The first IGHSAU state wrestling meet is under way and the action started Thursday morning in front of a sellout crowd at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
With two rounds of wrestling in the books and more to come later Thursday, Waverly-Shell Rock sits atop a close team race.
The Go-Hawks compiled 46 points in the early action and all nine of the team’s wrestlers who qualified for state are still in contention for a medal. Three advanced to the quarterfinal round and the six others are in the wrestlebacks, where they can score valuable team points.
Of Waverly-Shell Rock’s 12 victories so far, 11 have come via pins.
East Buchanan is next with 43 points and four quarterfinalists, while Decorah is third with 42 points. The Vikings have just two quarterfinalists but eight others have scoring potential in the wrestlebacks.
A key for Decorah was the performance of 20th-seeded Kaitlyn Bjork, a freshman. Bjork pinned her first opponent in the 115-pound class and upset fourth-seeded Reese Berns of Central Elkader 10-9 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
Lewis Central is fourth with 39 points and four quarterfinalists, with Cedar Falls fifth with 37 and Osage sixth with 30. Both have two in the quarterfinals.
Every No. 1-seeded wrestler advanced and all but two pinned both opponents. The most impressive was Jalynn Goodale of Osage, who spent less than a minute on the mat at 110. She pinned her first opponent in 20 seconds and followed that up with a 21-second pin.
The first day will conclude with the quarterfinals on the championship side and the second and third round of wrestlebacks.
The first IGHSAU tournament opened with 448 wrestlers in 14 weight classes representing 156 schools. Within an hour of the start, every seat in the arena had been sold. The meet will conclude with the crowning of state champions on Friday night.