5 storylines to follow in the 2026 Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling tournament

The Iowa High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament begins Wednesday with Class 3A and continues Thursday with the first two rounds of the 2A and 1A tournaments at Casey’s Center in Des Moines. The championship matches will conclude the tournament Saturday night. Here are five storylines to follow during the four-day event.

Starmont’s Keaton Moeller, Jesup’s Ayden Bergman return

Moeller are accomplished state tournament wrestlers with two state medals apiece but both missed last year’s 1A state tournament due to injury.

Moeller, a University of Northern Iowa commit, is a senior 190-pounder. He missed his entire junior campaign due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament on his knee suffered early in the football season that year.

Moeller won the 150-pound state championship in 2024 after a third-place finish as a freshman. He has been dominant all season, posting a 39-0 record and receiving the No. 5 seed. Moeller is attempting to become Starmont’s third wrestler with multiple state crowns, joining three-time state champion Kent Streicher (1986-88) and Doug Streicher, who won back-to-back titles in 1986 and 1987.

Bergman endured an injury during the 2025 State Duals that prevented him from wrestling in the district meet. Bergman was seventh as a freshman at 113 and moved down to 106 2024, finishing fourth.

Despite being top-ranked at 126, Bergman is the No. 7 seed with a 45-2 record.

Fort Dodge’s Ross, Osage’s Fox chase 4th state title

Fort Dodge’s Dreshaun Ross and Osage’s Blake Fox have the opportunity to join the hallowed group of four-time state champions.

Ross is the top-seed at heavyweight in 3A. The Oklahoma State signee has a 31-0 record this season, increasing his career record to 142-2. He enters the state tournament with 139 straight wins, dating back to December 2022. Ross won the 195-pound crown in 2023 and 215 the last two years.

Fox has a 46-0 record as the No. 1 seed at 150 in 2A. He has won 150 straight matches with his last loss in the opening weekend of his sophomore season. Fox is 206-3 overall, claiming titles at 144 in 1A last season, 138 in 2A in 2024 and 2A 120 as a freshman.

Both have only lost one match to in-state opponents. Waverly-Shell Rock’s McCrae Hagarty topped Ross, 3-1, in the third-place bout of the 2022 Dan Gable Donnybrook in Coralville. Fox lost to Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Blake Gioimo, 5-2, at the 2023 Cliff Keen Independence Invitational.

Top-seeded quartet at 106 pounds in Class 2A

The top four seeds of the 106-pound bracket in 2A are all Gazette-area wrestlers. Vinton-Shellsburg sophomore Jackson Parmater (34-2) is the No. 1 seed, while Solon sophomore Anderson Osgood (42-3) is seeded second. Freshman duo Edisen Fullhart (32-5), of Decorah, and Alburnett’s Tyler Gerhold (49-5) are the third and fourth seeds, respectively.

Parmater is the only one with state tournament experience. He placed fourth at 106 in 2A as a freshman.

Parmater and Osgood have wrestled three times this season. Parmater won the first two meetings, posting a technical fall in a dual and a major decision in the final of Solon’s Ed Hadenfeldt tournament. Osgood won the last match with a 3-1 decision for the Wamac Conference championship.

Osgood also has victories over Fullhart (major decision) and Gerhold (technical fall).

Area wrestlers attempt to become 4-time medalists

Four Gazette-area athletes are attempting to go 4-for-4 in podium finishes. Iowa City West’s Alexander Pierce, Decorah’s Mason Avila, Mount Vernon’s Mikey Ryan and Jesup’s Cooper Hinz enter the tournament as three-time state medalists.

Pierce won the 3A 106-pound state title as a freshman and placed second at 113 pounds the last two seasons. He is the No. 2 seed at 126 with a 45-0 record.

Avila (34-8) is the seventh seed at 132 in 2A. He placed seventh and fifth at this weight the previous two years, finishing seventh at 126 as a freshman.

Ryan is the top seed at 157 in 2A with a 44-0 mark. Ryan, a returning state semifinalist, placed third at 150 a year ago. He was fourth at 150 in 2024 and eighth at 138 as a freshman.

Hinz owns a 51-1 record, earning the No. 1 seed at 132 in 1A. The University of Michigan recruit has finished in the top five each season. He was third at 120 as a junior, fifth at 113 in 2024 and placed fourth at 106 as a freshman.

Possible rematch of wild state duals battle

Decorah senior Will Larson and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont sophomore Kaden Kirkpatrick treated wrestling fans to a memorable 138-pound match in the 2A State Duals final. They produced a whirlwind of offense, combining 49 points in 5:29 including 18 points in the first period and 22 in the second. Kirkpatrick actually trailed 29-20 when he won by pin after a big throw.

Kirkpatrick (42-6) is the eighth-seed and received a first-round bye. Larson (31-5) is the No. 9 seed and opens against Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s Kyler Tendal. If Larson wins, it will set up a rematch with Kirkpatrick. The real winners could be the fans if they can rekindle the action from the last meeting.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com