High school wrestling season: 5 points to remember before the holidays

Jace Hedeman of Union Community and Dylan Munson of Cedar Rapids Prairie were dominant; Alburnett takes on all comers; Wamac is tough again; Superb 2A trio at 190 pounds

The first half of the high school wrestling season is over. The wrestlers only have five weeks until the playoffs. The performances of the teams and individuals punctuated the first weeks. Here are five notable performances before the holidays.

UNION COMMUNITY’S JACE HEDEMAN MANAGES COMPETITION

Jace Hedeman won state titles at 106 and 113 in his first two seasons for the Knights. He reached the 126-pound final, but lost to Webster City’s Carson Doolittle, 3-1, in a sudden victory last season. Hedeman didn’t pout because his chance to be a four-time state champion was taken away from him. This setback gave him a new perspective, wanting to have more fun in his training and enjoy competing more. No luck for his opponents. Hedeman reached the holiday break with a 21-0 record. Hedeman was not challenged, winning all of his matches with bonus points. He has 12 pins, four technical falls and a major decision with four forfeits. Hedeman is a key part of the Knights’ success, joining teammate Brayden Bohnsack, a two-time state champion, ranked No. 2 with 120. Bohnsack is a three-time state medalist. Coy Mehlert is ranked second with 106 and Kaydin Jones is No. 7 with 138, giving Hedeman strong training partners to go along with assistant coach Max Thomsen, a four-time state champion for Union and All- American at the University of Northern Iowa. Expect more of the same from Hedeman after the break.

PRAIRIES’ DYLAN MUNSON DOMINATES

Dylan Munson of Cedar Rapids Prairie surpassed 100 career victories. The two-time state medalist was ranked No. 1 for part of last season and finished sixth at 106. Munson’s move to 113 provided more dominance from the Hawks senior. Munson has throttled his opponents thus far as he sets his sights on a state title, attempting to add a folkstyle crown to his state championships in Greco-Roman and freestyle. Munson entered the break ranked fourth by IAwrestle.com. He is 15-0 but has gone the distance in each of his fights. Eight didn’t even make it to the third period. Munson recorded eight technical falls and six pins. The only other victory was a forfeit. If the second half matches the first, Munson could win Prairie’s 29th individual gold medal.

ALBURNETT SUCCEEDS START OF SEASON TESTS

The Pirates have been one of the most impressive teams, regardless of class. They won the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational and a second-place finish behind nationally ranked Southeast Polk in the Battle of Waterloo dual tournament against teams from Class 1A, 2A and 3A. Alburnett cleared a regular hurdle by beating Don Bosco in a championship pool duel at BOW, although the Dons will have some additions after the break. The Pirates are no surprise, however, returning 10 state qualifiers, seven medalists and 137 points from a team that was runner-up in both the traditional state and the State Duals. They’re certainly meeting the challenges, beating 1A powerhouse Wilton and Clear Creek Amana in non-conference duals over the first 10 days of the season en route to a 9-1 mark. Alburnett leads 1A with 11 wrestlers ranked by IAwrestle.com. Atlee Dewitt (113), state champion Rowdy Neighbor (126), Tayten Coufal (132), Cooper Franklin (138), Reece Klosterman at 157 pounds and Shayden Washburn at 190 are all ranked second. Senior Preston Klosterman, a three-time state medalist, is third at 144. If that wasn’t enough, freshmen Owen Henriksen (120) and Eaghan Fleshman (215 pounds) provided a solid boost. Fleshman is ranked fifth, while Henriksen is 12th. Nine wrestlers are expected to win state awards. Don Bosco remains the team to beat but Alburnett has demonstrated the ability to do so.

WAMAC CONFERENCE IS LOADED

The Wamac Conference has been a tough wrestling conference for decades. This season is pretty much the same. It’s loaded with individual and team talent, including 10 teams featuring at least one of the conference’s 33 ranked wrestlers. Mount Vernon is ranked second and Independence is No. 9 in 2A. Independence has six ranked wrestlers and Mount Vernon has five to lead Wamac. Clear Creek Amana (3A), West Delaware and Williamsburg have four each. If you need proof, look at the 144 rankings. Wamac has three of the top four in 2A with Mount Vernon’s No. 1 Jase Jaspers, a two-time state finalist, West Delaware’s No. 3 Jax Miller and Independence’s No. 4 Kameron Kremer. CCA’s Nolan Howell is fifth in 3A. The conference’s biggest strength might lie in duals, with half of the top 10 2A dual teams. West Delaware is ranked No. 1 and Benton Community is second. Independence is fourth, Mount Vernon sixth and Williamsburg 10th. Solon is No. 16 in 2A and CCA is 21st in 3A. The conference tournament will be tough in Benton on February 1 and the conference will also be well represented in regional duals.

SUPERB TRIO AT 190

Benton Community’s Brenden Heying, Anamosa’s Austin Scranton and West Delaware’s Brent Yonkovic occupy the top three spots in the 2A 190 rankings. They have a combined six state medals, including Scranton’s state title with 175, third place Yonkovic with 175 and Heying’s fourth place with 165 last year. That all changed early this season at the Bob Murphy Invitational in West Delaware, with Heying winning the tournament with back-to-back 4-2 decisions over Yonkovic and Scranton. Heying is No. 1 with a 17-0 record. Scranton is 16-1, winning the Jim Kinyon Norsemen Invitational at Roland-Story. Yonkovic is 17-1, winning the South Winneshiek Invitational. Demonstrating the distance between the trio and the rest of the field, Yonkovic defeated Decorah fourth-ranked Thomas Sexton (10-3) 19-3 in the South Winn final. Mark your calendars for January 11. All three are expected to wrestle at the Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod Invitational in Benton.

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