Prairie's Wenger hitting stride after slow start

CEDAR RAPIDS - The start of the new year was better than the start of the season for Josh Wenger.

Cedar Rapids Prairie's two-time state medalist overcame an injury suffered in a preseason tournament that limited his participation the first month.Wenger looks closer to hitting stride with an individual title at Pleasant Valley's Mike Hall Invitational last weekend, beating Nebraska state champion Isaac DeLoa, of Millard South High School, in the 138-pound final. He improved to 8-0 this season.

"Everything is feeling good," said Wenger, who hurt his elbow in the J.J. Classic preseason tournament in Rochester, Minn. "It feels good to get back out on the mat, being able to roll around again, practicing and running. I really missed it."

Prairie Coach Blake Williams said they purposely tried to ease him back into action. He took the mat the second week of December, but was hindered when weather cancelled the Hawks' competition plans. Williams said the additional time off gave him the chance to heal.

"He didn't get a whole lot of matches in," Williams said. "He's getting back into shape. He is looking like he is in mid-season form, which is good."

Wenger handled DeLoa, 7-3, following three straight pins that powered him to the championship bout. He was happy with his performance against good competitors and said it is a good primer for the toughest stretch on the schedule, including the Jack Mendenhall Invitational in Ames on Saturday and a tournament the next weekend at Geneseo, Ill.

"It's been a good way to start coming back with that being my first tournament and having multiple matches in a day," Wenger said. "It was good working back into that."

Wenger, a junior ranked second, is focused on working his way back to Des Moines and improving two straight fourth-place state finishes. He said teammates Trey Blaha and Skyler St. John have motivated him as all three are striving for state titles.

"It's really helping, because we're all pushing each other a lot harder," Wenger said. "It seems like everything is falling into place better."

Bettendorf's Logan Ryan, an University of Iowa recruit, is ranked No. 1. Williams said that Wenger has the ability to capture a title. The determining factor will be the progress in the next month.

"He is a confident wrestler," Williams said. "He has his goal set high. Hopefully, he can keep improving each competition and each week. I think he'll be right there come the postseason."

Jefferson honors Bill McNiel

The Cedar Rapids Jefferson wrestling program will honor long-time wrestling coach Bill McNiel at a the J-Hawks home dual against Cedar Rapids Kennedy on Thursday, Jan. 23. The duals begin at 6 p.m. with the varsity set for approximately 7 p.m.

McNiel, who was inducted into the Iowa Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame in 1981 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1998, will be recognized between the junior varsity and varsity dual during a brief ceremony. Family, friends, colleagues, former students and athletes will be then be invited to join McNeil on the floor to encircle him, forming 'ring of honor' around the mat.

"I am excited to honor my wrestling coach while I was an athlete at (Jefferson)," Jefferson co-head coach Dick Briggs said. "Coach McNiel was the kind of coach that inspired athletes with his easy going style, his knowledge of the sport, and his ability to get the most out of his athletes."

McNiel, a Cedar Rapids native and former wrestler at Iowa State Teacher's College, which is now known as the University of Northern Iowa, coached the J-Hawks from 1968-78, replacing Gary Kurdelmeier, who left to take over the University of Iowa head coaching position.

His Jefferson teams won six conference titles and placed in the top-four at state six times. He guided the J-Hawks to back-to-back state titles in 1973 and 1974, following a runner-up performance in 1972.

McNiel posted a 105-24-1 record, coaching eight state champions and 29 state medalists at Jefferson.

Iowa teams compete in The Clash

Class 1A top-ranked Alburnett and Independence were among six Iowa teams that competed in The Clash, which is a renowned prep dual tournament, featuring nationally ranked teams, in Rochester, Minn., last weekend.

After placing eighth in their respective pools on the first day, Independence placed second in the four-team bracket that included Alburnett, Mason City and Adrian (Minn.) on day 2. The Mustangs downed Alburnett, 37-31, in the final dual of the event. The Pirates settled for third with Mason City fourth.

Highly-ranked Bettendorf was second in the A Group on the opening day, finishing behind Oak River Park Forest (Ill.), which is ranked third nationally by Intermat. The Bulldogs got second in the second bracket the following day, finishing behind 13th-ranked Chicago Marist.

Mediapolis and Woodbury Central were fourth in their pools and finished third and fourth, respectively, in the fourth-place bracket.