Bethlehem Catholic And Malvern Make a Case for Dual of the Year

On a weekend when a few of the standout prep programs were busy flexing their muscles on some of the nation’s other top teams, Bethlehem Catholic proved its among the best when it beat Malvern Prep 21-18 in an intense back-and-forth dual meet in a raucous environment.

In a dual in which not a single bonus point was scored, both teams were incredibly impressive. As much as everyone loves to see pins and bonus points, there’s something to be said for a match where two teams are as evenly matched as this one.

Freshman Keanu Dillard continued to put the nation on notice with four third-period takedowns en route to a 9-3 decision at 107 pounds. At 114, in the lone ranked matchup of the dual, #3 Nathan Desmond beat #10 Lukas Littleton Mascaro who had a really nice run at Escape the Rock just a few weeks ago. But the biggest win came from Andrew Harmon when he upset #20 Reed Fullmer at 160 pounds in a match that BECA needed.

Bethlehem Catholic was the PIAA champs in AA last season and seems likely to repeat.

St Joseph’s Stuns Bergen Catholic 

For the first time in 25 years, St Joe’s took out its private school rival Bergen Catholic and this one was in Bergen’s house.

The 34-21 victory required some lineup maneuvering from the visiting squad and it paid off. 

In the opening bout, Vincent Paino bumped up to 120 to face returning state placer Brian Melamud with whom he split matches with in 2022. Melamud prevailed 4-2, but a lack of bonus points was a sign of things to come. 

The only bonus points St Joe’s surrendered came by way of forfeit to Bergen’s Chris Bacchioni at 150. 

St Joe’s also opted to bump up Ryan Burton who went on to dominate his way to a 10-0 major decision at 160. Yannis Charles, Rocco Dellagatta, and Aiden Schlett all secured big-time victories in state-ranked matchups and #12 Michael Dellagatta’s tech fall at 190 gave St Joe’s a lead they’d never give back.

The Delbarton vs Bergen Catholic dual is one that fans across the state look forward to every year, and St Joseph’s might have just put a dent in that, but can they repeat it?

If the Crusaders hope to make another trip to the Non-Public A final and take on the state’s #1, they’ll have to flip the result against St Joe’s in the semifinals. If there’s a team that has the goods to go out and do that, it’s Bergen Catholic.

Who is the 2023 Iowa High School Wrestler of the Year?

As we near the high school postseason in Iowa, it’s time to name Mr. and Ms. Dan Gable Wrestlers of the Year. 

It’s a distinguished award whose past winners include studs like Brandon Sorenson, Drake Ayala, Carter and Cael Happel, Brody Teske and Alex Thomsen.

Top-10 nationally ranked stars Gabe Arnold, Ryder Block and Ben Kueter are the three worthy finalists for 3A Wrestler of the Year — the state’s biggest class.

Kueter, who is also a standout football player and will be competing in two sports next year at Iowa, was the winner of 3A Wrestler of the Year in 2022 and received the most fan votes so far this year. If Kueter wins for a second time, he’ll be the ninth multi-time winner in the award’s history.

Still, whoever wins, Hawkeye fans should be excited to know that all three of these guys are headed to Iowa City next year.

Check out the finalists in the other classes below:

Ms. Wrestler of the Year

Molly Allen — Riverside Oakland

Lilly Luft — Charles City

Naomi Simon — Decorah

1A Wrestler of the Year

Max Magayna — Columbus Catholic

Gable Porter — Underwood

Garret Rinken — Nashua-Plainfield

2A Wrestler of the Year

Nick Fox — Osage

Kale Petersen — Greene County

CJ Walrath — Notre Dame, West Burlington

Team State Championships Get Underway in Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey And Oklahoma

Iowa State Dual Championships 

After a decade in Des Moines, the Iowa state duals are headed back to the Eastern part of the state and slotted into a different calendar spot. The tournament will take place this weekend in Coralville after being held in Des Moines on the eve of the traditional tournament each year since 2012. Waverly-Shell Rock and Southeast Polk have combined for the last four titles in Class 3A. West Delaware is chasing its fifth straight Class 2A title. Don Bosco of Gilbertville has won four of the last five 1A crowns. 

Nebraska State Dual Championships

Class A Millard South, led by #6 Joel Adams, has won three straight championships and is sitting pretty to win a fourth.

Aquinas Catholic was the champs of Class C last year but is now in Class D and could see the returning champions, Sutherland in the semifinals where Aquinas looks to be the favorite.

Meanwhile, Cozad is the #1 seed in Class B and will look to dethrone the returning champs Bennington.

Oklahoma State Dual Championships

The big matchup comes in Class 6A where Edmond North and Stillwater are the top dogs. Edmond North came out on top when these two teams met earlier this season at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dual Classic at Historic Gallagher IBA Arena. It was a match that came down to the final bout with Edmond North needing a tech or a pin to win and heavyweight Ricky Thomas delivered the first-period fall.

Edmond North also won major swing bouts when Stillwater bumped some of its best wrestlers. At 126 pounds, Brayden Belford decked returning state finalist Sam Smith and #16 Kody Routledge used some savvy scrambling and two takedowns to knock off a top 10 guy at the weight below, Kael Voinovich.

There’s been a lot of talk about bonus points this week and bonus points were the difference in this one, as well. Edmond North won the dual by two and scored exactly two more bonus points than Stillwater.

One thing that is certain to be different this time around, though, is the addition of #1 in the nation Brayden Thompson who transferred to Stillwater at the start of January and is waiting to make his Oklahoma high school debut. 

It’s a battle every time these two teams face each other and you can be sure to expect a fun one again.

New Jersey Group Championships

Sectional Tournaments get underway on Feb. 6 and the four champions from each Sectional will advance to the Group Championship Finals at Rutgers University.

The previously mentioned Non-Public A bracket which features Delbarton, St Joe’s and Bergen Catholic, to name only a few, is the best bracket in the state and is sure to bring fireworks. 

Look for Southern to reign as the state’s #1 public school team and the favorite in Group 5.

Check out our State Championship Hub for more action and results from across the country!