perfectly. The gritty, hard-nosed Pirates transfer that mentality from everyday life to the wrestling mat.

“The senior group alone, if you look at how they're raised and their experiences through Mat Pac and their own personal lives, fight is really all they know,” Alburnett Coach Clayton Rush said. “I have a lot of respect for them and all the work they put into wrestling and the relationships that we' built mostly, which is pretty special.”

“Bring the fight and that's just kind of who they are.”

Never one to shy away from a scrap, top-ranked Alburnett is ready to battle at the Class 1A State Duals tournament Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. The Pirates open with No. 8 Woodbury Central in the quarterfinals, beginning at 9 a.m.

“Right from the beginning of the year, Rush told us we have great opportunity,” Pirates senior 138-pounder Preston Klostermann said. “We're going to get it. It's been one of our main focal points for this year.”

Alburnett’s wrestling room has goal sheets plastered on the walls, including a white board for Rush. Most of the individuals’ sheets have State Duals championship listed. It is a collective effort and everyone is on board.

“We've all been trained really hard,” Klostermann said. “We've been keeping track of them and we've been going through the lineups and stuff. I really believe this year we can pull it off. I like our odds this year compared to last year.”

The Pirates were runners-up last season. They will have to employ that rough-and-ready attitude to take that next step and capture their third State Duals title and first since 2016. Alburnett thrives with that style.

“We’ve took on that mindset,” Pirates returning state champion Rowdy Neighbor said. “We bring the fight. We actually respect teams more when they bring the fight, too.”

Actually, combat in the practice room can be even tougher than what they face on the mat. The physical and competitive streaks occur between teammates, pushing each other to be their best.

“You look around the room during live and there’s basically (figurative) fist fights going on,” Klostermann said. “Hard hand fighting and everyone is scrambling. If you get a takedown on a guy, you can see the other guy’s frustrated and they definitely try to give it back. It’s just a fight every day.”

The 1A field is stacked. Alburnett leads the way with perennial power and nemesis Don Bosco as the No. 2 seed. Wilton is seeded third with fourth-seeded Jesup and No. 5 Osage, which has dropped down and just two years removed from a 2A State Duals crown.

The Dons have thwarted Alburnett’s previous attempts, winning it all at the expense of the Pirates. That is a hurdle they have to clear. It will be a challenge but they are ready for.

“I know what’s there (and) our team knows,” Neighbor said. “We know we’re the team to beat. They were the team to beat last year. We were nipping at their heels but we’ve been preparing like we’re the team to beat.”

The Pirates were on the arena floor and watched Don Bosco hoist the title trophy. The sting of watching the Dons celebrate has added some fuel to the fire to avoid something similar.

“It sucked,” Klostermann said. “I think it did push us. We had a lot of guys go to our club at Big Game. I’m pretty sure we had like 11 or 12 of our teammates going there at one point. So, it definitely hurt quite a few of us. Obviously, throughout the season, we've all been training really hard, trying to get that one back.”

Alburnett defeated Don Bosco at the Battle of Waterloo in December. The win could be a boost but neither team is the same now as it was the first half of the season.

“It gives us confidence but it’s two different teams for State Duals,” Neighbor said. “We both have made changes. We know what we need to get done. It doesn’t matter whether it Woodbury Central, Jesup or anyone.”

Alburnett qualified for their ninth State Duals. The past performances can be vital in building confidence, staying composed and what to expect in the big moments. Those traits will be crucial for the Pirates to succeed.

“Anytime you look at these situations experience plays a huge factor,” Rush said. “Experience in big matches, pressure matches. I think of Rowdy alone. He wrestled in the finals as a sophomore and he was so nervous he could barely stand still. Then, his junior year, he was calm as a cucumber. So, experience plays a huge factor in it and they just know they've been there. And now it's just time to solidify it and get over that home.”

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