Boys high school wrestling notes: Waterloo High School of Illinois experiences Iowa wrestling

MARION – Chase Guercio wanted to provide his program more than a trip for competition.

The head coach at Waterloo High School in Illinois, located about 25 miles east of St. Louis, Mo., wanted to provide them with a wrestling experience.

When a regional tournament resource connected him with Linn-Mar co-head coach Ryan Gotto, the wheels were in motion for a memorable weekend for his wrestlers, attending the Wisconsin and Iowa dual Friday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, staying overnight in Coralville and making its first appearance at the Lions Duals on Saturday.

“We saw there was a Hawks dual on a weekend we didn’t have a tournament,” Guercio said. “Coached Gotto reached out and we made the plans.”

Guercio had attended an Iowa home dual against Minnesota and met legendary Iowa Coach Dan Gable. He wanted to show his wrestlers how the sport is appreciated outside of their area. They watched the fourth-ranked Hawkeyes win the last four bouts of a 23-12 victory over the No. 18 Badgers in front of a crowd listed at more than 11,000 fans.

“I would say 90 percent of our kids had never seen a college dual before,” Guercio said. “They were stunned how into it the crowd was. They loved it.”

Waterloo state runner-up and 215-pound junior Jaxson Mathenia has committed to Bellarmine University. Knights Coach Ned Shuck is a former Hawkeye wrestler. Mathenia enjoyed the CHA atmosphere. One he could be wrestling in during college.

“The Iowa dual was great,” Mathenia said. “It was electric. Everyone was into it. It’s a great school, great team.”

Guercio said the program usually made an overnight trip to wrestle in the Chicago area in past seasons. He said the 20 to 30 families are supportive and came in full support of the team this weekend.

Guercio wanted to expose his wrestlers to different types of competition. The Bulldogs finished seventh, going 1-3 against Cedar Rapids Xavier, Clear Creek Amana and Linn-Mar and posting a 58-23 win over LeMars.

“You see there are levels to it,” said Guercio, noting he wants to return next year. “They train harder when you know what’s out there. … It accomplished the goal of that.”

Mathenia said he only spent two weeks at home last summer, traveling around the country wrestling freestyle, Greco-Roman and attending camps. He went 4-0 with three pins and a technical fall. Mathenia said this was a good gauge for his quest for an Illinois title.

“I think it was an awesome experience,” Mathenia said. “Everybody was great. This is good competition for state.”

DECORAH NEW CLASS 2A NO. 1

Decorah claimed Class 2A’s No. 1 spot in the latest Iowa High School Athletic Association Dual team rankings released Monday. The Vikings are coming off a team title at the Glenn Brand Duals Saturday in Clarion, going 4-0 with a 38-32 victory over No. 2 Clarion-Goldfield-Dows.

Decorah is 10-3 overall without a loss to an Iowa program. The Vikings also have wins over No. 4 Independence and No. 10 North Fayette Valley.

Southeast Polk is top-ranked in 3A and Don Bosco is No. 1 in 1A.

West Delaware is fifth and Alburnett is sixth in 2A.

Iowa City West climbed to No. 5 in the 3A rankings, while Linn-Mar is ninth.

Jesup is No. 2 and Lisbon is fifth in 1A.

RUSH REACHES 200 CAREER DUAL WINS

Alburnett recorded wins over Iowa City Regina (61-18), Mid-Prairie (72-12) and Monticello (88-0) Tuesday at Regina. The victory over Mid-Prairie was the 200th career dual win for Pirates Coach Clayton Rush, who has 201 wins in 11 seasons as head coach – all at Alburnett. The Pirates are 17-3 this season.

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