Iowa high school wrestling notebook (1/8/2024)

After a quiet couple of weeks, the beginning of January has taken off in regard to prep wrestling in Iowa. 

In just a little over a month, districts will be here with the prestigious state tournament to follow.

This past weekend saw some highly competitive tournament action across the state, as teams convened at such events as the Jack Mendenhall and the Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod Invitationals.

With four individual champions led by returning state titlist Dreshaun Ross, Fort Dodge held off Indianola for top honors in Ames at the Mendenhall.

The event also featured the likes of Waverly-Shell Rock, Iowa City High, Ankeny, Cedar Rapids Prairie, West Des Moines Valley, Ballard and Ames.

Ross, who has received numerous Power 5 Div. I football and wrestling offers as just a sophomore, dominated his way to gold at 215 pounds. He improved to 28-0 on the year after recording four falls, including a pin in the finals over Ballard’s Henry Christensen.

Dru Ayala, Koy Davidson and Damarion Ross were the other champions for the Dodgers, who also had a runner-up finish from Sam Davidson.

Also winning Mendenhall individual titles were Dylan Munson of Cedar Rapids Prairie, Mac Crosson from Indianola, Truman Folkers of Ankeny, Cale Seaton and Kael Voinovich of Iowa City High, Jahkari Clark from Valley, Bas Dias, Ethan Bibler and Caden Wetherell of Waverly-Shell Rock and Brody Sampson from Ballard.

Don Bosco prevails at Eckenrod

Mighty Don Bosco showed why they are not only the top team in Class 1A, but one of the best in the state by taking down Waukee Northwest and Independence at the Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod Invitational.

The Dons scored 221 points to finish ahead of Waukee Northwest and Independence. The field also featured Union LaPorte City, host Benton Community, West Delaware and Dallas Center-Grimes.

Freshman Hayden Schwab remained perfect for Don Bosco, capturing gold at 106 pounds with two technical falls and a pin. Joining him atop the podium were Dawson Youngblut, Kyler Knaack, Landon Fernandez and Kyler Sallis. Andrew Kimball and Kaiden Knaack were each second.

The 126-pound feature was a classic, as Koufax Christensen of Waukee Northwest topped Jace Hedeman from Union, 1-0. The loss was the first for Hedeman, a junior and two-time state champion this year.

Christensen’s teammates, Carter Freeman and Jamal Neeway, joined him as winners.

Union’s Brayden Bohnsack and Caleb Olson, West Delaware’s Brayden Maury and Brent Yonkovic, Independence’s Tyler Wieland and Benton’s Brenden Heying were the other champions.

Bondurant-Farrar tops field at Rollin Dyer

Just 1.5 points were the difference between first and second place at the Rollin Dyer Invitational, as Bondurant-Farrar prevailed over Omaha Skutt out of Nebraska.

The Bluejays finished with championship performances by Reid Foster and Nolan Fellers, with Connor Fiser, Jack Lewis and Noah Winger each placing second.

Atlantic’s Aiden Smith and Evan Sorensen, Underwood’s Carson Thomsen, Central DeWitt’s Royce Butt, Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s Bo Koedam and Glenwood’s Mason Koehler were champions.

Thomsen edged out Fiser at 132 pounds, 4-3, for gold, while Butt earned a 7-5 sudden victory at 138 over Cael Nelson from Carroll.

--Dana Becker I @SBLiveIA