BRACKETS

Round 1

#1 New Hampton vs #8 Denver-Tripoli

Denver-Tripoli brings in a very young but very talented team. They qualified 5 underclassmen for the individual state tournament and have a solid lineup and will be a top team heading into next year. However, I’m not sure that they are quite ready for #1 New Hampton yet. Led by #1 wrestlers Michael Millage and Keaton Geerts the Chickasaws have a solid lineup from top to bottom. I look for New Hampton to win this dual and advance on to the semifinals.

#4 Creston Orient-Macksburg vs #5 Davenport Assumption

This is a great dual between 2 perennial power programs in class 2A. Creston has been very good all season long and have been very good in their upper weights all year with #1 Chase Shiltz and #2 Kaden Hulett leading the way. Assumption has taken a different path with lots of guys being beat up throughout the year but finally appear to be healthy and have a full lineup again. #3 Matt Robertson and the Broderson brothers Noah and Julien will battle with anyone in the state. This dual could have a huge 1 vs 2 matchup at 220 with Noah Broderson vs Kaden Hulett. This dual will be very tight the whole way through but I’m going to call Assumption coming through with the upset to move on.

#2 Solon vs #7 Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Sergeant Bluff-Luton has kind of flown under the radar a little this year but has had a very solid season. #1 Brayden Curry will lead the charge as they try to knock off Solon. Solon came into the season as a top contender in the class and has proven that they belong all year. Twins Drew and Bryce West are the stars of the Solon lineup but the Spartans are very good all the way through the lineup. In the end I think that Solon is just too deep and will win and advance to the semifinal round.

#3 Atlantic/CAM vs #6 Washington

Atlantic started the year strong with a win over Creston and has proven that they belong with the favorites all season. Atlantic ended the year with 6 ranked wrestlers led by #2 Carter Cox and #2 John McConkey. Washington has dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the year but they appear to be fairly healthy now. They don’t have any big stars but have great depth throughout. This could be more interesting than some people may think but I look for Atlantic to prove to be too much and survive and advance.

Semifinals

#1 New Hampton vs #5 Davenport Assumption

There could be some interesting matchups in this dual headlined by #2 Ryan Gorman vs #3 Julien Broderson at 160 & #3 Matt Robertson vs #5 Noah Fye at 132. Both teams have very solid lineups all the way through and Pete Bush is as good as anyone at sliding guys around to get the best matchups. However, I think that New Hampton just a little bit too much fire power and will advance to the finals.

#2 Solon vs #3 Atlantic

I think that this will be a really fun dual and could be very close. The key might be that Solon can neutralize a couple of Atlantic’s hammer in #2 Carter Cox and #7 Chase McLaren with them running into the West brothers. Another headliner will come at 285 with #2 John McConkey vs #4 Tyler Linderbaum. I wouldn’t want to miss this dual and there should be some great action throughout. In the end I think that Solon matches up pretty well here and will come out on top to set up the matchup everyone has been waiting for in the finals.

Finals

#1 New Hampton vs #2 Solon

When the season started everyone was talking about New Hampton and Solon and wanting to see this dual. I think that it finally happens in the last dual of the 2A season and it should be worth the wait! These are 2 very deep teams with no real weak spots which will make for a very eventful dual. The clear headliner will be at 126 where #1 Michael Millage will take on #2 Drew West in one of the most anticipated matches of the season! Both guys are former state champions and have not met yet. Another great matchup will be at 160 where #2 Ryan Gorman will take on #4 Trevor Nelson who was a state runner up last season. These 2 matches could go a long ways in determining the winner of this dual. There should be fireworks throughout and it will be tight to the finish. In the end I have New Hampton ranked #1 for a reason and I believe that they will come out on top of this great finals match.

Dual State Champion prediction: New Hampton Chickasaws