Class 2A District Previews

BY MATT PFIFFNER
A breakdown of the best first-round and possible championship matches at the eight Class 2A Districts on Saturday. Not every weight class in each District will be mentioned, just the ones that have possible high-profile bouts.

at Fairfield
119 - Ninth-ranked Matt Mullikin (28-7) of Sigourney lost at Sectionals and faces Schyler Sterna (29-6) of Louisa-Muscatine in the first round of Districts. The wrestler who knocked off Mullikin at Sectionals, Justin Guffey (28-13) of Fairfield, meets Jake Keller (35-8) of Columbus Junction in the other semifinal.
125 - Fourth-ranked Jay Meyerholz (37-2) of Columbus Junction defeated No. 5 Colton Moore (31-2) of West Burlington in Sectionals and expect the pair of meet again to decide the District title winner.
130 - At Sectionals in Columbus Junction, No. 4 Brandon Ball (41-2) of CJ defeated No. 10 Dustin Gieselman (32-5) of West Burlington for the crown. The two should meet again a week later for the District championship.
135 - Another possible Sectional title bout rematch could occur here. No. 7 Seth Noble (41-3) of Columbus Junction defeated No. 8 Travis Hargrave of Louisa-Muscatine for the Sectional crown and they could very well meet again at Districts.
215 - A very solid first-round bout happens at 215. No. 9 Wallace Carter (40-8) of Centerville takes on Kyle Bass (31-5) of Louisa-Muscatine in one semifinal.
285 - Another ninth-ranked wrestler faces a stiff first round test at this weight class. No. 9 Dane Kool (22-3) of Fairfield takes on Mount Pleasant's Jessy McMullen (36-5) in the semifinals.

at Solon
103 - A pair of talented freshmen meet in the first round. Dan Bieber of Anamosa (22-3) and Marcus Breeden (24-2) of Maquoketa square off in one semifinal. The winner is one step closer to State and likely meets No. 5 Kyle Paulson (28-2) of Wilton in the finals.
119 - Ninth-ranked Devon Gonzalez (35-2) of Mount Vernon and Alex Hinsch (27-9) of Camanche meet in a good first round bout. The winner will probably face Daniel Clark (33-3) of Central DeWitt in the finals, who defeated Hinsch at Sectionals.
140 - No. 2 Cody Stanley (33-0) of Wilton defeated No. 4 Dylan Azinger (33-3) of Central DeWitt in the finals at Sectionals and the two are no doubt planning a repeat match in the District finals.
160 - Eighth-ranked Eric Holmes (34-5) of Wilton finished second at Sectionals and that puts him up against Eastern Iowa Hawkeye Conference rival and second-ranked Jacob Ryan (37-1) of Mount Vernon in the first round. Another solid match takes place on the other side of the draw, as Jon Sackett (34-7) of Center Point-Urbana takes on Jeff Ohnemus (30-5) of Central DeWitt, who knocked off Holmes at Sectionals.
285 - Another pair of EIHC rivals will look to repeat their Sectional title bout appearances. No. 8 August Hadenfeldt (33-7) of Solon defeated Kevin Wolter (32-7) of Mount Vernon at Sectionals and they could very well meet again this weekend in the District finals.

at Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs
125 - No. 7 Colby Pedersen (27-10) of Clarinda faces off against Dan Delfs (34-8) of Sioux City Heelen in what looks to be a very good first round match. The winner likely faces two-time State place finisher and third-ranked Quin Leith (37-1) of Creston in the finals.
130 - One of the better title bouts could take place here, as third-ranked Bret Kautz (38-3) and No. 5 Joey Schaefer (33-6) of BCIG/OA appear to be on a collision course.
135 - Ninth-ranked Trent TRucker (37-6) of Creston could get a stiff first round test here against tough freshman Jordan Langley (35-8) of Sioux City Heelen.
140 - Top-ranked Ben Knight (41-1) of Sergeant Bluff-Luton, could face No. 7 Jesse Harris (25-4) of Creston in the finals. After finishing second at State his first two seasons, Knight is on a mission after missing a trip to State completely last year.
145 - The highlight of this weight class is the possibility of a No. 4 Caleb Brus (39-3) of Creston vs. No. 5 Tyler Murtaugh (38-2) of Harlan title bout.
160 - Top-ranked Kalab Evans (41-1) of Lenox has defeated No. 4 Taylor Sump (36-5) several times this season, including last weekend at Sectionals. Expect them to meet again at Districts in the title match.

at South Tama
135 - Fourth-ranked Casey Watts (16-3) of LaPorte City Union defeated Curtis Hobbs (32-7) of Grinnell for the Sectional title and those two could very well meet in a rematch for the District crown.
145 - Tough freshman Colby Grothoff (29-8) of South Hardin faces No. 8 Zach Hyland (35-8) of Vinton-Shellsburg in one semifinal.
152 - Top-ranked and undefeated Brett Rosedale (37-0) of East Marshall/GMG should not have any trouble on his quest to head into State with a perfect record.
171 - This weight class could produce the best title bout of the day. Fourth-ranked Holden Blythe (41-0) of Williamsburg should head into the finals with a perfect record. His opponent could very well be one of the top freshman in the state, seventh-ranked Sam Upah (37-3) of East Marshall/GMG.

at Roland-Story
103 - Top-ranked Joe Colon (28-0) of Clear Lake and No. 3 Brandon Helgeson (29-4) of Clarion-Goldfield met in the Sectional finals and no doubt are expecting a repeat match in Districts. But Helgeson might have some work in the semifinals, as he meets tough freshman Erik Schmidt (29-3) of Gilbert.
112 - Third-ranked Dylan Rusher (30-0) of Roland-Story edged No. 2 Mike Helle (44-1) of Rockwell City-Lytton/SCAL in overtime in the Sectional title bout. It would be one of the bigger shocks in the state Saturday if the two didn't meet again for the District crown. When they do, expect another classic.
119 - Fifth-ranked Tucker Weber (26-5) of Clear Lake lost in Sectionals to No. 10 Matt Boyington (33-7) of Humboldt. Weber must now face a tough Brad Schmidt (29-5) of Gilbert in the semifinals. The winner likely gets Boyington in the finals.
140 - Ninth-ranked Kevin Wuebker (43-4) of RCL/SCAL and No. 5 Tanner Kampen of Humboldt are likely finals opponents.
160 - Fifth-ranked Nick Hegland (34-3) of Hampton-Dumont and 10th-rated Marty Ball (38-5) of Jefferson-Scranton/Paton-Churdan could meet for the District title.
215 - Fourth-ranked Jordan Smith (36-3) of Humboldt and No. 6 Dave Sexton (40-6) of RCL/SCAL won their Sectional Tournaments and are more than likely going to meet to decide the District crown at this weight.
285 - Sixth-ranked Logan Voga (25-0) of Roland-Story looks to get his toughest test of the season if he is able to reach the finals. There waiting for him will likely be third-ranked Thomas Gruis (23-3) of Clear Lake.

at Winterset
125 - Eighth-ranked Trenton Moses (37-4) of Saydel took down Taylor Eichinger (34-6) of Ballard in the Sectional finals and they could very well meet again to decide the District title.
130 - Eighth-ranked Nathan Jones (35-6) of Saydel faces a very tough freshman in the first round, Carl Davis (35-4) of Southeast Warren. Whoever wins that bout likely meets No. 9 Nick Coffman (35-3) of Ballard in the finals. Coffman took down Jones at Sectionals.
135 - Fifth-ranked Dawson Simmer (33-6) of Ballard takes on a tough Tyler Jones (30-8) of Clarke in the first round. If Simmer wins that, he will probably face sixth-ranked Dylan Frost (28-4) of Winterset for the title.
140 - Third-ranked Brad Anderson (38-2) of Saydel defeated sixth-ranked Brock Weatherman (22-3) of Ballard in the Sectional finals and those two are expected to meet again at Districts.
145 - The premier match of the day in 2A should occur here. Top-ranked and returning State champ T.J. Moen (40-0) of Saydel is a perfect 3-0 against No. 2 Trent Weatherman (33-4) this season, including a victory in the Sectional title bout. The pair of rivals should meet again Saturday and could very well meet for a fifth and final time a week later in the State finals.
152 - Fourth-ranked Brad Parker (35-5) of Winterset and No. 7 Jared Ramsey (35-5) of Ballard should face off in what would be another great title bout at this District.
189 - Sixth-ranked Nate Andersen (28-1) of Ballard may appear to be the clear-cut favorite at this weight, but a potential title bout against unranked Spencer Bauer (39-5) of Southeast Warren could be very interesting.
215 - Top-ranked and defending State champ Cory VanPelt (41-1) of Winterset and No. 7 Aaron Cramer (25-6) of Dallas Center-Grimes are likely finals opponents.
285 - 10th-ranked Avery Fuhs 934-6) of Chariton is hoping for a rematch of his Sectional title bout, but with a different result. Fuhs was right in the match against No. 2 Taylor Stroud (30-0) of Winterset, before choosing down to start the third and getting rolled over and pinned.

at Spirit Lake
112 - Fifth-ranked Derrick Miner (34-5) of Spirit Lake Park defeated sixth-rabnked Houston Hieronimus (36-6) of Sibley-Ocheyedan in the Sectional finals last weekend. Both should be able to take their semifinal bouts to set up a rematch for the District title.
119 - Dillon Miner (28-6), ranked second for Spirit Lake Park at 119, took down sixth-ranked Corey Bjustrom (24-4) of Algona for the Sectional title last Saturday. Barring a major upset (both face wrestlers with losing records in the semifinals), the two will meet again here for the gold medal.
140 - Nick Larson (25-4) of Algona looks to knock off 10th-ranked Mike White (39-6) of Aurelia-Galva-Holstein in their interesting first-round bout at Districts. Jacob Johnson (29-8) of Spirit Lake Park, who defeated Larson at Sectionals, is the likely title bout opponent.
152 - No. 6 Nick Loughlin (24-3) of Cherokee could get a tough first round test against Brian Block (26-9) of Sibley-Ocheyedan. The winner of that bout likely meets No. 3 Ryan Joynt (39-2) of Emmetsburg in the finals.
160 - Two good semifinal matches here. No. 6 Thor Klinker (33-6) of Sheldon faces Justin Kuecker (24-6) of Algona on one side and Max Eddy (31-9) of S-O battles Austin Todd (32-6) of AGH in the other semifinal. Todd upset Klinker at Sectionals.
189 - Seventh-ranked Daniel Borchers (42-2) of AGH could get a shot at handing No. 2 Joe Johnson (27-0) of Algona his first loss of the season, if they both make it through their semifinal bouts.

at Upper Iowa University in Fayette
This District produced a ton of State place finishers last season and this year should be no different. Just about every weight has some excellent match-ups, but we just picked out the best of the best.

103 - Second-ranked and undefeated freshman Levi Wolfensperger (38-) and sixth-ranked Chris Paulus (25-5) of New Hampton is a very possible title bout.
119 - Third-ranked Greg Freshwater (37-1) of Denver-Tripoli meets Ian Mitchell (27-8) of New Hampton in the first round. On the other half of the draw, No. 7 Tannor Burke (34-3) meets Mike Kremer (30-5) of Independence. Two very solid wrestlers will be staying home at this weight class.
125 - The top two wrestlers at this weight in Class 2A should meet for the third time this season in the District final. Top-ranked Kyle Pedretti (36-1) of MFL MarMac defeated No. 2 J.J. Krutsinger (29-1) of Waterloo Columbus earlier in the season, but Krutsinger turned the tables in the Sectional title bout, in a bout between a pair of returning State champs. Expect a third bout this weekend and probably a fourth at State in the finals.
135 - There was an error in this weight class preview earlier.
Top-ranked Theran Goodale (39-0) of Osage puts his perfect record on the line in the first round against No. 10 Mitch Forness (31-4) of Waterloo Columbus. The winner likely meets third-ranked Blake Hilmer (37-2) of Denver-Tripoli in the finals. 
152 - An outstanding first round bout pits No. 5 Dustin Balsley (35-6) of Osage against 10th-rated Andrew Rodas (37-2) of MFL MarMac. Brady Hopkins (25-8) of Independence, who took down Rodas at Sectionals, meets Levi Ledbeter (28-11) of Crestwood in the other semifinal.
160 - A possible title bout between third-ranked Jaydon Mitchell (31-1) of New Hampton and No. 9 Scott Soukup (32-5) of Independence.
189 - Fifth-ranked Luke Stika (35-1) of Crestwood was handed his first loss at Sectionals against top-ranked Vinnie Wagner (40-0) of Osage. Stika meets Nick O'Laughlin (23-4) of Independence in a tough first-round bout. Wagner will be waiting for the winner in the finals.
215 - Matt Shannon (34-7) of Independence looks for the upset in the first round against No. 8 David Burrett (25-4) of Waukon. A possible title bout opponent for the winner is No. 3 John Helgerson (23-1) of North Fayette.
285 - Top-ranked Blake Rasing (31-0) remained perfect with a Sectional win over No. 4 John Coyle (24-1) of North Central, Manly. Those two could meet again for the District crown, but Rasing has to get past Derek Albert (27-5) of Independence and Coyle faces a large roadblock in No. 7 Brian Rodas (34-4) of MFL MarMac.