K.J. Pilcher

Union Community’s Jace Hedeman has subscribed to a new free and fun approach after his drerams of four state titles were dashed last season. He was dominant Saturday, winning the 132-pound title of the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational

Brady Shekleton used a five-point move to win his 175-pound match and record one of nine Western Dubuque wins in a 45-25 victory over Cedar Rapids Xavier in a boys’ wrestling dual. The Bobcats also won the girls’ wrestling dual, 78-6, for the Mississippi Valley Conference sweep.

Stephen Buchanan has enjoyed success in each of his college wrestling stops. After competing for Wyoming and Oklahoma, the top-ranked 197-pound his making an impression of the Iowa men’s program.

Second-ranked Iowa faces Army and Princeton in Jouurneymen Wrestling’s “Uncivil War” in St. Charles, Mo. Two wins would give Hawkeyes Coach Tom Brands 300 career dual victories.

The start of the boys’ high school wrestling competition this week means the wrestling season is firing on all cylinders. The Pinning Combination podcast with The Gazette's K.J. Pilcher and hall of fame coach Dick Briggs takes a look ahead at the upcoming events for Iowa, Iowa State and UNI. They also discuss girls’ wrestling teams off to a good start and previews the beginning of the boys’ season.

Brad Smith spent a season in his second retirement. As a favor, he returned to the coaching ranks to temporarily fill in for Clear Creek Amana Coach Kyle Forness, who will miss this season due to obligations with the Army Reserves.

Here is a list of 20 wrestlers and nine teams to keep an eye on for the 2024-25 boys’ wrestling season.

If you follow college wrestling, you know Jason Bryant. He joins the Pinning Combination podcast with Hall of Famer Dick Briggs this week after filling in as the public-address announcer for Saturday’s Iowa vs. Iowa State wrestling dual.

More items from the annual Iowa-Iowa State dual. Iowa’s Brianna Gonzalez with a title at the Missouri Valley Open. Coe and Upper Iowa dominate and more in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

Lance Runyon bumped up to heavyweight for his final season. He had never taken the mat in the final bout with the dual on the line. Runyon won by decision and No. 14 UNI won the tiebreaker to beat No. 13 South Dakota State, 16-15, Sunday at the UNI-Dome.

Patrick Kennedy made his season debut, Ferrari got his first dual experience and the upper weights helped Iowa extend its dual streak over Iowa State in men’s wrestling with a 21-15 victory Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Ben Kueter rushed to the locker room after football practice to catch the remainder of Iowa’s dual at Iowa State last season. He will get to wrestle in the rivalry Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Second-ranked Iowa hosts No. 12 Iowa State in the 88th installment of the CyHawk Series wrestling dual Saturday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Here are five things to watch in the annual clash.

Mark Ironside joins the Pinning Combination podcast with Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs this week ahead of Saturday night’s Cy-Hawk men’s wrestling dual between Iowa and Iowa State.

For the first time since 1977, there are no Gazette-area teams in the Iowa high school state football championships. But the Prep Football Huddle is making picks for all seven of this week’s games anyway.