West Branch posts successful State Duals debut

DES MOINES – West Branch Coach Marc Juergens didn't know what to expect, but the Bears quickly provided him with an idea of what was ahead.

West Branch made its debut in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A State Duals tournament Wednesday and made an immediate impact, knocking off top-seeded Clarion-Goldfield en route to placing third at Wells Fargo Arena. Third-seeded Nashua-Plainfield (24-4) beat No. 5 Underwood, 53-16, in the finals for the Huskies second State Duals title and first since 2004.

“We just went after it,” said Juergens, in his third year as head coach. “We have some pretty good kids that are conditioned well.”

West Branch grabbed control of the Cowboys, taking a 25-12 lead thanks to a five-match win streak. The Bears upper weights highlighted the streak. Cade Jones, ranked 10th at 195, scored in overtime for an 8-6 victory over fourth-ranked Knute Severson. Unranked Derrick Miller followed with an impressive 9-4 win over second-ranked Mitch Gambrill at 220.

“We have a lot of tough kids,” Juergens said. “They came out and made some noise. Hopefully they'll make some noise the rest of the week.”

Tyler Oswald scored a fall with one match remaining to seal the victory. As the victories and so-called upsets mounted, the Bears could feel they were in control.

“We knew all that hard work that we put in the practice room, all the miles we ran, all the takedowns we shot that it paid off,” Jones said. “We worked hard every week,” Jones said. “We believed in ourselves a little bit more every single day. That's what got us here.”

West Branch (23-3) beat Don Bosco, 39-30, in the final round. Technically, the Bears were projected to finish last, but weren't intimidated, taking down the top two seeds.

They gave their fans something to cheer about in the first trip to the State Duals. It could serve as a building block for the future.

“It was pretty exciting our first time here,” Juergens said. “Hopefully, it spurs excitement in the community for the sport of wrestling.”

Alburnett had high expectations, but had to wait until the final round to earn its one win for the day. The fourth-ranked Pirates handled Martensdale-St. Mary's, 54-30, for seventh in a dual that lasted only 18 minutes.

The Pirates lost to finalist Underwood, 41-27, in the quarterfinals and then suffered a 45-24 loss to Clarion-Goldfield in the consolation semifinal.

“Honestly, we started out bad,” Alburnett Coach Kane Thompson said. “Our individuals picked it up as the day went on.”

Alburnett was making its second straight State Duals appearance – the first two in school history – and looked to improve on last year's fourth-place finish. Title aspirations evaporated during the dual with Underwood, which won eight matches and six with bonus points.

“I think I had myself convinced we could make a run at the finals,” Thompson said. “That first dual we had a couple close losses and it snowballed out of control.”

The Pirates finished the season 22-4.