Iowa City West and Cedar Rapids Prairie have won Mississippi Valley Conference division crowns a second straight year.
With Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s win over Waterloo West last night, the Trojans locked up the MVC Mississippi Division title. West is 26-1 overall and 6-0 in the MVC, ending conference competition tonight at Dubuque Hempstead against the Mustangs and Waterloo West. It’s the fourth straight title and 10th overall for West, which owns a 30-dual MVC win streak dating to 2006.
Prairie was the last MVC team to beat West. The Hawks are 17-2 …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Kennedy played the role of party crasher last night.
The Cougars tried to restrict the celebration to the pageantry before the meet on the evening when Cedar Rapids Jefferson honored each of the storied program’s state finalists and former coaches.
Kennedy won eight matches, claiming a 41-24 victory over Jefferson in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual at Jefferson High School.
“What a great opportunity to wrestle in front of not only Jefferson legends but Cedar Rapids area legends,” Kennedy Coach Brent Paulson said, referring to the attendance of …

ALBURNETT — They are Alburnett’s dynamic duo.
The Pirates and Coach Kane Thompson benefit from, not one but two of, the best wrestlers in Class 1A.
Christopher Halblom and Tyler Shulista both own top-rankings and have propelled Alburnett’s wrestling program to new levels of success.
“I think they’re making everyone around them better,” Thompson said. “We’re pretty solid from 112 to 135 with kids that are having a great season. I think it’s because they practice with each other and feed off what Tyler and Christopher have done at the state tournament.”
The pair …

CEDAR RAPIDS — Cedar Rapids Prairie wrestlers are greedy.
The trophy from last year’s Mississippi Valley Conference Valley Division title just wasn’t enough to satisfy the Hawks. So they took a big step to add to their hardware.
Ninth-ranked Prairie captured eight wins and outlasted Linn-Mar, 32-28, last night at Prairie. It gave the Hawks a two-dual lead in the standings with two left and the head-to-head advantage.
“We already got that one trophy from last year in the room. We were looking at that before we came out to wrestled,” Sophomore Peyton …

How many freshmen does it take to win a wrestling dual?
Cedar Rapids Prairie Coach Blake Williams was sure it was seven, but it turned out to be eight.
With more than half its lineup in its first year of high school, Prairie still showed its strength, claiming a 50-15 victory last night over host Cedar Rapids Jefferson.
Inexperience left Williams uncertain about his team’s chances Thursday.
“You just never know how they’re going to perform,” Williams said. “Some have had minimal varsity experience while others had quite a bit.”
The freshmen provided the Hawks …

WINTHROP — Don Bosco takes the mat each competition with a goal to be better each time out.
It will be hard to perform better than they did last night.
In a battle of Class 1A’s top two teams, top-ranked Don Bosco dominated second-ranked East Buchanan, winning 12 of 14 matches and capturing a 56-6 victory at East Buchanan High School.
The Dons (17-1) were up for the challenge of a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup.
“We told them to come out and step it up,” Dons Coach Tom Kettman said. “For the …

INDEPENDENCE — You might want to ask West Delaware assistant wrestling coach Kris Lenz his selections for the next Powerball. He seems to have a good vision of what’s to come.
Lenz, in his 25th year coaching at West Delaware, stated the higher ranked team doesn’t always win before the latest dual between rivals Independence and West Delaware. Lenz was right on.
The 12th-ranked Hawks scored three falls, propelling them to a 35-31 upset of No. 4 Independence last night in front of a packed gymnasium at Independence High School.
“That was fun,” …

It’s the world oldest sport and the concept is probably the most basic.
Two competitors battle head-to-head. No teammates to affect the outcome and no special equipment is necessary, unless a headgear and shoes fall into that category. Scoring the most points wins and a victory is automatic if you press your opponents shoulder blades to the foam mat.
Even in a region were wrestling is woven into the fabric of the culture, some are foreign to specifics of the sport. Casual spectators or fans getting introduced to prep wrestling can benefit …

Waverly-Shell Rock improved to 9-1, going undefated in three duals at the Cedar Rapids Prairie Holiday Wrestling Classic on Saturday. The second-ranked Go-Hawks dominated Cedar Falls and Mount Vernon before handling the host Hawks, 40-24, in the final round.
WSR Coach Rick Caldwell said consistency was the key to the Go-Hawks’ final performance until after the holiday break. He said their more accomplished wrestlers did what they were supposed to but others, who don’t have the state meet experience, under their belt wrestled well.
Listen to him discuss the team’s performance.

Go-Hawks two-time …

MARION — Iowa City West proved it has the interchangeable parts to continue dominating foes.
Missing five starters from their lineup due to injury and suspension, the top-ranked Trojans still won 10 matches and handled host Linn-Mar, 52-16, last night in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual.
West (10-0, 2-0 MVC) didn’t skip a beat without four ranked wrestlers, scoring bonus points in eight of its wins.
“This year we have a lot of depth,” West junior A.J. Bailey said. “It gives us room to play with the lineup and allows for situations we …