'Weak' district? We'll see at state

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Prairie Coach Blake Williams isn't buying the criticism.

Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Brent Paulson said judgments should be withheld until after next week's state tournament.

But their teams are favored in what could be considered a lackluster Class 3A district wrestling meet today at Cedar Rapids Washington. The field also has Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Linn-Mar, Marion and Vinton-Shellsburg. Action begins at noon.

Only 11 wrestlers are in The Predicament's statewide rankings and five weights don't have a ranked wrestler.

"People who worry about that stuff are people who have too much time on their hands, I'd say," Williams said. "The best gauge will be the performances in Des Moines."

"I just think it's premature to talk about how weak or strong a district is when the state tournament hasn't been wrestled yet," Paulson said. "I wouldn't be surprised if many of those weights at least one of those qualifiers is a placewinner."

State berths are at stake and some wrestlers' seasons and careers will end today. That should be factored in.

"Anybody that's strapped on a pair of shoes and a headgear and wrestled in a district tournament knows it's not competition you have to deal with. It's also what's on the line," Paulson said. "Some people don't realize that."

Williams said wrestlers who advance will represent the district well.

"The district is a little bit underestimated, I think," Williams said. "There are a lot of good kids there ... who aren't ranked that should be."

Two weights could provide a clash of ranked wrestlers. Kennedy's third-ranked Jason Shupp (26-4) and No. 5 Casey DeHoedt (23-3) of Jefferson highlight the 189-pound bracket. At 285, Jefferson's No. 4 Conner Herman (24-5) and Washington's No. 10 Brandon Burrell (18-6) are favored.

"Those are pretty tough weights," Williams said. "I don't care what district you're in, they aren't going to get much tougher than that at those weights."

Shupp has the edge on DeHoedt, winning both bouts. Both have been challenged by Prairie's Josh Lambrecht (27-8).

"Jason's earned the No. 1 seed and he's taken care of business," Paulson said. "This year he seems a lot more confident with his ability. The main thing with him is he's scoring more points."

Prairie and Kennedy should vie for the team title with Jefferson challenging for one of the top spots.

"It's going to be pretty balanced and close," said Williams, whose Hawks are going for their fifth straight district title.

The Hawks and Cougars have split in tournaments with Prairie placing higher at the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament and Kennedy finishing better at Geneseo, Ill. Paulson said his bonus points will be key to ending that streak.

"I have a lot of confidence in my team," said Paulson, noting his team is the healthiest it's been since before Christmas. "They haven't had a bad tournament, but I don't think we've wrestled our best yet."

The top two at each weight advance to the state tournament Feb. 18-21 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. The top two teams qualify for the regional duals Feb. 24.