The first weekend of the high school season saw four incoming Iowa recruits win at tough tournaments. At the Dan Gable Donnybrook, Ryder Block of Waverly- Shell Rock won a 1-0 decision over Chris Coates of Liberty, MO for the 138 lbs. title. This is the second year in a row that Block has won this competitive tournament.

Ben Kueter of City High dominated the field at 220. He also won his second Donnybrook title with an 18-2 tech fall over Joe Lewis of Hempstead.

Gabe Arnold made his debut competing in Iowa one to remember. In the semifinals Arnold, ranked #6 at 182 by MatScouts, defeated #5 Tate Naaktgeboren of Linn-Mar, 8-3. Arnold and Naaktgeboren, who committed to Iowa State, may meet in the dual meet on January 5, the MVC Conference Tournament on January 28, and at the State Tournament. I look for exciting wrestling in every match between these two.

In the finals Arnold defeated #3 nationally ranked Connor Mirasola of West Bend, WI, 4-3. That is a great tournament for Arnold to beat two wrestlers ranked ahead of him in the national rankings. The moves Arnold was hitting against nationally ranked wrestlers has Iowa Wrestling fans excited about the future. I already mentioned in this blog that I believe Arnold will contend for a varsity spot next year as a true freshman at Iowa. The sky in the limit for this future Hawkeye.

Kale Petersen of Greene County won the 132 lbs. title at the always tough Cliff Keen Invite at Independence. Petersen scored three tech falls and a 12-5 decision on his way to the finals where he defeated Anders Kittelson of Osage, TB-2, 5-2. I look forward to following Petersen this season.

Nate Jesuroga of Southeast Polk did not compete at the Blazer Invitational in Gardner, Kansas. Keyan Hernandez of Billings West (Montana) will begin his junior season this coming weekend.

I will get you ready for another big weekend of wrestling for our incoming recruits with a blog on Friday.

The future looks great for Iowa Wrestling.

Class of 2023

Nate Jesuroga – Southeast Polk

Saturday, Dec 3 – at Blazer Invitational (Gardner, KS)

Did not compete.

Kale Petersen – Greene County  132 lbs. 

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Cliff Keen Invite (Independence)

Round 1 – Kale Petersen (Greene County) 5-0 received a bye () (Bye)

Round 2 – Kale Petersen (Greene County) 5-0 won by tech fall over Dawson Becker (Alburnett) 5-2 (TF-1.5 3:33 (23-7))

Round 3 – Kale Petersen (Greene County) 5-0 won by tech fall over Vinny Spano (Tinley Park (Andrew)) 6-4 (TF-1.5 2:38 (26-8))

Quarterfinal – Kale Petersen (Greene County) 5-0 won by tech fall over Mason Lucas (Carlisle) 4-3 (TF-1.5 4:07 (22-6))

Semifinal – Kale Petersen (Greene County) 5-0 won by decision over Tyson Peach (Milton) 6-1 (Dec 12-5)

1st Place Match – Kale Petersen (Greene County) 5-0 won in tie breaker – 2 over Anders Kittelson (Osage) 5-1 (TB-2 5-2)

Ryder Block – Waverly-Shell Rock  138 lbs.

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Finals: Ryder Block (WSR) dec over Chris Coates (Liberty, MO) 1-0

Gabe Arnold – City High (Iowa City)  182 lbs.

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Semifinals: Gable Arnold (City High) dec over Tate Naaktgeboren (Linn-Mar) 8-3

Finals: Gable Arnold (City High) dec over Connor Mirasola (West Bend, WI)

Ben Kueter – City High (Iowa City) 220 lbs.

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Finals: Ben Kueter (City High) tech fall over Joe Lewis (Hempstead) 18-2

Class of 2024

Keyan Hernandez – Billings West (Montana)

Season begins next weekend.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Iowa-Iowa State. As an Iowa Wrestling fan you circle the date as soon as the schedule is released. This is always a big dual meet especially to those of us that grew up with this intense rivalry. This year will have an added punch as the Cyclones are ranked #7 in the country. There will be fireworks inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena Sunday at 1:30 in more ways than one.

I will get right to the point. Without Spencer Lee to lead things off at 125 this could be a real close meet. Iowa State may be favored in the first three matches and at 165. Add in ranking tossups at 149, 184, and 197. I see members of the wrestling media are flat out picking Iowa State to leave Carver-Hawkeye Arena with the win.

The biggest match for me as a fan is at 165. Iowa State has #3 David Carr that has moved up from 157 where he won a national title and placed third. The Hawks will have freshman #13 Patrick Kennedy. We will see where Kennedy is at on the national scene with this match. I am sure all fans are looking forward to it.

Iowa does have #2 Real Woods listed on the probable lineup list at 141. Woods caused quite a stir when he transferred in from Stanford this season but he has yet to compete this season. Iowa State has true freshman #7 Casey Swiderski. I have no doubt that Hawk fans want to see Woods and Lee in the lineup for the first time this season for this meet but I am not holding my breath.

There will be a big rematch at 197 with #2 Jacob Warner facing #6 Yonger Bastida. This was a hotly contested match last year in Ames when Bastida won the match. The dual meet may depend on this very match. 

157 or 174 could be weights that are the deciding factor. Of course you could say that about every weight in a big dual meet like this.

Every single point will be contested and the sellout crowd will voice their opinion. I am sure that the coaches will be going at it as well. The intensity will be at an extreme level. Just what you would expect from a good ole Civil War.

The meet will be televised live on Big Ten Network  and will be on the air on 800 KXIC as well.

One thing is certain. We as wrestling fans will be entertained on a Sunday afternoon.

One thing to mention. Mark Ironside said on the air during an Iowa meet recently that Spencer Lee weighs in at the home meets even though he has yet to wrestle. So if the rumor is going around Carver or the internet that Lee weighed in, just letting you know he has weighed in for Iowa’s two home dual meets this year and has yet to wrestle.

I know the odds are not on our side of this happening. Can you imagine how the Carver crowd would go nuts if “We will rock you!” started blaring on the speakers and they did “Free the Lee?” It is free to wish.

#2 IOWA HAWKEYES (5-0) 

2022-23 Overall Wt. Rank^ Name Yr. Hometown/High School Record 

125 Aidan Harris Jr. Layton, Utah/Layton (Iowa Central CC) 0-4 

133 Cullan Schriever So. Mason City, Iowa/Mason City 7-1 

141- Drew Bennett Sr. Fort Dodge, Iowa/Fort Dodge (UNI) 3-2 -or- 3/2/3 Real Woods Sr. Albuquerque, N.M./Montini Catholic (Ill.) (Stanford) 0-0 

149 7/6/7 Max Murin RS Sr. Ebensburg, Pa./Central Cambria 5-0 

157 20/25/14 Cobe Siebrecht Jr. Lisbon, Iowa/Lisbon 4-0 -or- Caleb Rathjen RS Fr. Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny 1-1 

165 15/13/16 Patrick Kennedy So. Kasson-Mantorville, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville 4-0 

174 19/15/18 Nelson Brands Sr. Iowa City, Iowa/West 1-0 

184 10/8/8 Abe Assad Jr. Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North 5-0 

197 5/2/3 Jacob Warner RS Sr. Tolono, Ill./Washington 4-0 

285 5/4/4 Tony Cassioppi Sr. Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah 5-0

#7 IOWA STATE CYCLONES (5-0) 

2022-23 Overall Wt. Rank^ Name Yr. Hometown/High School Record 

125 16/19/15 Kysen Terukina Jr. Ewa Beach, Hawaii/Kamehameha 3-2 

133 Ramazan Attasauov Jr. Nalchik, Russia/Wayland 4-0 -or- 14/15/14 Zach Redding Jr. Manorville, N.Y./Eastport-South Manor 3-1 

141 7/12/10 Casey Swiderski Fr. Dundee, Mich./Dundee 4-0 

149 13/8/9 Paniro Johnson Fr. Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep 4-0 

157 Jason Kraisser Sr. Ellicott City, Md./Centennial 2-2 

165 3/3/3 David Carr Sr. Canton, Ohio/Perry 6-0 

174 –/23/– Julien Broderson Jr. Davenport, Iowa/Davenport Assumption 5-0 

184 5/5/5 Marcus Coleman Sr. Ames, Iowa/Ames 5-0 

197 6/6/6 Yonger Bastida Jr. Trinidad, Cuba 5-0 

285 9/10/10 Sam Schuyler Sr. Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park 5-0

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The opening weekend for high school wrestling is finally here. Iowa Wrestling fans, we have a lot to keep track of. I have been calling the incoming Recruiting Class of 2023 the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling for a reason.

Three of our wrestlers will be competing at the Dan Gable Donnybrook in Coralville on Friday and Saturday. How fitting. Gabe Arnold, Ben Kueter, and Ryder Block will be in the field. There will be some great matchups from a deep field of competition.

Nate Jesuroga will be in Gardner, Kansas at the Blazer Invitational. Kale Petersen will be at the Cliff Keen Invite in Independence. This is a tough tournament that is nationally ranked. Keyan Hernandez in the Class of 2024 will begin his season in Montana next weekend.

And do not for one second forget elite recruit Cody Chittum. He has already graduated but will join the team in August as a member of the Class of 2023. Chittum was ranked as the #1 pound for pound overall recruit in the country.

Chittum recently placed second at 70 kg/154 lbs. at the Bill Farrell Memorial International in New York City. That was an impressive showing in an open international tournament. Chittum has a great future for the Hawks and Team USA.

I will post a blog for results.

Let’s get ‘em in the middle.

Class of 2023

Nate Jesuroga – Southeast Polk

Saturday, Dec 3 – at Blazer Invitational (Gardner, KS)

Kale Petersen – Greene County

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Cliff Keen Invite (Independence)

Ryder Block – Waverly-Shell Rock

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Gabe Arnold – City High (Iowa City)

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Ben Kueter – City High (Iowa City)

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Class of 2024

Keyan Hernandez – Billings West (Montana)

Season begins next weekend.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Keyan Hernandez of Billings, Montana took his official visit to Iowa Wrestling and that was all it took. On October 1 Hernandez announced that he was going to be an Iowa Hawkeye. Hernandez will be a junior at Billings West and is the first member of the Iowa Wrestling Recruiting Class of 2024.

Hernandez is a two-time AA state champion. As a freshman he was 16-0 while winning the title at 103. Last season he was 36-0 as a state champ at 113. A total high school record of 42-0 with 36 pins. He has scored bonus points in 41 of his 42 high school matches. 

Hernandez is projected to compete at 125/133 for the Hawks. He will join former high school teammate Drake Rhodes who is a true freshman that saw varsity action at 174 this season for Iowa.

As I have done for years I will post a blog on Friday with a schedule of where our recruits will be competing for the upcoming weekend and follow up blog with results.

Fri/Sat Dec 9-10 – at Mining City Duals (Butte)

Tues, Dec 13 – Skyview

Fir/Sat Dec 16-17 – at CMR Holiday Tournament

Tues Dec 20 – at Helena 

Tues Dec 20 – at Capitol High

Thurs Dec 22 – CMR/GFH/Belgrade

Tues Jan 3 – at Senior

Fri/Sat Jan 6-7 – at LaProwse (Gallatin HS)

Tues Jan 10 – at Skyview

Fri/Sat Jan 14 – at Rocky Mountain (Missoula)

Thurs Jan 19 – at Huntley Duals

Sat Jan 21 – at AA Duals (Great Falls)

Tues Jan 24 – Senior

Sat Jan 28 – at Hardin Invitational

Fri Feb 3 – at DIV (Belgrade)

Fri Feb 10 – at State (Metra) 

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Kale Petersen of Greene County HS (Jefferson, Iowa) was the final recruit to commit for the Hawks on November 15. The two finalist for Petersen was Iowa and Iowa State. He is a member of the Class of 2023 that I have claimed to be the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling.

Petersen is a two-time state champion winning a 120 lbs. state title at Greene County (2A) and a 106 lbs. title at West Fork (1A). Petersen is projected to compete at 133 for Iowa.

Petersen is yet another homegrown Iowa high school wrestler that has been competing for Sebolt Wrestling Academy for years.

As I have done for years I will post a blog on Friday with a schedule of where our recruits will be competing for the upcoming weekend and follow up blog with results.

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Cliff Keen Invite (Independence)

Thurs, Dec 8 – at Gilbert and ADM

Sat, Dec 10 – at Ogden Duals

Thurs, Dec 15 – Quad Duals

Sat Dec 17 – at Carol Invitational

Tues Jan 3 – Quad Duals

Sat Jan 7 – at Atlantic Invitational

Thurs Jan 12 – Tri Duals at Perry

Sat Jan 14 – at Solon Invitational

Tues Jan 17 – HOI Conference Duals

Fri Jan 20 – at HOI Conference Tournament (Perry)

Sat Jan 21 – at Ed Winger Invitational (Urbandale)

Sat Jan 28 – at Charger Invitational (Guthrie Center)

Sat Feb 11 – at Districts (Webster City) 

Wed-Sat Feb 15-18 – at State (Des Moines)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Cobe Siebrecht has been named the Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. After being in a headlock, Siebrecht scrambled through and pinned #10 Anthony Artalona of Penn in 4:02. The pin capped off the dual meet with Iowa winning 26-11.

Last week Siebrecht entered the national rankings for the first time at #29. This week he is ranked #14 by Amateure Wrestling News, #20 by WIN, and #25 by InterMat. 

Siebrecht is a Junior from Lisbon, Iowa where he was a state champion and two time state runner-up. Siebrecht has been named Academic All-Big Ten the last two years and is majoring in Enterprise Leadership.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

It will be a full day for Iowa Wrestling fans on Sunday, December 4. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club will have a Pre-Match Social at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City starting at 11 AM. Big Grove Brewery is located at 1225 S Gilbert in Iowa City.

Following the meet there will be a H.A.W.K. Party at the Coralville Radisson in the Kinnick Room. The Coralville Radison is located at 1220 1st Avenue just North of I-80 at Exit 242.

The Hawkeye Area Wrestling Klub (H.A.W.K.) began in 1978 and is the oldest college wrestling fan support organization in the country. Attending a H.A.W.K. Party is a big part of the Iowa Wrestling experience for a big dual meet. I have great memories of attending these parties over the years.

For more information and to join the H.A.W.K. –  http://hawkklub.com/

Iowa faces Iowa State at 1:30 PM inside legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena before a sellout crowd.

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

Ryder Block of Waverly-Shell Rock (Iowa) committed to the Hawks following the huge recruiting weekend in October of 2021. I kept saying that Block was underrated last year. That is not the case this year. Block is a member of the Class of 2023 that I have claimed to be the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling.

Block is a two-time state champion and a runner-up at WSR. He looked great in winning a Junior national title in freestyle in Fargo this summer at 138. Now the rankings have arrived. Block is currently #3 at 138 by MatScouts after being ranked #1 this fall.

I see Block being at 141-149 for his career. It is always a guess as to how much a wrestler will grow and develop. Regardless of the weight, Block has a familiar background for recent recruits. He is from Iowa and Sebolt trained (SWA).

I believe Block has a real good to great future in store in the Black and Gold of Iowa. He has the combination of the skill set, background, work ethic, and the life long desire to be a Hawkeye.

As I have done for years I will post a blog on Friday with a schedule of where our recruits will be competing for the upcoming weekend and follow up blog with results.

Fri/Sat, Dec 2-3 – at Dan Gable Donnybrook (Coralville)

Thurs, Dec 8 – Waukon

Sat, Dec 10 – at Frank Baltzley Invitational (Johnston)

Thurs, Dec 15 – at Crestwood

Fri/Sat Dec 16-17 – at Battle of Waterloo

Thurs Jan 5 – Decorah

Sat Jan 7 – at Tripoli Invitational

Thurs Jan 12 – Charles City

Sat Jan 14 – at Bob Sharp Invitational (Ankeny)

Thurs Jan 19 – at New Hampton

Sat Jan 21 – at Ed Winger Invitational (Urbandale)

Sat Jan 28 – at Northeast Iowa Conference Tournament (Waukon)

Sat Feb 11 – at Districts (Cedar Rapids Jefferson) 

Wed-Sat Feb 15-18 – at State (Des Moines)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

InterMat released their new rankings. There were no changes to the team rankings for tournament or dual meet. It is still Penn State-Iowa for 1-2 in both the Tournament and Dual rankings. The point totals did change. Iowa gained four points and is now at 84 points behind Penn State who remained at 100. 

The addition of four team points is from Nelson Brands returning to the lineup at 174 and is now ranked #15. Iowa was not ranked at 174 before this. After a pin over at the time #10 ranked Anthony Artalona of Penn in the dual meet Saturday, Cobe Siebrecht went from #29 to #25 at 157. I look for Brands and Siebrecht to continue to climb in the rankings as the season goes on. 

All of the other Iowa wrestlers remained the same in the rankings from last week. The Hawks are led by #1 ranked Spencer Lee and #2 ranked Real Woods and Jacob Warner. Tony Cassioppi is ranked #4, Max Murin is #6 and Abe Assad at #8. 

Brody Teske stayed at #12 and Patrick Kennedy remained at #13. 

Iowa will host Iowa State in legendary Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday, December 4 at 1:30 PM before a sellout crowd. 

November 29 InterMat Rankings

125 Spencer Lee – #1

133 Brody Teske – #12

141 Real Woods – #2

149 Max Murin – #6

157 Cobe Siebrecht – #25

165 Patrick Kennedy – #13

174 Nelson Brands – #15

184 Abe Assad – #8

197 Jacob Warner – #2

Hwt Tony Cassioppi – #4

Tournament

1. Penn State – 100
2. Iowa – 84
3. Arizona State – 57
4. Michigan – 54.5

Dual Meet

1. Penn State
2. Iowa
3. Ohio State
4. Arizona State

Full rankings: https://intermatwrestle.com/rankings/college

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!

The Hawks look to keep the tradition going of having a top flight wrestler at 125 with incoming recruit Nate Jesuroga of Southeast Polk HS (Pleasant Hill, Iowa). Jesuroga is just what you want for a recruit. Toughness, technique, conditioning, work ethic, he has it all. Jesuroga is a member of the Class of 2023 that I have claimed to be the best recruiting class in the history of Iowa Wrestling.

Jesuroga is a two-time state champion and placed third as a freshman. What put Jesuroga high on the recruiting lists was when he won a Bronze medal at the 2021 Cadet World Freestyle Championships in Budapest, Hungary. He also won a coveted Super 32 title. Last summer Jesuroga crushed the competition in winning a Junior Freestyle title at 120 lbs. That is an impressive list of credentials.

I look for the torch at 125 for the Hawks to be passed from Spencer Lee to Drake Ayala to Nate Jesuroga. I believe we will see Jesuroga/Ayala at 125/133 for Iowa in the future. What a way to start the Big Tens, NCAA National Tournament, or any dual meet with those two Iowa homegrown Sebolt (SWA) trained wrestlers.

As I have done for years I will post a blog on Friday with a schedule of where our recruits will be competing for the upcoming weekend and follow up blog with results.

Thurs, Dec 1 – at Waterloo West

Sat, Dec 3 – at Blazer Invitational (Gardner, KS)

Thurs, Dec 8 – Johnston

Sat, Dec 10 – at Frank Baltzley Invitational (Johnston)

Thurs, Dec 15 – at Dowling/Waukee 

Sat Dec 17 – Red Owens Invitational

Tues Dec 20 – Ankeny C/WDM Valley

Fri Jan 6 – at Cheesehead Duals (Kaukauna, WI)

Sat Jan 7 – at Cheesehead Invitational (Kaukauna, WI)

Thurs Jan 12 – at Urbandale/Waukee NW

Tues Jan 17 – at Norwalk

Sat Jan 21 – at Ed Winger Invitational (Urbandale)

Thurs Jan 26 – at Ankeny

Sat Jan 28 – at CIML Conference Tournament (DM North)

Sat Feb 11 – at Districts (Norwalk) 

Wed-Sat Feb 15-18 – at State (Des Moines)

It is great to be an Iowa Wrestling fan.

Go Hawks!