Iowa High School Athletic Association releases 2024 boys’ wrestling regional dual assignments

The field is set and teams know their paths.

The task is to earn a trip to the State Duals tournament Feb. 3 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

Iowa High School Athletic Association released regional dual pairings and host sites Tuesday for all three classes. First round and finals duals will be held Jan. 30.

Alburnett was fourth at State duals last season. The Pirates have been impressive all season, winning dual titles at Western Dubuque’s Bobcats Duals in December and its home dual competition Saturday. They even finished sixth at the 32-team Battle of Waterloo.

“We are looking forward to this opportunity,” Alburnett Coach Clayton Rush said. “I think our sites are set on something different than last year.”

Alburnett has battled teams from all classes and has the top ranking to show for it. The Pirates obtained a first-round bye. They will wrestle the winner of No. 16 Pleasantville and No. 17 Earlham for a return trip to State Duals.

“We know what kind of team we have and what we are capable of,” Rush said, “so we are looking forward to some competitive duals next week.”

Eighth-ranked Linn-Mar is one of six area programs, but the lone to host in the Class 3A field. The Lions are hosting for the third straight season, looking to advance after a year hiatus. Linn-Mar received a first-round bye and faces the winner of No. 9 Waverly-Shell Rock and No. 23 Pleasant Valley in the final.

Cedar Rapids Prairie slipped four spots to No. 13 in the decisive IHSAA poll. The Hawks will wrestle No. 19 Iowa City West in a first-round dual at Bettendorf. The winner advances to the final against the No. 3 Bulldogs.

For just the second time in school history, Cedar Rapids Xavier earned a spot in the regional dual field. The Saints debuted at No. 21 and wrestles No. 11 Johnston in the first round at Ankeny Centennial. The winner takes on the host Jaguars in the final.

City High is ranked 16th and is paired with No. 17 Norwalk at No. 1 Southeast Polk.

The Wamac Conference is well represented in the 2A regional duals, in addition to CCA in 3A. Mount Vernon, West Delaware and Independence will all host, while Benton Community, Solon and Williamsburg make it seven total conference teams in the field.

“The Wamac is a reflection of a lot of things,” Independence Coach Michael Doyle said. “You have good communities, good coaches and good resources that put these kids in position to perform well.

“We have some great coaches who are coaches of the year. They’re involved in different organizations as leaders. It’s indicative of a lot of those variables. As a result, you see these teams compete well.”

Second-ranked Mount Vernon, which placed fourth at State Duals last season, will attempt to return to Coralville. The Mustangs have a bye and will wrestle the winner of No. 14 Solon and No. 18 Columbus Community.

West Delaware has reached the State Duals finals the last five years, winning championships from 2019-22 and placing second to Osage a year ago. The No. 4 Hawks await the winner of No. 13 Benton Community and No. 23 Decorah.

Independence has progressed along the season and climbed two spots to No. 6 for the last poll. The Mustangs host No. 12 North Polk and No. 22 Union Community.

Anamosa has produced one of its best overall seasons. The Blue Raiders are 18-2 and reached the regional duals for the second time in school history. No. 15 Anamosa will face No. 19 Crestwood in the first round at No. 1 Osage. The host Green Devils are the defending 2A State Duals champions and will face the winner in the regional final.

Williamsburg was eighth at the 2023 State Duals nabbed the last spot in 2A. The No. 24 Raiders take on No. 9 Humboldt. The winner wrestles host No. 8 Ballard.

Seventh-ranked Jesup will host No. 10 Lisbon and No. 24 North Butler/Clarksville.

No. 13 West Branch faces No. 19 Truro I-35 at No. 3 Wilton. MFL MarMac is ranked 15th and opens with No. 20 Nodaway Valley with the winner wrestling No. 2 Don Bosco.

CCA MAKES REGIONAL DUALS DEBUT

Clear Creek Amana finds itself in the 3A State Duals hunt for the first time. The Clippers have ascended the rankings to No. 12 after a third-place showing at the Clyde Bean-Brad Smith Duals on Saturday.

CCA (17-6) opens against No. 20 North Scott at Dubuque Hempstead. The Mustangs will wrestle the winner for a State Duals berth. The Clippers have seven wins over regional duals participants.

“The journey to this point has been shaped by the commitment to the small details – those seemingly minor actions that have collectively propelled us forward,” CCA Coach Kyle Forness said. “It’s the dedication to the ‘little things’ that has paved the way for the success we’ve achieved so far.

As we stand on the threshold of this new challenge, we recognize the tremendous opportunity we’ve created for ourselves, and we are genuinely excited to embrace the challenge.”

Forness described the regional duals appearance as a significant milestone for the school. The Clippers started the season determined to advance the program but they aren’t settling for a spot in the field. They want more.

“Our initial goal at the start of the year was to achieve something unprecedented as a team, and we've accomplished that,” Forness said. “Yet, our aspirations extend beyond, aiming for even greater accomplishments.”

SOLON DUO WIN TITLES

Solon’s Jordan Schmidt and Lucas Feuerbach captured titles at OABCIG’s Herb Irgens Invitational on Saturday. Schmidt defeated Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s Dalton VanWyhe, 6-3, in the 138-pound final. Feuerbach won by medical forfeit over Don Bosco’s No. 6 Kyler Sallis for the 215 title.

Schmidt opened with two technical falls and a pin before closing with two decisions, improving to 35-2 this season. The junior surpassed 100 career wins on Jan. 11.

Feuerbach, ranked 11th in 2A, had a pin and technical fall in his first three matches, leading to the final. The freshman is 31-5.

2024 IHSAA regional duals

Tuesday

(All first-round duals start at 6 p.m.)

Class 3A

At Linn-Mar

No. 9 Waverly-Shell Rock vs. No. 23 Pleasant Valley

Final

No. 8 Linn-Mar vs. WSR/Pleasant Valley winner

At Bettendorf

No. 13 Cedar Rapids Prairie vs. #19 Iowa City West

Final

No. 3 Bettendorf vs. Prairie/I.C. West winner

At Ankeny Centennial

No. 11 Johnston vs. No. 21 Cedar Rapids Xavier

Final

No. 5 Ankeny Centennial vs. Johnston/Xavier winner

At Pleasant Hill

No. 16 Iowa City High vs. No. 17 Norwalk

Final

No. 1 Southeast Polk vs. City High/Norwalk winner

At Dubuque

No. 12 Clear Creek Amana vs. No. 20 North Scott

Final

No. 7 Dubuque Hempstead vs. CCA/North Scott winner

At Indianola

No. 15 Ankeny vs. No. 18 West Des Moines Valley

Final

No. 2 Indianola vs. Ankeny/Valley winner

At Fort Dodge

No. 14 Carlisle vs. No. 22 Waukee

Final

No. 4 Fort Dodge vs. Carlisle/Waukee winner

At Waukee Northwest

No. 10 Bondurant-Farrar vs. No. 24 Dallas Center-Grimes

Final

No. 6 Waukee Northwest vs. B-F/DCG winner

Class 2A

At Mount Vernon

No. 14 Solon vs. No. 18 Columbus Community

Final

No. 2 Mount Vernon vs. Solon/Columbus winner

At Manchester

No. 13 Benton Community vs. No. 23 Decorah

Final

No. 4 West Delaware vs. Benton/Decorah

At Independence

No. 12 North Polk vs. No. 22 Union Community

Final

No. 6 Independence vs. North Polk/Union winner

At Osage

No. 15 Anamosa vs. No. 19 Crestwood

Final

No. 1 Osage vs. Anamosa/Crestwood winner

At Ballard

No. 9 Humboldt vs. No. 24 Williamsburg

Final

No. 8 Ballard vs. Humboldt/Williamsburg winner

At Algona

No. 10 Hampton-Dumont vs. No. 21 New Hampton/Turkey Valley

Final

No. 7 Algona vs. Hampton-Dumont/NHTV

At Creston

No. 15 Carroll vs. No. 20 Winterset

Final

#3 Creston vs. Carroll/Winterset winner

At Sergeant Bluff

No. 11 Glenwood vs. No. 17 Webster City

Final

No. 5 Sergeant Bluff-Luton vs. Glenwood/Webster City winner

Class 1A

At Alburnett

No. 16 Pleasantville vs. No. 17 Earlham

Final

No. 1 Alburnett vs. Pleasantville/Earlham winner

At Jesup

No. 10 Lisbon vs. No. 24 North Butler/Clarksville

Final

No. 7 Jesup vs. Lisbon/North Butler/Clarksville winner

At Gilbertville

No. 15 MFL MarMac vs. No. 20 Nodaway Valley

Final

No. 2 Don Bosco vs. MFL/Nodaway Valley winner

At Wilton

No. 13 West Branch vs. No. 18 Truro I-35

Final

No. 3 Wilton vs. West Branch/I-35 winner

At Lake Mills

No. 14 Denver vs. No. 18 Akron-Westfield

Final

No. 4 Lake Mills vs. Denver/Akron-Westfield winner

At Nashua

No. 12 Emmetsburg vs. No. 22 Central Springs

Final

No. 5 Nashua-Plainfield vs. Emmetsburg/Central Springs winner

At Britt

No. 11 Wapsie Valley vs. No. 23 Oakland Riverside

Final

No. 6 West Hancock vs. Wapsie Valley/Oakland Riverside winner

At Hinton

No. 9 Logan-Magnolia vs. No. 21 Shenandoah

Final

No. 8 Hinton vs. Lo-Ma/Shenandoah winner

Note: Regional dual champions advance to the state duals tournament Feb. 3 at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com