K.J. Pilcher

Iowa dominated Columbia with some notable happenings on the periphery of competition. The Lions rebounded against UNI. Upper Iowa opened GLVC action successfully and Luther swept two duals at UW-Stevens Point in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

Curt Ritchie has merged football and family into a cornerstone of a successful program and coaching career. Ritchie guided Williamsburg to a 12-1 record and the Class 3A state title, garnering The Gazette’s 2023 area football coach of the year award

There have been holiday races, backyard football games and living room scraps. Mikey Ryan honed his competitive edge at home as the youngest of nine athletically gifted siblings. The returning state medalist claimed the 150-pound title at the Mount Vernon Invitational on Saturday. The Mustangs won the team title.

Schriever received the nod at 133 pounds in his season debut and took advantage of the opportunity, beating 11th-ranked Angelino Rini and contributing to No. 2 Iowa’s 38-3 rout of Columbia University Friday night at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

Jackson Hird learned a cowcatcher move in middle school. He relies on it when he needs a big maneuver. It came in handy for a pin in Mount Vernon’s 43-26 Wamac Conference dual victory over Clear Creek Amana.

Bradley Hill has grown from a young Hawkeye fan to a state and national champion wrestler at Bettendorf High School to a starter for No. 4 Iowa. The redshirt freshman will take the mat again for Friday’s home dual against Columbia on Friday night, beginning at 7.

This week’s episode of the Pinning Combination podcast starts out west, where Iowa State won the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational. Then we move east to break down Iowa’s win over Penn. Hall of fame coach Dick Briggs shares his thoughts on the NIL era before moving into the high school segment, where we look back at last week’s big tournaments.

For the first time, states had the opportunity to choose the number of weight classes for competition. Iowa remained with 14 weights that include new division in the middle to upper weights.

Iowa State claimed its first Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational team title since 1996, receiving a title from heavyweight Yonger Bastida. UNI’s Parker Keckeisen won the 184 title there. Iowa dropped Penn and the Dan Gable Donnybrook highlight high school meets. This is the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

Each of his first two seasons, Alburnett’s Preston Klostermannwas forced to settle for second the opening weekend of the season. Not this time. Klostermann tallied four pins in the two-day competition, including a third-period fall over Clear Creek Amana’s Ryker Jones, to claim the 144-pound title Saturday at the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational.

Zach Glazier secured the victory for the second straight dual, Bradley Hill capped Friday night with his own decision and the Iowa men’s wrestling team downed Penn, 22-13, at The Palestra in Philadelphia.

Linn-Mar’s Grant Kress has dedicated his time to wrestling, working on his own skills and improving by helping with the program’s youth club. The Lions’ second-ranked 157-pounder opened the season with a pin, but No. 13 Dubuque Hempstead topped No. 5 Linn-Mar, 37-36, on tiebreak criteria.

Iowa’s Zach Glazier has bided his time and is now making the most of his chance as the 197-pound starter. He is 7-0 overall and 3-0 in duals, entering No. 4 Iowa’s dual Friday at Penn.

Despite a knee injury and surgery that kept him from live wrestling for part of the season leading up to the Cy-Hawk series dual, Iowa’s Patrick Kennedy returned to the lineup and posted a key win.

The Pinning Combination podcast with Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs talks all things wrestling in Iowa. This week, that’s a lot of Cy-Hawk talk after Iowa’s 18-14 dual win over Iowa State on Sunday. Plus, a class-by-class preview of the high school boys’ wrestling season.