This week’s Pinning Combination podcast takes a look back at Penn State’s one-sided win over Iowa, Iowa State’s Super Bowl Sunday win over Northern Iowa and previews this week’s boys’ state wrestling tournament.
Iowa City High senior Cale Seaton has developed a new appreciation for the sport he loves. The new perspective comes after overcoming a knee injury to win a state wrestling title last year and sitting out six months to rehab from surgery. He is seeded No. 2 at 132 pounds in Class 3A of the IHSAA state wrestling tournament.
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.
Here is a class-by-class breakdown of the 2024 Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling tournament, which begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
Iowa suffered consecutive losses for the first time since 2018, Iowa State beat UNI, Coe won the Bremner Cup dual against Cornell, Wartburg won the American Rivers Conference again and Tanner Sloan posted a notable win during the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
West Delaware’s Jax Miller narrowly missed out on the boys’ state wrestling tournament in 2022 and qualified as a district runner-up in 2023. On Saturday, in his home gym, the junior Hawk found himself in uncharted territory and for good reason.
The work and dedication since a disappointing 2023 finish have paid dividends for Iowa City West’s Justin Avila. Fourth-ranked Avila defeated Ankeny Centennial’s Lucas Bruhl, avenging a loss in last season’s state quarterfinals and capturing the 150-pound title at the Class 3A district meet Saturday at Cedar Rapids Prairie. He was one of three West champions and eight state qualifiers.
Cedar Rapids Prairie hosted a Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ wrestling state-qualifying tournament on Saturday
Starmont’s Keaton Moeller was third at state wrestling as a freshman last season. He is ranked No. 1 at 150 pounds in Class 1A with a 39-1 record. Moeller enters Saturday’s district tournament at MFL MarMac with a 26-match win streak.
A nearly two-hour episode of the Pinning Combination podcast talks all things wrestling in Iowa with Hall of Fame coach Dick Briggs, including the Hawkeye men’s loss to Michigan ahead of this week’s Penn State dual, the upcoming UNI-Iowa State dual, Wartburg’s one-sided win over Coe and recaps of the girls’ state tournament and boys’ state duals.
Michigan handed Iowa its first loss, Iowa State and Northern Iowa were unkind hosts to West Virginia, Wartburg thumped Coe, plus final thoughts on the IGHSAU state tournament in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.
Action from the Class 2A Iowa high school boys’ wrestling state duals tournament Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Creston won the state championship.
Action from the Class 1A Iowa high school boys’ wrestling state duals tournament Saturday at Xtream Arena in Coralville. Don Bosco beat Alburnett 45-31 for the state championship.
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