Decorah returns to State Duals, advances to Class 2A state final

CORALVILLE — Decorah Coach Jordan Thompson admitted he wasn’t versed in the wrestling program’s history.

Understandable for a transplant from New Market, Ala., who wrestled at Luther College and decided to stay in town after he graduated in 2021.

He hasn’t discussed it much with the Vikings, but the topic has been broached by others.

“They know the history better than I do,” Thompson said about the athletes. “I've actually heard most of it recently from parents and locals. I’m learning, but we try to focus on day in and day out, each other and this team. What happened in the past and what happens in the future means nothing if this opportunity we have today isn't taken advantage of.”

In its first trip since the second consecutive runner-up finishes 30 years ago, Decorah advanced to the finals of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 2A State Duals tournament Saturday at Xtream Arena. The top-ranked Vikings dropped No. 5 Independence, 43-25, in the semifinals, making it three championship duals in three appearances separated by three decades.

“Everyone who steps on the mat wants to win,” Thompson said. “Our competitors want to win. We want to win, but at the end of the day, everything is about getting better all season.

“This is an opportunity that we earned because we continued to get better throughout the season.”

The Vikings won nine of 14 bouts against the Mustangs, beating them for the second time this season. They received pins from Kellen O’Gara (113), Mason Avila (132), Will Larson at 138 and 157-pounder Gavin Knutson. Gavin Carolan (144) and William Fullhart at 165 added technical falls, during the nine-match stretch. Decorah turned a 9-9 score after four matches into a 37-15 runaway.

Kasen Tyler (175) and 190-pounder Thomas Sexton added decisions to go along with Edisen Fullhart’s to open the dual at 106, giving the Vikings a 43-15 lead before the last two matches.

Decorah was on a mission.

“They were ready,” Thompson said. “They want to be here. They enjoy being here is a big thing. They're not sad they’ve got to be here all day. They're thankful for this opportunity.”

The Vikings were even more dominant in the quarterfinals, winning 10 weights and thumping Glenwood, 51-21. They have balance with solid wrestlers at each weight, making them a formidable dual team, but their accountability to each other has made this such a strong team.

“Not having any holes as a dual team is wonderful,” Thompson said. “The biggest strength this team has, however, is their ability to grab each other and make each other better.

“They're not going to let each other skip reps. They're not going to let each other not learn something that they made a mistake on, so that's really their biggest strength and why we don't have any holes.”

Independence opened the day against rival West Delaware The Hawks won a regular-season dual at Independence, 35-33, but the Mustangs flipped the script in the quarterfinals.

Curran Meyer provided an early sparking, reversing a two-point loss to Sladen Shover with a pin in 2:31. Kam Kremer also exacted revenge with a 7-2 decision over Croix Gudenkauf at 150. Those two performances resulted in a 13-point swing from the previous meeting, helping snap a 12-dual losing streak to the Hawks.

“We liked where we were at and we knew that we'd have to wrestle hard regard to who we had to go against,” Independence Coach Michael Doyle said. “It just happened to be West Delaware first round.

“A couple of weeks ago, I felt like we probably didn't wrestle as well as we could have. I felt like today we wrestled a little better and that's the important thing. Regardless of how you're doing, are you improving? Are you doing the little things well? So, if our team's doing that, then it gives them a chance to do to do well.”

West Delaware still led 29-26 with three weights left. The Mustangs’ Braylen Bieber (190) and brothers Carter and Gable Eddy closed with decisions for a 35-29 victory and its first semifinal appearance since a runner-up finish in 2022.

“I'm proud,” Doyle said. “We have a lot of young kids on our team, 2A field is kind of younger. It’s going to be like this for a couple of years. We can pout and mope and whatever, but we have to get better, stronger. It's good experience for our guys, even though we're frustrated. We wish we would have performed a little better against Decorah, but Decorah is a very, very solid team.

“We're going to gain from these experiences and hopefully continue to develop.”

Alburnett rebounded from a 40-29 first-round loss to Decorah’s finals foe No. 3 Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. The Pirates defeated Algona (43-23) and West Delaware (39-27) to place fifth. The Rockets advanced to the finals with a 41-25 victory over No. 2 Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.

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