State Dual Tournament Coverage

Updated: January 1, 2018

Dodgers, NHTV, Dons take home Dual Team Championships

State tournament weekend kicks off at Well Fargo Arena with tight team contests

Opening day for this week’s wrestling in Des Moines was more than a tournament dress rehearsal.

The 2018 IHSAA State Dual Team Tournament kept Wells Fargo Arena crowds entertained throughout Wednesday’s tight duals, tense moments across eight mats, and a thrilling championship round that was capped off by historic wins.

Top-seeded Fort Dodge claimed its first dual team title in Class 3A by dethroning Southeast Polk in the semifinals and storming back to beat Waukee in the finals. New Hampton/Turkey Valley repeated as Class 2A champion by knocking off Clarion-Goldfield-Dows for the second time this season. And Don Bosco, Gilbertville is taking home the title for the ninth time in Class 1A, which ties Assumption, Davenport for most dual team championships in IHSAA history.

“They’re all part of it,” Fort Dodge head coach Bobby Thompson said after Wednesday night’s finals, “whether they’re third string or second string or wherever, because they’re all in the same room working. Iron sharpens iron. In the past, we’ve come away a little bit shy, but it’s a team thing and the big thing is to try and get a picture on the wall in our school so everybody can be up there.”

Wednesday’s duals began at 9 a.m. and celebrations were still taking place on the Wells Fargo Arena mats nearly 12 hours later. State duals are always a challenge for Thursday’s traditional state tournament contenders and qualifiers, but wins made three duals of work worth it for the place-wining teams.

Fort Dodge (18-0) finished an unbeaten season with its 40-28 win over Waukee, coming back from a 25-13 deficit thanks to falls by Brody Teske (126 pounds), Drevon Ross (138), Cayd Lara (152), and a forfeit for Drew Bennett (132) in the span of five matches.

“We want a state championship, but we won’t be satisfied if we don’t get to on Saturday night,” Thompson said. “That’s the bigger thing for us. This is nice, to get in here and get three duals against great competition. We’re fortunate to come away with three victories.”

NH/TV beat Clarion-Goldfield-Dows by 39 points in a Dec. 22 dual, and though the lineups had multiple changes in their Wednesday night meeting, the final result was the same as the Chickasaws repeated as champs for coach Nick Hemann. The win is the fifth dual team title for New Hampton, but the first as NH/TV.

Don Bosco had to avenge an early season loss to Denver to win again in 1A, and coach Tom Hogan’s club left little doubt by jumping out to a 14-0 lead and holding on with gritty performances in a 38-27 finals victory. Both Don Bosco and Denver are tied for the 1A lead with nine qualifiers in the traditional tournament.

Coaching milestones

Williamsburg’s Grant Eckenrod became the fourth coach in state history to win 500 duals after his squad took down Ballard in the 2A quarterfinals. Fans hoisted signs with “500” after the 45-27 victory. The Raiders would ultimately finish fourth in the 2A field.

“The one thing I’ve learned in coaching is, surround your kids with great men and people,” Eckenrod told the Cedar Rapids Gazette . “I’ve been smart enough to do that. I’ve also been blessed with kids that have done whatever I’ve asked.”

Lisbon coach Brad Smith will earn career win No. 600 when the Lions claim their first dual of the 2018-19 season. The six-time state dual championship coach picked up his 599 th win when Lisbon topped Woodbury Central in the quarterfinals, but then his squad lost a 38-35 semifinal to Denver and the third-place consolation to Lake Mills.

Smith and Eckenrod currently rate second and fourth in career dual victories, respectively.

All-CIML in Class 3A

The quarterfinals in the state’s largest class were all claimed by teams from the state’s largest conference. Fort Dodge, Valley, Waukee, and Southeast Polk took up the state semifinal spots and faced off for two finals positions that ultimately went to No. 1 Fort Dodge and No. 2 Waukee. The semifinal between the Dodgers and Southeast Polk was a rematch of the 2017 final and went down to the final few matches. Cayd Lara sealed the win with a pin at 152 pounds, the final weight of the dual, as the Fort Dodge lead was just two points entering his match.

FINAL DUAL PLACEMENTS

Class 3A— 1. Fort Dodge; 2. Waukee; 3. Southeast Polk; 4. Valley, W.D.M.; 5. Johnston; 6. North Scott; 7. Dubuque, Hempstead; 8. Iowa City, City High.

Class 2A— 1. New Hampton/Turkey Valley; 2. Clarion-Goldfield-Dows; 3. West Delaware; 4. Williamsburg; 5. Webster City; 6. Solon; 7. Assumption, Davenport; 8. Ballard.

Class 1A— 1. Don Bosco, Gilbertville; 2. Denver; 3. Lake Mills; 4. Lisbon; 5. Interstate 35, Truro; 6. West Sioux, Hawarden; 7. Woodbury Central, Moville; 8. Missouri Valley.

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