The Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament finished up this past weekend, and just like every year, it was an action-packed event. Wrestlers experience the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during the span of the grueling three-day tournament. If you missed any of the action, here’s a recap to fill you in. 

Happel Makes History

On Saturday night Cael Happel became the 28th wrestler in IHSAA history to win four state titles. Cael dominated his way to his fourth title with two tech falls and two pins, including his pin over #3 Logan James in the finals. He will go down in history as one of the most dominant wrestlers in state history. Fortunately for wrestling fans in Iowa, Cael will be staying home and wrestling at UNI next year. 

Noonan Prevents History

Adam Allard rode into the finals Saturday night on a 199-match win streak, tied with Max Thomsen for the longest streak in state history. A win for Allard not only would have given him sole possession of that record, but it would also have given him his fourth state title. Aidan Noonan, a returning state champion in his own right, had other plans. The junior shocked Wells Fargo Arena when he was able to secure a three-point nearfall as time expired to beat Allard 4-2. Going into the match, wrestlers competing in the finals against a would-be four-time champion were 0-27. 

Waverly-Shell Rock Rocked

Waverly-Shell Rock was the favorite coming into the tournament for class 3A and they showed why from the beginning. After coming up short in the State Duals on Wednesday, the Go-Hawks came out firing in the opening round of the traditional tournament. They posted a 9-1 record with seven pins in the first round and never relinquished the lead. The Go-Hawks beat runner-up Southeast Polk by 40 points. They got state title performances from Ryder Block at 106, Bailey Roybal at 113, Evan Yant at 152, and Braden Wolf at 220. 

Osage Returns to the Top

The class 2A race was thought to be done before the tournament even started. West Delaware dominated the State Dual Tournament winning in the finals 53-9. The Hawks had 12 qualifiers, four more than the next-highest team. When all was said and done, though, it was Osage who came out on top. The Green Devils won their first team title since 1981. Freshman Nick Fox and junior Spencer Mooberry both led the way by making the finals for Osage. Union, LaPorte City and Centerville had guys win titles, but didn’t get enough from the supporting cast to upend the Green Devils. 

The Dons Repeat in Dominant Fashion

Similar to Class 3A, the Class 1A traditional tournament champions lost in the State Duals finals. Lisbon was able to beat Don Bosco in a dual that came down to the last match. That was all the motivation Don Bosco needed as they went on to put nine guys on the podium and five guys in the finals. Lisbon had three champions in their own right, but it wasn’t enough as the Dons finished with a score of 170 to Lisbon’s 144.5

Staying on Track

Happel was able to complete the ultimate goal of being a four-time champ. Who might be joining the illustrious fraternity next? Matthew Lewis is the closest. The junior won his third consecutive title by beating Isaiah Weber in the Class 2A 126-pound final. There were five sophomores who won it all last year to start their long path towards four titles, and after this weekend only four of them remain on that path. Ankeny’s Trever Anderson fell short in the semifinals before bouncing back to a third-place finish. Carter Fousek (2A 113), Marcel Lopez (1A 113), Robert Avila Jr. (1A 132), and Hayden Taylor (2A 145) all won their second titles and are halfway to the ultimate prize. 

Freshmen Showed Up

This year’s freshman class has some serious talent in it, and that was on display at the state tournament. Seven freshmen made a final in their weight class with four of them ultimately bringing home the gold. Gable Porter and Ryder Block were able to cap undefeated seasons by winning titles at 106 pounds in Class 1A and Class 3A, respectively. Brandon Paez was able to knock off the #1-ranked wrestler in the class in the quarterfinals on his way to a state title at 120 pounds in Class 1A. Maybe most impressive of all was Ben Kueter, who knocked off #1, #3, and #4 on his way to his state title. Kueter beat Tate Naaktgeboren in the all-freshman Class 3A 160-pound final.