Iowa High School Wrestling

Here are eight Gazette-area teams to keep an eye on during the 2023-24 Iowa high school boys’ wrestling season.

No. 4 Iowa won six matches, including three straight from 174 to 197 that seal the victory, and defeated No. 8 Iowa State, 18-14, in front of 14,267 fans Sunday at Hilton Coliseum. The Hawkeyes earned their 19th straight win over the Cyclones.

With a BEDS classification number of 144, East Buchanan was the smallest school competing in Saturday’s Linn-Mar Dual Tournament. But, that didn’t stop the Buccaneers from sailing to a fourth-place finish, after falling to Raccoon River, 54-30, in the placing round.

There were open weights and double forfeits. But, there wasn’t a shortage of one thing during Tuesday’s girls’ wrestling quad at Cedar Rapids Jefferson — excitement. The J-Hawks were dominant in their own gym, going 3-0 during the quad.

The Pinning Combination podcast returns for the 2023-24 season talking all things wrestling in Iowa. This episode analyzes early impressions of the Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa teams, previews Sunday’s Cy-Hawk dual and looks at some initial storylines in D-II, D-III and high school girls’ wrestling.

After more than six months away from competition, Spencer Lee looked strong, winning the the 125.5-pound title at the Bill Farrell Memorial International men’s freestyle tournament and qualifying for the Olympic Team Trials in April.

The Vinton-Shellsburg trifecta of Ellie Weets, Bree Swenson, and Chloe Sanders is particularly good at one thing when it comes to wrestling — showing their opponents the lights.

Gabe Arnold wanted to make a statement in his home debut. Arnold’s result spoke volumes, beating No. 11 Travis Wittlake, 4-2, in third-ranked Iowa’s 25-11 victory over No. 16 Oregon State Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City.