State Duals: Southeast Polk edges Waverly-Shell Rock in thrilling Class 3A final
Cody GoodwinIf Wednesday night’s Class 3A state duals final ends up becoming a precursor for this weekend’s traditional tournament, wrestling fans are in for a treat.
Southeast Polk defeated Waverly-Shell Rock, 37-27, to win the 3A state duals title inside Wells Fargo Arena. The Rams, the No. 1-ranked team in Iowa’s largest wrestling class, have now won the state duals four times in 14 appearances. This is their first title since 2017.
“The most satisfying part is just watching our kids go out and compete,” Southeast Polk coach Jason Christenson said. “They wrestle hard, and they’re the guys that deserve all the credit. That’s what I’m most excited about.”
► Results: Follow the action with the Register's live online state tournament brackets
Southeast Polk and Waverly-Shell Rock are expected to tangle over the next three days in the traditional tournament. The Rams are heavy favorites to win their fifth title in seven years. They are ranked No. 20 nationally by Intermat and have steamrolled the competition all season.
But if anybody can hang with Southeast Polk, it's Waverly-Shell Rock, which is No. 2 in 3A and No. 44 nationally. Both teams qualified 11 wrestlers for the traditional tournament, which begins Thursday at 9 a.m. Both breezed through the competition to reach Wednesday’s final.
The clash allowed both teams to see how they truly stack up head-to-head, and the result was a thriller. Southeast Polk never trailed, taking eight of 14 weights, including four by fall. The Go-Hawks flashed their mettle, as this was the Rams’ closest dual result of the season.
“I thought our guys battled the entire time,” Waverly-Shell Rock coach Eric Whitcome said. “Really proud of their effort and what they’ve done this entire season to even get us to this point.”
► Watch: Here's how to see this year's Iowa state wrestling tournament
Southeast Polk won six of the first seven bouts. Back-to-back pins from Lance Runyon and Cade DeVos at 152 and 160 pounds, respectively, put the Rams up 19-0. Jacob Herrmann bumped up to 170 and pinned Deveyon Montgomery to get the Go-Hawks on the board, but No. 1 Gabe Christenson’s 7-3 win over No. 2 Brayden Wolf at 195 extended the Rams’ advantage to 25-6.
But the Go-Hawks punched back, securing three wins in a row from Lucas Walker (220), Andrew Snyder (285) and Aiden Riggins (106) to close within 25-18. Snyder’s 16-5 win over Connor Brown nearly ended early due to a biting accusation against Brown. Riggins nearly beat Kale Anderson by stalling disqualification after racking up four stall calls in the first period.
► More: Teams, individuals seek to seize their opportunities in Des Moines
The dual turned on the very next match. Waverly’s Bailey Roybal, ranked second at 113 pounds, led Devin Harmison after an early takedown. Roybal then went for a cradle, but Harmison whipped Roybal to his back for a reversal and the pin with six seconds left in the first period.
“I kept feeling him going for the cradle, and his leg was low,” Harmison said. “Then I felt him trip a little bit, and that’s when I threw it. I felt it.”
That put the Rams up 31-18 with three weights left. Ram freshman Joel Jesuroga then pinned Waverly’s Zack Barnett in a minute, 33 seconds at 120 pounds to mathematically clinch the dual.
“You can’t fault Bailey,” Whitcome said. “Bailey was in control, and he was going for it. He knows today’s about the team, and he went for it. I can’t fault him one bit for that. If anything, I applaud him because he was looking out for his friends, his teammates, our program.”
Afterward, Jason Christenson took in the scene. Since 2012, the winner of the 3A duals title has gone on to win the traditional team title that same year, save for 2016. Maybe that adds some pressure, Christenson surmised, but he said his team is up for the challenge.
When the dual ended, Southeast Polk assistant coach Jessman Smith snuck behind the Ram bench and cracked open a box of T-shirts. They read “ST8 TTL SZN” — a subtle message that Southeast Polk isn’t just here for one title, but for two.
“We just have to fight for every point,” Christenson said. “We have to try and win every position. They know that, and that’s what we’ll come back with.”
West Delaware cruises to 2A title
If any more evidence was needed that this year’s West Delaware team was one of the state’s best dual teams, look no further than Wednesday’s 2A state duals tournament.
The Hawks rolled to the 2A duals title, defeating Solon 45-12 in the final for just their second state duals title ever. The first one came back in 1991, before every current wrestler on the roster was born.
West Delaware steamrolled the competition, picking off Sergeant Bluff-Luton, 58-20, in the quarterfinals before downing Crestwood of Cresco, 51-28, in the semifinals. Against Solon, the Hawks won 10 of 14 bouts, including four by fall. Blake Engel, Luke Farmer and Evan Woods recorded three straight falls from 106 to 120 to clinch the dual with two matches left.
Don Bosco breezes to record 1A crown
Don Bosco might compete in Iowa’s smallest class (enrollment: 84), but make no mistake, the Dons are as mighty as they’ve ever been.
The Dons defeated Denver, 48-18, to win the 1A duals crown for the second straight year. It is Don Bosco’s 10th state duals championship, breaking a tie with Davenport Assumption for the most all time.
Don Bosco made quick work of Missouri Valley and West Sioux in Wednesday’s preliminary rounds, winning the first 12 bouts in both duals and winning by scores of 71-4 and 71-12, respectively. Denver muscled out a 39-35 win over Lisbon in the semifinals to score a rematch with the Dons, who beat the Cyclones 48-22 in December.
Not much changed during Wednesday’s second installment. Don Bosco won 11 of 14 bouts and scored four pins and three major decisions.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
2019 State Duals Championships
Class 3A
Final: Southeast Polk 37, Waverly-Shell Rock 27
138 - Nathan Marchand (SEP) over Ian Heise (WSR) Dec 3-1
145 - Camden Baarda (SEP) over Cayden Langreck (WSR) Maj 12-2
152 - Lance Runyon (SEP) over Kurt Fay (WSR) Fall 0:09
160 - Cade Devos (SEP) over Bryson Hervol (WSR) Fall 1:39
170 - Jacob Herrmann (WSR) over Deveyon Montgomery (SEP) Fall 4:46
182 - Justin Brindley (SEP) over Gavin Wedemeier (WSR) Dec 5-2
195 - Gabe Christenson (SEP) over Brayden Wolf (WSR) Dec 7-3
220 - Lucas Walker (WSR) over Kalob Runyon (SEP) Dec 3-1
285 - Andrew Snyder (WSR) over Connor Brown (SEP) Maj 16-5
106 - Aiden Riggins (WSR) over Kale Anderson (SEP) TF 20-3
113 - Devin Harmison (SEP) over Bailey Roybal (WSR) Fall 1:54
120 - Joel Jesuroga (SEP) over Zack Barnett (WSR) Fall 1:33
126 - Dylan Albrecht (WSR) over Carter Martinson (SEP) Fall 3:38
132 - Evan Yant (WSR) over Carson Martinson (SEP) Dec 4-2
- Third Place: Ankeny Centennial 34, Fort Dodge 33
- Fifth Place: Bettendorf 41, Waukee 26
- Seventh Place: Western Dubuque 46, West Des Moines Valley 28
Class 2A
Final: West Delaware 45, Solon 12
138 - Jadyn Peyton (WD) over Aidan Dall (SOL) Maj 9-1
145 - Cael Meyer (WD) over Colton Spillman (SOL) Maj 11-2
152 - Mitchel Mangold (WD) over Caleb Ebert (SOL) Fall 3:16
160 - Zack Bevans (SOL) over Jared Voss (WD) Dec 4-2
170 - Wyatt Voelker (WD) over Andy Brokaw (SOL) Maj 11-0
182 - Jax Flynn (SOL) over Jack Neuhaus (WD) Dec 5-4
195 - Jordan Bries (WD) over Seamus Poynton (SOL) Dec 3-2
220 - Ben Petlon (WD) over Adam Bock (SOL) Dec 4-3
285 - Mike Hoyle (SOL) over Carson Petlon (WD) Dec 6-4
106 - Blake Engel (WD) over Kaden Lamm (SOL) Fall 1:26
113 - Luke Farmer (WD) over Jakobe Lahr (SOL) Fall 0:44
120 - Evan Woods (WD) over Lucas Kampman (SOL) Fall 1:08
126 - Hayden Taylor (SOL) over Staveley Maury (WD) Dec 11-7
132 - Ryan Phillips (WD) over Zeb Gnida (SOL) Dec 4-3
- Third Place: Osage 37, Crestwood, Cresco 33
- Fifth Place: Davenport Assumption 39, Independence 35
- Seventh Place: Sergeant Bluff-Luton 70, PCM, Monroe 12
Class 1A
Final: Don Bosco 48, Denver 18
138 - Riley Wright (DEN) over Cael Frost (DB) Fall 3:13
145 - Max Wettengel (DB) over Logan Meyer (DEN) Dec 8-3
152 - Cade Tenold (DB) over Ben Foelske (DEN) Fall 3:22
160 - Carson Tenold (DB) over John Ebaugh (DEN) Maj 10-1
170 - Cael Krueger (DEN) over Fischer Ohrt (DB) Fall 2:50
182 - Cael Rahnavardi (DB) over Trever Dorn (DEN) Dec 14-10
195 - Thomas Even (DB) over Brandon Maitland (DEN) Fall 0:18
220 - Bryce Schares (DB) over Cam Krueger (DEN) Fall 3:18
285 - Noah Pittman (DB) over Brock Farley (DEN) UTB 3-2
106 - Garrett Funk (DB) over Joe Ebaugh (DEN) Maj 11-1
113 - Brooks Meyer (DEN) over Cody Brown (DB) Fall 0:33
120 - Daniel Kimball (DB) over Jacob Moore (DEN) Maj 13-3
126 - Michael Mcclelland (DB) over Josh Terrill (DEN) Fall 1:24
132 - Foxe Youngblut (DB) over Brody Shover (DEN) Dec 11-7
- Third Place: West Sioux 33, Lisbon 32
- Fifth Place: Lake Mills 42, Emmetsburg 25
- Seventh Place: Logan-Magnolia 51, Missouri Valley 27