First round
#1 West Delaware vs #8 Sergeant Bluff-Luton
Sergeant Bluff-Luton has been wrestling really well and climbing the tournament team rankings making their way all the way to #4 in the last set. They have 3 absolute hammers in Brayden Graff, Jack Gaukel, and Easton Graff who are all ranked in the top 3. They also have a handful of other guys who were considered for rankings and could make noise in the individual state tournament. The problem is they face West Delaware in the first round. West Delaware put the entire state on notice at the Battle of Waterloo when they knocked off 1A powerhouse Don Bosco. They don’t have anyone ranked higher than 5th in class 2A but they have unbelievable depth from top to bottom that will be hard for anyone to contend with. Mangold does own a win over Easton Graff at 152 this season before losing some matches late in the year to drop a little in the rankings.
Key match
152 pounds – #2 Easton Graff (Sergeant Bluff-Luton) vs #6 Mitchel Mangold (West Delaware)
Ranked wrestlers
West Delaware – 8
Sergeant Bluff-Luton – 3
#4 Davenport Assumption vs #5 Crestwood, Cresco
These are two traditional power programs that have put together very good seasons. Both have some highly ranked individuals leading the way but have sneaky good depth as well. Crestwood has highly ranked seniors Kaden Anderlik at 120 and Colter Bye at 170 as well as highly touted freshman Carter Fousek at 106. Davenport Assumption is led by perhaps the best wrestler in all of 2A in Julien Broderson at 195. Davenport Assumption didn’t have the day they wanted at districts with a couple of highly talented wrestlers, who spent much of the season ranked, not qualifying for the state tournament. I think that Assumption is going to be focusing hard on the duals and I have them winning a very fun matchup over Crestwood.
Key match
220 pounds – #6 Seth Adrian (Davenport Assumption) vs Wyatt Scheidel (Crestwood, Cresco)
Ranked wrestlers
Davenport Assumption – 3
Crestwood, Cresco – 3
#2 Solon vs #7 Independence
Solon is a team that has been quietly been doing work this year and just kind of hiding in the weeds. Not only do they have some big time wrestlers like #2 Hayden Taylor and #3 Mike Hoyle but they also possess really good depth. They showcased that depth over the past few weeks when they pushed 12 wrestlers through to districts and are sending 6 guys to Des Moines. Independence seems to be hitting their stride and wrestling as well as they have all year lately. Since dropping to 160 pounds #3 Cole Davis has been on a tear and he leads the Mustangs into Des Moines. Zack Bevans and Matthew Doyle is always a great match at 152 and Doyle leads the season series 2-1. However, Doyle missed some time with injury and the question will be whether he is at full strength or not. The Mustangs will need a win out of Doyle to keep up with the Solon Spartans. In the end I believe that Solon is just too much and will advance.
Key match
152 pounds – #4 Zack Bevans (Solon) vs #7 Matthew Doyle (Independence)
Ranked wrestlers
Solon – 5
Independence – 4
#3 Osage vs #6 PCM, Monroe
PCM, Monroe entered the year as the favorites to win the traditional state tournament and were ranked #1 all year. They lost some duals early in the season with some guys out with injuries and I believe people wrote them off as a dual team. They are now mostly healthy and have been wrestling much better as the year went on. Osage has a young but very talented squad that will be in contention for the next few years. They are seen more as a dual team with good depth but not as much highly ranked firepower for the traditional tournament. There are 3 matchups between ranked wrestlers at 120, 160 & 170 and if you go by rankings all 3 of those matches favor PCM, Monroe. Osage will need to swing a couple of those there way to win this dual. I could definitely see Osage getting the slight upsets at 160 and 170 but with PCM favored in those matches I have them coming out on top of a very competitive dual here.
Key matches (I couldn’t pick just one here)
160 pounds – #2 Wes Cummings (PCM, Monroe) vs #4 Zach Williams (Osage)
170 pounds – #4 Jarron Trausch (PCM, Monroe) vs #5 Spencer Mooberry (Osage)
Ranked wrestlers
Osage – 3
PCM, Monroe – 6
Semifinals
#1 West Delaware vs #4 Davenport Assumption
These two teams were in the same district at Central Dewitt and West Delaware’s depth was the story there and I believe that it will be the same in this dual. Ethan Forker of Assumption won a fun match with Blake Engel of West Delaware in the district semifinals at 106 and the rematch should be entertaining as well. Assumption would need to steal a few matches here and 132 and 182 seem like a couple possibilities where Jacob Felderman and Kole Kreinbring could come up big for the team by beating guys they are ranked behind. Those two weren’t able to reach the traditional state tournament after very good seasons so they will be letting it fly in the duals.
Key matchups
132 pounds – #5 Ryan Phillips (West Delaware) vs #6 Jacob Felderman (Davenport Assumption)
182 pounds – #7 Jack Neuhaus (West Delaware) vs Kole Kreinbring (Davenport Assumption)
#2 Solon vs #6 PCM, Monroe
This should be a really fun dual and closer than people might think. Both teams are really solid and have there share of studs for sure. I really think that it will come down to the unranked matchups that nobody is thinking about and any bonus points will play a huge factor too. I look for PCM to keep this dual really interesting and if they pull an upset or two it could swing the other way. However, in the end I just think that Solon is a little too deep from top to bottom with it’s 12 district qualifiers.
Key match
170 pounds – #4 Jarron Trausch (PCM, Monroe) vs #8 Jax Flynn (Solon)
Finals
#1 West Delaware vs #2 Solon
I’m going to sound like a broken record here but West Delaware is really deep and talented. They bring in 8 ranked guys and already have a decisive win over Solon earlier this year. Solon would need to swing a few of the matches that were close last time around to have a chance. This could come down to the lowest few weights and I see West Delaware winning those and winning the class 2A State Dual Championship.
Key matches
132 pounds – #5 Ryan Phillips (West Delaware) vs #7 Zeb Gnida (Solon)
170 pounds – #6 Wyatt Voelker (West Delaware) vs #8 Jax Flynn (Solon)
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