Alburnett, Williamsburg make first trip to State Duals

CEDAR RAPIDS - Saturday will mark a first for the Alburnett and Williamsburg wrestling programs.

Both will make their debut in the Iowa High School Athletic Association State Duals wrestling tournament at the U.S. Cellular Center, beginning at 10 a.m. The Pirates are seeded fourth int he Class 1A field, and the Raiders are the No. 4 seed in 2A. Other teams making their first State Duals appearance include Forest City in 2A and Mason City and Spencer in 3A.

"It's real exciting, but it's unfamiliar territory for all of us and all our guys," Alburnett Coach Kane Thompson said. "We're used to going down to Des Moines and then that's it. Then you're done."

Not only did the Pirates (23-3) earn their second straight traditional state team trophy last week, placing third, but they open with No. 6 ranked and fifth-seeded Manson-NW Webster (20-2). Alburnett has elevated its program to new heights in recent years. State champions Tyler Shulista (119) and Christopher Halblom (125) and state medalist Colton Martin (130) lead the way but the State Duals appearance shows the Pirates field a balanced lineup. According to Thompson, only two or three weights have losing records while the rest are pushing at least 30 wins.

"It shows other kids beside those two are starting to make gains and buy into the program and starting to believe in it," said Thompson, whose team advanced with wins over Wapsie Valley and East Buchanan. "We do have a solid dual team."

Williamsburg, powered by state medalist J.C. Vercande (130) and three-time state champion and four-time finalist Austin Blythe at heavyweight, knocked on the door, competing in regional duals four straight seasons and five of the last seven years. The Raiders captured the berth with decisive wins over Fairfield and Davis County on Feb. 8. The achievement is creating more buzz around the program.

"It builds excitement in your community and school," Williamsburg Coach Grant Eckenrod said. "People are pumped about it. Your little kids are talking about it. It's a big deal all the way around."

The Raiders (23-2) open with fifth-seeded and No. 6 Atlantic (20-2) and the winner has a semifinal matchup with either top-seeded Davenport Assumption (27-1) or Forest City (16-6). The Raiders will be without fourth-ranked 215-poundcer Tom Malloy, who will undergo surgery next week to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, mensicus and dislocated kneecap suffered in the first round of the traditional state tournament. It isn't dampening the Raiders' excitement of reaching the dual competition.

"The kids are tough," Eckenrod said. "We're battling through it . We'll go up there and do the best we can."

The tournament in Des Moines has always been the pinnacle of the wrestling season. It can be a chore keeping wrestlers on task after the traditional state tournament. Both teams had that issue this week, but refocused on the State Duals challenge.

"We came back Monday and probably had one of the worst practices we've had all season. I actually kicked them out of practice early," Eckenrod said. "Then we came back Tuesday and we have one of the best practices all season. The last two days have been awesome. They're picking it up."

Thompson said the Pirates were sluggish Monday as well. The key to reclaim their attention is to make this week fun. Williamsburg capped one practice with a game of dodgeball instead of sprints for conditioning. Alburnett competed in King of the Mat, a takedown contest, to work on positions, while opening practice with relay competitions for warm-ups. It doesn't interfere with work, though.

"I think they've done a pretty good job of that this week," Thompson said. "I tried to keep things upbeat and make it a little fun for them."

That's fun for the whole team. Even wrestlers who didn't crack the varsity lineup or failed to advance out of the sectional meet. Thompson said he will take all 23 wrestlers to the State Duals, making a deal to those reserves who didn't miss a practice after their season's competitions concluded. Eckenrod said many wrestlers continued to practice throughout the postseason and even practiced at West Des Moines Dowling during last week's tournament.

"It's really big for the team," Thompson said. "I think it's a big deal for a lot of them to go with the team and be down there."