IAwrestle is happy to announce our first men’s match for the 2019 War at West Gym event next month. The latest match will pit a pair of state champions from Class 1A and 3A against one another, and setup a rematch of last summer’s Iowa/USA Wrestling freestyle state tournament.
From Class 1A is Lisbon’s Robert Avila, who was one of three Lions to capture a state title last weekend in Des Moines. Avila is only a freshman, which puts him in contention for joining Iowa elite four-time state champion club, which counts three other former Lisbon standouts as current members.
The other side of this battle will be Ankeny sophomore Caleb Rathjen, who also won his first state title last weekend. It was a revenge type victory for Rathjen as his 2019 state title came at the expense of the same wrestler who downed him in the 2018 tournament, Valley-WDM’s Nick Oldham.
Both wrestlers won their titles at 126 pounds, and if the battle for class supremacy wasn’t enough these two met last summer in the finals of Iowa/USA Wrestling freestyle state tournament, with Rathjen winning what was considered a “controversial” 8-4 match.
About the War at West Gym:
IAwrestle is pleased to announce that our “War at West Gym” event will be returning to Cedar Falls on Saturday, March 16th. The event will once again 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.
Fans are able to purchase tickets at the door, but are encouraged to buy tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased for $10 on Eventbrite.
For those unable to attend the dual a live stream will be available through Trackwrestling. For our Season Pass subscribers the “War at West Gym” event is already included in the $65 initial fee, but fans will also have the option to purchase the stream for a one time $10 fee.
Announced Lineup:
Chloe Clemons (Cedar Rapids Jefferson) vs Sydney Park (Davenport Central)
Ali Gerbacht (AGWSR) vs Tateum Park (Davenport North)
Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon)
[…] (Fort Dodge) vs Hunter Garvin (Iowa City West) Adam Allard (West Sioux) vs Hayden Taylor (Solon) Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon) Jack Thomsen (Union) vs Eli Loyd (Pleasant Valley) Eric Faught (Clear Lake) vs Riley Wright […]
[…] (Fort Dodge) vs Hunter Garvin (Iowa City West) Adam Allard (West Sioux) vs Hayden Taylor (Solon) Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon) Jack Thomsen (Union) vs Eli Loyd (Pleasant Valley) Jacob Hermann (Waverly-Shell Rock) vs Carson […]
[…] (Fort Dodge) vs Hunter Garvin (Iowa City West) Adam Allard (West Sioux) vs Hayden Taylor (Solon) Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon) Jack Thomsen (Union) vs Eli Loyd (Pleasant Valley) Jacob Hermann (Waverly-Shell Rock) vs Carson […]
[…] (Fort Dodge) vs Hunter Garvin (Iowa City West) Adam Allard (West Sioux) vs Hayden Taylor (Solon) Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon) Jack Thomsen (Union) vs Eli Loyd (Pleasant […]
[…] Andersen (Ankeny) vs Marcel Lopez (New London) Adam Allard (West Sioux) vs Hayden Taylor (Solon) Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon) Jack Thomsen (Union) vs Eli Loyd (Pleasant […]
[…] (AGWSR) vs Tateum Park (Davenport North) Trever Andersen (Ankeny) vs Marcel Lopez (New London) Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) vs Robert Avila (Lisbon) Jack Thomsen (Union) vs Eli Loyd (Pleasant […]