Notable Eastern Iowa high school wrestling competitions to watch after the holiday break

The Iowa high school boys’ wrestling is paused until 2024. The season resumes with 6 1/2 weeks of competition until champions are crowned in Des Moines. Here are some notable events for the second half of the season.

Linn-Mar’s start to 2024

Linn-Mar made a big impression right before the break, placing third at the stacked Battle of Waterloo. The break is a chance to heal, work on conditioning and hone technique for the stretch run. The Lions jump right into the fire. Class 3A No. 7 Linn-Mar travels to No. 15 Iowa City High on Thursday, Jan. 4. Two days later, Linn-Mar hosts the Lions Duals, including 2A No. 2 Mount Vernon, 3A No. 16 Clear Creek Amana, 3A No. 19 Western Dubuque and a much-improved Cedar Rapids Xavier team. The marquee dual will be Linn-Mar and Mount Vernon, if the format allows, featuring a possible matchup of top-ranked state medalists at 144 pounds between Linn-Mar’s Kane Naaktgeboren and Mount Vernon’s Jackson Jaspers.

Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod Invitational on Jan. 6

Benton Community’s tournament named after the Bobcats’ late successful wrestling coach, and father of Williamsburg Coach Grant Eckenrod, has been a highlight of the tournament slate after the holiday break. The individual tournament has included ranked teams from all three classes. The same goes for this season. The 15-team field includes Class 1A top-ranked Don Bosco, 2A No. 2 Union Community and 3A No. 7 Waukee Northwest. Add in 2A No. 9 West Delaware and the team race will be entertaining. The host Bobcats are much improved and will vie for the top five. Other programs like Davenport Assumption, Independence, and Williamsburg have strong individuals to make each bracket a challenge. The Eckenrod Invitational provides a good gauge for the second half of the season.

MVC clashes on Jan. 11

A couple of Mississippi Valley Conference duals on Jan. 11 are intriguing. Cedar Rapids Prairie hosts Cedar Rapids Xavier. The Hawks and Saints are among the top teams in the Mississippi Division. This meeting could be the deciding dual for the division crown.

City High travels to crosstown rival Iowa City West. The Little Hawks and Trojans have had some heated and fun duals. Both teams have five ranked wrestlers apiece and could have ranked matchups at 113 and 144.

Clyde Bean Duals on Jan. 20

City High’s dual tournament is named after the Little Hawks’ Hall of Fame coach and has been a mid-January staple. The 10-team field includes Mount Vernon, Dubuque Hempstead, Clear Creek Amana, Prairie, Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Xavier. Six teams are ranked, including top-10 programs Mount Vernon (2A No. 2), Hempstead (3A No. 6) and Prairie (3A No. 9).

A ranked team will finish third in its pool. That is a sign of a deep and tough tournament.

Conference tournament weekend, Jan. 27

Conference tournament weekend always has been a big springboard into the postseason. A couple of the races will be interesting. The Wamac will be held at Williamsburg and is loaded with individual and team talent. Mount Vernon should be the heavy favorite, looking to end West Delaware’s six-year conference tournament title streak (2021 was postponed and competed with a limited field). The Mustangs have finished third and second the last two years. CCA, South Tama, Benton Community and Independence will be teams that could contend for the top five.

The Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet will be hosted by Dubuque Senior. Linn-Mar has won the last two MVC tournaments and is in position to win another, boasting seven ranked wrestlers. Hempstead beat the Lions in a dual (different format) and won the Keith Young Invitational. City High has some big point scorers that will put them in contention for the top three. A pool of teams like Prairie, Iowa City West, Western Dubuque and Xavier round out the top half.

Bellevue will host the River Valley Conference. 1A No. 2 Wilton is the frontrunner, but West Branch has been impressive the first half of the season. Anamosa is another challenger with some high point scorers and depth.

The Tri-Rivers Conference is at Maquoketa Valley in Delhi. 1A No. 3 Alburnett is a clear favorite.

Xtream Arena action, Feb. 1-3

The first weekend of February has become a wrestling festival at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Anyone who attended the three-day affair that opened with the two-day Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union State tournament and followed by the Iowa High School Athletic Association state duals tournament could tell you the electricity produced during the three days.

Super regionals to determine the IGHSAU state field are set for Jan. 26. Sites are Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Sioux City and Mason City.

Girls’ wrestling continues to grow and produces top-tier talent. Wrestlers like Decorah’s Naomi Simon, Sigourney-Keota’s Reanah Utterback and Union Community’s Jillian Worthen are among the nation’s top wrestlers.

As for the boys’ state duals, teams like Linn-Mar (3A), Mount Vernon (2A) and Alburnett (1A) will provide a local flavor to the tournament that moved from Wells Fargo Arena last year. The top 24 teams in each class of the IHSAA dual rankings will compete in regional duals on Jan. 30. The eight regional champions in each class advance to the state meet.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com