Rob Gray

Class 2A boys’ state wrestling finals recap: Union Community’s Jace Hedeman is halfway to history, but after winning his second straight Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling tournament title, he turned the Saturday night spotlight elsewhere: To his teammate and sparring partner, Brayden Bohnsack.

West Delaware senior Logan Peyton carved through the consolation bracket, racking up four consecutive wins to place at state for the third straight season. His father beamed and clapped before sharing a long embrace that embodied their family’s love, faith and grit.

Friday’s Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling recap: Iowa City High’s Gabe Arnold and Linn-Mar’s Tate Naaktgeboren set up a highly-anticipated fourth meeting. The Lions moved into second in the team race behind Waverly-Shell Rock.

Friday’s Iowa boys’ state wrestling notebook: Having his mom nearby for support provides South Tama’s Gavin Bridgewater with both comfort and motivation.

Williamsburg senior Gavin Jensen’s last almost-three seasons on the mat have taught him one thing: Humbling setbacks can deepen one’s sense of confidence, not shake it.

Every bout’s a blessing. Each second on the mat’s sublime. That’s because Iowa City High’s Cale Seaton is able to compete in the Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling tournament — a proposition that appeared bleak about a month ago.

Mikey and Henry Ryan and Jase and Jackson Jaspers of Mount Vernon all advanced to the Class 2A state wrestling quarterfinals. The Mustangs are in second in the team race after the first day.

Top-seeded heavyweight Cody Fox of East Buchanan made sure his first match after sustaining a knee injury in his district meet would be anything but close. Fox — a four-star Iowa football recruit — won by fall in his only bout on the first day of the Class 1A state wrestling tournament Wednesday.

They hunt and fish together. They’re good friends and have each other’s backs. But each day in the Maquoketa Valley wrestling room, upper weight standouts Nathan Beitz, Brady Davis and Aiden Salow beat the crap out of each other.

Whether you consider it a lull, skid or a slump, Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger wants to make one thing clear: The No. 19 Cyclones’ recent struggles don’t require a reset, nor a push of the panic button.

Denae Fritz’s clutch 3-pointer with 37 seconds left essentially sealed the No. 22-ranked Iowa State women’s basketball team’s rousing 66-61 win over 17th-ranked Texas Monday Night at Hilton Coliseum.

Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly drew up a detailed plan with his assistants. The mission: Turning a week off from Big 12 play into a rejuvenating spark for success down the stretch.

No. 11 Iowa State — the worst free-throw shooting team in the Big 12 — struggled from the foul line again Saturday against Oklahoma State and fell for the first time at Hilton Coliseum this season, 64-56, before a sellout crowd of 14,267.

Iowa State’s Caleb Grill been pretty good at considerably less than full strength, especially on defense and from the 3-point line. He’s also a key element for ISU’s offense in terms of spacing and ball movement as the Cyclones prepare to host surging Oklahoma State on Saturday.

No. 3 Iowa State seeks a fourth straight win against No. 14 Northern Iowa in a dual Friday. The coaches played up the intense in-state rivalry as usual this week.