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5 storylines to follow in the 2024 Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling tournament
Kane Naaktgeboren’s quest for perfection, Jace Hedeman’s pursuit of title No. 3 among top Gazette area storylines
Feb. 13, 2024 12:30 pm, Updated: Feb. 15, 2024 12:22 pm
Here are five storylines to follow during the 2024 Iowa High School Athletic Association traditional state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. Competition begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday.
Alburnett Pirates’ treasure hunt
Alburnett missed a team trophy by a half-point at last year’s Class 1A state tournament. The second-ranked Pirates are a strong contender for a top-three finish this season, expecting to battle defending champion and top-ranked Don Bosco and No. 3 Wilton for the top spot.
Alburnett leads 1A with 11 qualifiers, but has just one more than the Dons, Wilton and Nashua-Plainfield, which edged the Pirates for third a year ago. Five Pirates are seeded in the top eight with Nos. 1 Rowdy Neighbor at 120 and Tayten Coufal at 126 and No. 2 Preston Klostermann at 138. Atlee Dewitt is fifth at 106 and 157-pounder Shayden Washburn is eighth. Reece Klostermann (150) and Emmitt Fleshman (215) are underrated as No. 12 seeds. All 11 wrestlers have the potential to win matches and score points, which will be needed to earn Alburnett’s first trophy since winning the 2016 championship.
Kane Naaktgeboren’s quest for perfection
Linn-Mar senior Kane Naaktgeboren enters the Class 3A state tournament as the top seed at 144 with a 33-0 record. His unbeaten mark won’t mean the same unless the goose egg in the loss column remains intact.
Naaktgeboren has made a steady climb during his career. The Iowa State signee placed fifth as a freshman, third as a sophomore and earned runner-up honors at 138 last season. The last step to take is to the top of the state podium with a title.
Naaktgeboren has been one of the most dominant wrestlers in the state. He has 31 pins and a technical fall. Nobody from Iowa has lasted a full match against Naaktgeboren. Only four of his foes have reached the third period. The lone match that went the distance was an 8-6 decision over Jayden Haueter, of Apple Valley (Minn.) in the finals of the Dan Gable Donnybrook.
Teammate Grant Kress (157) matched Naaktgeboren’s runner-up finish last season and his No. 1 seed this year. The Lions have nine qualifiers and look to improve last year’s third-place finish.
Can Jace Hedeman win his third state crown?
Union Community junior Jace Hedeman is the No. 1 seed at 126 pounds in Class 2A. He opened with two undefeated state title seasons, winning the 106 crown in 2022 and 113 a year ago. Hedeman will attempt to remain on track to become a four-time champion.
Hedeman is 41-1 this season, entering the state tournament with a 135-1 career record. The lone blemish occurred in the finals of Benton Community’s Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod Invitational, falling to 3A top-seeded Koufax Christensen, 1-0.
Hedeman’s knack for learning and improving separates him from other wrestlers in the field. He realized holding and protecting won’t win big-time matchups. Union assistant Max Thomsen, who was a four-time state champion for the Knights before an NCAA All-America career at Northern Iowa, emphasized that moment will help him reach another level, which is bad news for the competition.
Union also is in the title hunt in 2A. Hedeman and Brayden Bohnsack (113) are trying to repeat as champions. Caleb Olson (150) is attempting to earn his third straight medal for the Knights.
Keaton Moeller looks to end Starmont’s title drought
Starmont sophomore Keaton Moeller placed third as a freshman and is the No. 1 seed at 150 in 1A. He owns a 42-1 mark. Based on his seed, Moeller is expected to be in the final Saturday night, vying for the Stars’ seventh individual state title.
If Moeller can wrestle to his seed, he will become the first Starmont state champion since Kent Streicher won the last of his three state titles in 1989. That’s a 35-year stretch.
Streicher won championships in 1986, 1987 and 1989. His older brother, Doug, who is the Linn-Mar head coach, won the 138 and 145 2A titles in 1986 and 1987. Jack Fliehler was the program’s first state titlist, winning at 105 in 1972.
Future Iowa football teammates could meet in the finals
University of Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz has watched his sons compete for Iowa City High at the state wrestling tournament. He has watched future teammates battle in this event in the past (New Hampton’s Mike Humpal and Mount Vernon’s Matt Fields in 2003) and it could happen again this year.
Waterloo Columbus’ Mason Knipp is the No. 1 seed at heavyweight in 1A, while East Buchanan’s Cody Fox is the second seed. Knipp recently committed to play football for the Hawkeyes as a walk-on. Fox is a nationally ranked offensive lineman who signed with Iowa.
Knipp won the 220-pound state title last season. He is 34-0. Fox is a three-time state medalist who finished sixth last year. Fox is 42-2.
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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