The 2017 class 1A State Dual field features some new faces, some that haven’t been around for awhile, and some of the regulars. Missouri Valley is making their first appearance and brings a solid squad to Wells Fargo Arena. Wapsie Valley and Interstate 35 are back to this years Championships for the first times since the event moved from the US Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids. Then you have Sibley-Ocheyedan and Lake Mills who are starting to build consistent top 10 teams. Last but certainly not least you have Don Bosco, Lisbon, and Logan-Magnolia who have made State Duals a yearly tradition for the last two plus decades.

This years tournament brings a lot of unknowns. You have teams like Missouri Valley, Wapsie Valley, and I-35 would have some top end talent to make them a potential bad match up for certain teams. Some of the teams have more of a solid lineup that doesnt have many holes like Logan-Magnolia and Lake Mills. Then you have the heavy hitters in Sibley, Lisbon, and Bosco.

This year we can expect some exciting semifinal matches as well as a great finals match up regardless of who is in it. Dont expect too many upsets first round with the expection of the #4 and #5 match up with Lake Mills and Logan-Magnolia. Dont be shocked if the #5 seed pulls of the mild upset in this meet as LoMa has very few holes in their lineup. The Sibley/MoVa meet could have some intriguing matchups but Sibley is just too deep. Don Bosco and Lisbon should roll first round.

We should see Bosco and Logan-Magnolia meet up in the first semifinal. If we do we could have 3 swing matches in a row. 126-138 will feature wrestlers who are either ranked or qualified for the state tournament. Whatever team comes out in the best position after those matches will go a long ways towards deciding the dual. In our second semifinal we should see the #2 seed Lisbon against the #3 seed Sibley. If this dual happens, it could include 16 state qualifiers. This to me is the most intriguing meet of the whole tournament because these two teams havent squared off yet this year. It does have a different dynamic then some of these other meets though because Sibley is has their studs at weights where Lisbon is a little thinner and vice versa, so staying off your back might be the key to victory here.

To be fair, it wouldnt be too incredibly shocking to see anyone of the top 6 seeds in the finals. If you had to put money on two teams though, you can’t go wrong picking Lisbon and Don Bosco to reach the finals though. If that match up happens, it will be a rematch from a month ago when Bosco topped Lisbon 36-30. The first time these two teams met was an exciting meet with a lot of back and forth swing matches. Both teams also forfeited weights that you can expect to be filled this next time around if the meet isnt already in hand by one team or the other. It would be hard to talk about specific matches in this meet considering both coaching staffs are great at bumping kids around to get into ideal situations. 3 matches to keep and eye out for that came down to the wire last time though are Kimball/Siebrecht at 106, Lutgen/Mohrfeld at 126, and Hellman/McLaughlin at 138.

I wouldn’t be surprised by either team winning this dual but this wouldn’t be much of a prediction article if I didn’t pick a winner so I will go with Bosco to top Lisbon in another tight and exciting dual.

CLASS 1A BY THE NUMBERS

DON BOSCO
State Dual Appearances: 22
Best State Dual Finish: 1st Place (1995, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)
Ranked wrestlers (6): 106 #3 Daniel Kimball, 113 #8 Easton Larson, 120 #1 Gable Fox, 126 #6 Logan Lutgen, 152 #9 Jeremy Schmitz, 195 #5 Walker Even
State Qualifiers (9): 106 Daniel Kimball, 113 Easton Larson, 120 Gable Fox, 126 Logan Lutgen, 132 Max Wettengel, 138 Austin Hellman, 152 Jeremy Schmitz, 160 Bryce Schares, 195 Walker Even
District Qualifiers (1): 220 Austin Svoboda
Notable Dual Results: Beat Wapsie Valley 48-21, Beat Lisbon 36-30

INTERSTATE 35
State Dual Appearances: 10
Best State Dual Finish: 2nd Place (1995)
Ranked Wrestlers (2): 113 #9 Nathan Phillips, 182 #9 Dante Arzani
State Qualifiers (7): 113 Nathan Phillips, 120 Casey Baker, 145 Ethan Elliott, 152 Jacob Steinlage, 160 Mason Woosley, 182 Dante Arzani, 285 Jake Hutton
District Qualifiers (0): NONE
Notable Dual Results: Beat Pleasantville 51-21, Beat Sigourney 40-33, Beat Southeast Warren 44-32

LAKE MILLS
State Dual Appearances: 6
Best State Dual Finish: 1st Place (2000)
Ranked Wrestlers (3): 106 #7 Caiden Jones, 182 #7 Gabe Irons, 195 #1 Slade Sifuentes
State Qualifiers (6): 106 Caiden Jones, 113 Tyler Helgeson, 138 Cael Boehmer, 152 Michael Olsen, 182 Gabe Irons, 195 Slade Sifuentes
District Qualifiers (1): 120 Kyle Beery
Notable Dual Results: Beat Central Springs 45-30, Clarion-Goldfield 45-23

LOGAN-MAGNOLIA
State Dual Appearances: 14
Best State Dual Finish: 1st Place (2003, 2011)
Ranked Wrestlers (5): 126 #9 Wyatt Crocker, 132 #4 Garret Thompson, 138 #10 Bo Geise, 152 #7 Brady Wilson, 220 #1 Drake Johnson
State Qualifiers (4): 120 Remington Meeker, 132 Garret Thompson, 152 Brady Wilson, 220 Drake Johnson
District Qualifiers (5): 113 Sidney Pitt, 126 Wyatt Crocker, 138 Bo Geise, 160 Dalton Reisz, 182 Reide Meeker
Notable Dual Results: Lost to Missouri Valley 39-30, Beat Missouri Valley 37-33

SIBLEY-OCHEYEDAN
State Dual Appearances: 4
Best State Dual Finish: 3rd Place (2016)
Ranked Wrestlers (6): 145 #2 Dylan Schuck, 160 #10 Garrett Saylor, 170 #7 Trent Kruger, 195 #4 Hunter DeJong, 220 #9 Erick Olvera, 285 #5 Matt Naig
State Qualifiers (8): 106 Jose Flores, 120 Trey Schuck, 145 Dylan Schuck, 160 Garrett Saylor, 170 Trent Kruger, 195 Hunter DeJong, 220 Erick Olvera, 285 Matt Naig
District Qualifiers (1): 126 Zak Stanton
Notable Dual Results: Beat Spirit Lake Park 36-33

MISSOURI VALLEY
State Dual Appearances: 1
Best State Dual Finish: First Trip
Ranked Wrestlers (5): 120 #4 Connor Lange, 132 #7 Jack Kyle, 138 #8 Duke Kyle, 160 #2 Nathan Haynes, 220 #2 Tom Rief
State Qualifiers (7): 120 Connor Lange, 138 Duke Kyle, 145 Skeeter Bostwick, 160 Nathan Haynes, 170 Nick Haynes, 220 Tom Rief, 285 Arron Olson
District Qualifiers (2): 106 Sam Kyle, 132 Jack Kyle
Notable Dual Results: Beat Logan-Magnolia 39-30, Lost to Logan Magnolia 37-33

LISBON
State Dual Appearances: 11
Best State Dual Finish: 1st Place (1987, 1988, 1991)
Ranked Wrestlers (7): 106 #2 Cobe Siebrecht, 113 #1 Cael Happel, 132 #1 Cooper Siebrecht, 138 #5 Chase McLaughlin, 145 # 6 Jack Butteris, 152 #8 Kaden Kilburg, 170 #6 Bryce Werderman
State Qualifiers (9): 106 Cobe Siebrecht, 113 Cael Happel, 120 Ryne Mohrfeld, 132 Cooper Siebrecht, 138 Chase McLaughlin, 152 Kaden Kilburg, 170 Bryce Werderman, 195 Jake Jennett, 220 Logan O’Connor
District Qualifiers (2): 145 Jack Butteris, 160 Clay McCoy
Notable Dual Results: Beat Mount Vernon 36-27, Lost to Don Bosco 36-30

WAPSIE VALLEY
State Dual Appearances: 4
Best State Dual Finish: 4th Place (1996)
Ranked Wrestlers (2): 126 #2 Donny Schmit, 138 #1 Kaleb Krall
State Qualifiers (2): 126 Donny Schmit, 138 Kaleb Krall
District Qualifiers (3): 132 Conner Brandt, 152 Colin Schrader, 182 Riley Little
Notable Dual Results: Lost to Don Bosco 48-21, Lost to Dike-New Hartford 42-30