Wrestling Weekend That Was: Alburnett proved its power with runner-up finish at Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo didn’t disappoint and Alburnett left with a runner-up finish to Class 3A power southeast Polk. Iowa State competed at the Collegiate Duals. Cornell, Luther impressed at the Gator Boots Duals in Tennessee and more in the Wrestling Weekend That Was.

ALBURNETT PLACES 2 ND AT B.O.W.

The season opened with high expectations for Alburnett. The Pirates were expected to be one of the top contenders in Class 1A. Their latest performance proved they aren’t just a good 1A program but one of the state’s best teams.

Alburnett finished 5-1 in duals Friday and Saturday, placing second to Class 3A No. 1 Southeast Polk at the 32-team Battle of Waterloo at Young Arena. The Pirates rolled through Bracket with a 3-0 mark to qualify for Saturday’s championship pool with the Rams, Don Bosco and Waverly-Shell Rock.

The Pirates opened the championship round-robin with a 46-23 over Don Bosco and closed with a 48-21 over Waverly-Shell Rock. Bracket competition included wins over Cedar Falls, Davenport Assumption and Ankeny.

“The guys found out more and more of who they are and what they are capable of,” Alburnett Coach Clayton Rush said. “They keep surprising me, in a good way.”

Alburnett won the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational, including multiple teams from all classes. At the B.O.W., the Pirates beat teams from all three classes including four 3A programs. Do the results boost confidence or does it place a larger target on his back.

“I don’t think it adds anything,” Rush said. “They want the best competition. They want to find the good guys and they want to be tested.”

Both days were filled with individual challenges against ranked foes. Some suffered losses to learn from against quality foes. Others were dominant. Shayden Washburn went 6-0 with six pins at 175 and 190 pounds. Eaghan Fleshman went 4-2, losing by decision to Don Bosco’s No. 3 Kyler Sallis and SE Polk’s Holden Hansen, who is ranked No. 2 in 3A. Alburnett claimed at least nine wins in all five dual wins.

“There are a lot I could say impressed me,” Rush said. “When they need to bring it, they bring it. When they don’t need to, they still do.

Linn-Mar placed third in its bracket Friday and swept all three duals to win Pool 3 Saturday. Independence was third in Pool 3.

West Delaware won Pool 4, going 3-3 overall. Cedar Rapids Prairie went 3-0 Saturday, finishing first in Pool 6.

SOLDIER SALUTE STREAM ON B1G+

The Big Ten Conference announced Monday that the Soldier Salute on Dec. 29 and 30 at Xtream Arena in Coralville will be streamed on B1G+.

All four sessions of the third Soldier Salute tournament will be available on the B1G+ platform, starting at 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Coverage will continue next Monday, beginning at noon with the finals set for 6 p.m.

Former Mount Vernon Coach and longtime broadcaster Tim Johnson and multimedia journalist Shane Sparks will be on the call for the event.

B1G+ subscriptions range from $12.99 monthly to $89.99 annually.

IOWA STATE 2-1 AT COLLEGIATE DUALS

Iowa State logged dual victories over Lock Haven and North Carolina before dropping the finale to Ohio State at the Collegiate Duals in Nashville, Tenn. The Cyclones enter the holiday break with a 4-3 record.

Iowa State won eight bouts, receiving technical falls from Kysen Terukina (125) and Jacob Frost (141), to beat Lock Haven, 30-6. Against the Tar Heels, Frost and heavyweight Yonger Bastida posted major decisions in a 23-14 win. The Cyclones No. 6 Evan Frost beat UNC’s No. 12 Ethan Oakley, 5-0.

No. 5 Ohio State beat No. 13 Iowa State, 29-10. Cody Chittum (157), Paniro Johnson at 165 and 184-pounder Evan Bockman earned wins. Johnson won by major decision, while Chittum knocked off the Buckeyes’ No. 7 Paddy Gallagher, 10-8.

IOWA SCHOOLS RANKED TO END 2024

University of Iowa leads the trio of NCAA Division I schools in the final National Wrestling Coaches Association dual rankings of 2024. The final poll for the calendar year was released Monday. The Hawkeyes (6-0) is ranked second behind only Penn State (6-0). University of Northern Iowa was 10 th after its 3-0 start. Iowa State remained 13 th.

CORNELL, LUTHER SWEEP GATOR BOOTS DUALS

Cornell won all three meets at the Gator Boots Duals at Nashville, Tenn. The Rams whipped Mount Union (Ohio), 31-3, adding a 32-10 victory over Huntingdon College (Ala.) and 34-10 triumph against University of the Ozarks (Ark.) on Saturday.

The Rams improved to 9-4 and have won five straight duals. Cornell returns to action Jan. 4 at the Central Invitational.

Luther posted a 26-14 win over No. 19 Delaware Valley (Pa.) to cap the event. The Norse trailed 14-0 after the first four matches, storming back with a major decision from Clayton McDonough (157), consecutive technical falls by Bryce McDonough (165) and Braedon Hendel at 174. Luther closed with a technical fall from 197-pounder Ben Strehlow and a major decision from heavyweight Walter West.

Luther also beat Mount Union (39-8), Muskingum (Ohio) and Ursinius (Pa.), improving to 5-2.

THIS AND THAT

Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Ella Brown surpassed 100 career wins Saturday, winning the 235-pound title at Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Bubba Randles Winter Classic. Brown pinned Assumption’s Kalena Noa in 1:03 of the quarterfinal for No. 100. She has 102 overall…Cedar Rapids Xavier won Pella’s Bill Van Horn Invitational. The Saints scored 188.5 points, 7.5 ahead of runner-up Marshalltown. Xavier’s Jean Ngoma won the 215 title, while Marek McNamara (165) and Dusty Cook (190) were second…Lisbon won the Iowa City Regina tournament with 222.5 points. The Lions’ Cael Stricker (113) and Tiernan Boots (157) won titles. Lisbon had seven finalists…Blayke Heying (165) and Brenden Heying (190) won individual titles, helping Benton Community finish second to Burlington Notre Dame at the Fort Madison Invitational.

Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com