From the group that brought you the “Night of Conflict”, IAwrestle and it’s owners are proud to announce a new stand alone event titled “War at West Gym” taking place on March 11th in Cedar Falls. The event will be held in the University of Northern Iowa’s West Gym and will pit some of the state’s top talent against one another, as well as feature talented wrestlers from across the country.
In conjunction with our official announcement of our event, IAwrestle is pleased to inform fans of two of the matches that figure to be highlight bouts in the dual.
Match #1: #1 (145) Zach Barnes vs #1 (138) Triston Lara
Competing at 145 pounds will be current No. 1 ranked wrestler Zach Barnes of Southeast Polk High School and No. 1 ranked Triston Lara of Fort Dodge High School. Barnes is a two-time state medalist and enters the postseason ranked No. 1 for the second straight year. Barnes made waves last summer when he rattled off seven straight consolation victories at USA Wrestling Junior Freestyle National Championships to earn All-American honors for team Iowa.
Lara, who is ranked at 138 pounds, will bump up for his match against Barnes. The Fort Dodge senior is a three-time state medalist, winning a state title as a junior at 126 pounds a season ago. Lara put together a huge October where he defeated nationally ranked Niko Chavez at IAwrestle’s Night of Conflict, and he also announced his plans to wrestle for UNI the same month.
Match #2: #1 (170) Marcus Coleman vs #1 (160) Joel Shapiro
Wrestling at 170 pounds will be one of Iowa’s nationally ranked wrestlers, No. 1 ranked Marcus Coleman (No. 12 by FLO) of Ames High School and No. 1 Joel Shapiro of West Des Moines Valley High School. Coleman enters the postseason seeking his third straight state title, while Shapiro will be looking to claim his first.
Coleman’s biggest claim to fame is his 2015 finish at USA Wrestling Cadet Freestyle National Championships where he took second at 160 pounds. The finish put Coleman on the map as one of the top prospects in the class of 2017. Shapiro made his mark this past year, picking a few big wins for Team Iowa at the Disney Duals before earning All-American honors in Freestyle at USA Wrestling Cadet Freestyle National Championships. He later strengthened his resume by earning a win over Illinois Zach Braunagel at the 2016 Night of Conflict.
Tickets will be available to purchase following the state wrestling tournament along with live stream information.