3 takeaways from Class 1A's first session at the Iowa high school state wrestling tournament
The great start to the Iowa boys state wrestling tournament didn’t slow down in the final session of the opening day, with several storylines playing out in Class 1A.
With just four state title winners from last year returning to competition in 1A, it left room for many new guys to make noise. One guy called his shot with the biggest upset of the afternoon, in Central Spring’s Dawson Jacobsen upending returning state champion Jayden Rinken from Nashua-Plainfield (3-2 decision). The No. 15 seed had a takedown in the opening period and did not let Rinke connect on any of his attacks.
Owen Adlfinger of Wilton wrestles Iowa City Regina’s Carter Slager in their match at 126 pounds during the Iowa high school boys state wrestling tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa.
And that’s just the start.
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Here’s are three key takeaways from a session full of action in Class 1A.
Don Bosco gets hot start in pursuit of another traditional state title
Winners of the last five traditional state championships and four dual tournaments, the Dons have one mission.
Go four-for-four for their seniors.
There’s not a lot of former wrestlers in the state that can say they won four team state titles in both the dual and traditional, but Don Bosco has the special chance to give Andrew Kimball (165 pounds), Kaiden Knaack (175 pounds) and Landon Fernandez (190 pounds) bragging rights till the end of time.
So far, Don Bosco is doing a pretty darn good job of that. The Dons brought 10 wrestlers to Wells Fargo Arena and eight remain in the championship bracket with several wrestlers capable of finishing high on the podium.
The one most driven to do all of this is Knaack, who finished second last year at 145 pounds. His number one goal is finishing atop the 175-pound class himself and giving his team points, but he’s been blown away by his teammates’ support to end his career with quite the honor.
“It’s pretty unreal,” Knaack said. “There’s a lot of history at Bosco and to think that we’re going to make even more history is crazy. I just love our team.”
Wilton’s got strength in numbers and a chance to surprise
Wilton brought 10 guys to Des Moines, so it shouldn’t be too much of a shocker to see them sitting in second place, behind Don Bosco, but the pace they’re on is a shock.
Seven guys made it to the quarterfinals and of that group, they’ve had six wins by fall, one technical fall and two major decisions. No. 1 seeded 113-pounder, Mason Shirk, comes as little surprise, pinning his opponent in 3:10. But fellow lightweight Liam Adlfinger’s performance as the No. 10 seed has been a big development. He’s pinned both of his opponents in the first period, including No. 7 seeded Eli Rieb who was 41-3 on the year before Wednesday.
Trying to catch up to Don Bosco is a tall mountain to climb, but if guys like Adlfinger continue to win matches and advance further than expected for Wilton, they have a fighter’s chance.
Riverside’s Blake Allen looks ready to snag another state title
Just a couple weeks ago, Blake’s sister Molly was securing the third-state title of her career. Then, she said the work with her brother was key in her development. She also pointed out that she often beats up on Blake in wrestling.
Blake had none of that following his win by fall to reach the quarterfinals.
“Maybe when we were like 4 or 5 growing up, but not anymore,” Blake Allen laughed.
Regardless of who is beating up on whom, the Allens looked poised to make it back-to-back years where they both bring home state titles. This would be Blake’s second if he can get it done. The No. 1 seed at 138 pounds, Allen moved to 18-0 on the year with a pin. in 1:26 over Jesup’s Dawson Bell.
There are only going to be at most three guys in Class 1A that repeat as state champions, but Allen as of now looks the most ready to do so entering Thursday.
Team results after day one in Class 1A
- 1st – Don Bosco-50.5
- 2nd – Wilton-45.5
- 3rd – Alburnett-37.5
- 4th – Jesup-31.0
- 5th -Underwood- 28.0
- 6th – West Hancock -27.0
- 7th – Nashua-Plainfield- 25.0
- T8th – Pleasantville and West Branch -21.0
- T10th – Earlham and Hinton -20.0
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 3 takeaways from Class 1A’s first session at the Iowa high school state wrestling tournament