The attendance might not be as high as usual but the aderanline is as electric as ever!!!  It's Iowa High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament time, BAY-BEEEE!!!!

Here are some thoughts after the first day of wrestling here in the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA

North Scott Wrestles Tough

Of course they do.  This isn't any breaking news.  It is just great to see some tough wrestling without the flash, grabbing the singlet straps, or showboating.  Just hammer style wrestling.

Trace Gephart, Josh Connor, Peyton Westlin, Deven Strief, and AJ Petersen all collected first round wins for the Lancers.

Josh Connors looked strong in his 5-0 win over WDM Valley's Logan Stotts.

Peyton Westlin scored 9 unanswered points starting in the 2nd period to defeat Utahn Emmick of SC West 11-2.

In a real "Holy Crap" moment-- Deven Strief, with one good leg, muscled a far side cradle to pin Norwalk's Cade Schmidt.  At one point it looked like Strief was going to pin himself. He showed tremendous strength and will to roll Schmidt to his back.  Very impressive.

Ella Continues To Impress

We are very familiar with Bettendorf's Ella Schmit and her journey into the IAHSAA State Wrestling Tournament.  Ella took a tough loss in the first round on Thursday but bounced back to pin Cael Nelson in the wrestlebacks.

After a scoreless first period, Schmit used her superior cardiovascular training to get the fall.

The mountain will be a tough one if Ella hopes to get on the podium in 2021 but if we know one thing-- don't count her out of anything.

Bettendorf Is In 5th Place After 1st Round

The Bulldogs won 5 of the 9 first round matches.  Of the four on the backside, only Schmit and Josh Pelzer remain to wrestle for the podium.

Bettendorf will look to fight their way into the top 3 with strong showings from Jayce Luna (120), Dustin Bohren (126), Logan Adamson (160), Bradley Hill (220), and Griffin Liddle (285).

Davenport West's Travis Hodges Should Not Be Count Out Of Any Match

Travis Hodge found himself in a 8-0 deficit in his opening round match against Parker McBride of Iowa City West.

Hodges fought twice off his back after McBride used different arm bars for 3 point near falls.

McBride, previously unbeaten, chose neutral to begin the 2nd period and Hodges locked in his version of a neck wrench to stick the Trojan Junior at the 2:42 mark.

PV Has A Tough First Round But The Future Is Bright

The Pleasant Valley Spartans had a tough first round on Thursday.  They went 0-5 in the opening round and 1-4 in the wrestle backs.  Only Caden McDermott is still wrestling in the tournament.

The PV Spartans wrestling team will return 4 of their 5 state qualifiers next year.  Coach Larson continues to build a strong future for PV's wrestling program.

Today should be another great day for wrestling.  Quarterfinals are this morning-- in fact in minutes.  Semifinals will be tonight.