Iowa high school girls’ state wrestling 2023: Wrestlers to watch, championship predictions

Iowa Valley’s Emma Peach holds down Waverly-Shell Rock’s Haidyn Snyder in a 145-pound match during the regional girls wrestling tournament at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Friday, January 27, 2023. (Savannah Blake/The Gazette)

A closer look at the 2023 Iowa high school girls’ state wrestling tournament Thursday and Friday at Xtream Arena in Coralville.

Gazette area wrestlers to watch

Naomi Simon (Decorah), 170 — The junior is top-seeded and top-ranked by IAwrestle at 170 pounds with a 32-0 record. She has yet to lose a varsity match, winning IWCOA titles at 145 and 170. Simon is 77-0 over the last three seasons and is ranked seventh nationally at 164 pounds by USA Wrestling. The Preseason Nationals champion is one of two unbeaten wrestlers at 170, joined by West Marshall junior Averie Wittkop, who is seeded fifth at 27-0.

Mackenzie Childers (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 125 — Childers is one of 15 unbeaten wrestlers to qualify for the state tournament. She has been perched atop the 125-pound rankings and is the No. 1 seed with a 44-0 mark. She has been dominant with 37 pins, including 13 straight excluding a forfeit. She placed fourth at last year’s IWCOA state tournament and is among the favorites with Ridge View’s Tatum Shepherd.

Emma Peach (Iowa Valley), 145 — Peach has continued the family’s success on the mat, along with her younger sister, Breanna, at 190. She is ranked 12th at 144 pounds nationally by USA Wrestling. She followed her sister, Millie, who won titles in the first three IWCOA girls’ state tournaments, by winning the 140-pound title with a 21-0 mark last season. Peach is 34-0 this season, winning each by fall. One of her top challenges is from Ridge View’s fifth-seeded Isabella Deeds (13-1), who is ranked 24th nationally at 152.

Keeley Kehrli (East Buchanan), 155 — Kehrli is a three-time IWCOA medalist, who placed second at 152 as a sophomore and sixth last season, going 26-3. She is seeded third with a 44-4 mark, winning a regional title with a decision over Iowa City West’s second-seeded Jannell Avila, who is ranked 28th nationally at 164. Kehrli has climbed to 12th in the 152 national rankings. Could we see a regional final rematch against Avila in the semifinal? Avila is an IWCOA champion and both are in the same bracket as Southeast Polk phenom Skylar Slade, a freshman who is ranked fourth nationally at 152. Slade is the top seed with a 44-0 record.

Ella Brown (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 190 — Brown was seventh at the 2022 IWCOA girls’ state meet, ending with a 14-2 mark. She was propelled into the season with a runner-up finish at Preseason Nationals. Brown owns the fifth seed with a 29-1 mark. She avenged her only loss of the season by beating Independence’s fourth-seeded Rachel Eddy, 4-0, in the finals. Brown is in a loaded weight class that features West Lyon’s IWCOA champion and top-ranked Jana TerWee (17-1), who is ranked 16th nationally at 200, Eddy (27-2), a former IWCOA state champion who is ranked 20th nationally, and Iowa Valley’s third-seeded Breanna Peach (28-1), who is No. 19 in the nation.

Nationally-ranked wrestlers in the field

106 pounds — 24. Jillian Worthen (Union Community, soph., 105)

112 — 20. Jasmine Luedtke (Ottumwa, jr., 110); 30. Jalynn Goodale (Osage, sr., 110)

122 — Molly Allen (Oakland Riverside, soph., 115)

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132 — 5. Lilly Luft (Charles City, sr., 130);

144 — 12. Emma Peach (Iowa Valley, soph., 145), 17. Morea Brown (Center Point-Urbana, sr., 140)

152 — 4. Skylar Slade (Southeast Polk, fr., 155); 12. Keeley Kehrli (East Buchanan, sr., 155); 24. Isabella Deeds (Ridge View, jr., 145)

164 — 7. Naomi Simon (Decorah, jr., 170); 28. Jannell Avila (Iowa City West, sr., 155)

200 — 16. Jana TerWee (West Lyon, jr., 190); 19. Breanna Peach (Iowa Valley, fr., 190); 20. Rachel Eddy (Independence, sr., 190)

225 — Olivia Huckfelt (Spencer, jr., 235), 23. Savannah Sistad (Creston, jr., 235)

Teams with the most qualifiers

10 — Decorah

9 — Cedar Falls, Waverly-Shell Rock

8 — Ankeny, Council Bluffs Lewis Central, East Buchanan, Osage

7 — Anamosa, Dallas Center-Grimes, Mason City, Southeast Polk, Spencer

Gazette area schools with qualifiers

10 — Decorah

8 — East Buchanan

7 — Anamosa

6 — Linn-Mar, West Liberty

5 — Cedar Rapids Prairie, Independence, Mid-Prairie, Vinton-Shellsburg, Western Dubuque

4 — South Winneshiek

3 — Cascade, Clear Creek Amana, Elkader Central, Iowa City High, Mount Vernon, Solon, South Tama, Waukon, Williamsburg

2 — Alburnett, Benton Community, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Center Point-Urbana, Iowa City Liberty, Iowa Valley, Marion, MFL MarMac, North Fayette Valley, Postville, Tipton, West Branch, West Delaware

1 — BGM, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Highland, Iowa City West, Midland, Oelwein, Union Community, Washington (Iowa)