HIGH SCHOOL

2021 state wrestling: Team rankings, returning champs, undefeated wrestlers and cool names

Cody Goodwin
Des Moines Register

One of the greatest weeks in Iowa high school sports has returned once again.

The state's wrestling championships are this week. The 672 best wrestlers in all three classes will compete at Wells Fargo Arena — first in the state duals competition on Wednesday, then in the traditional state tournament Thursday through Saturday.

It will be a tournament unlike any other to cap a year unlike any other.

More:What fans need to know about the 2021 Iowa High School State Wrestling Tournament

Many of the state's best wrestlers also happen to be some of the nation's best wrestlers, and all will put their talents to the test this week in Des Moines. Some wrestlers are chasing history, while others are just seeking that glorious spot on top of the podium on Saturday night.

We'll be with you all week to get you prepared for the action, with in-depth stories, incisive analysis, plus lists of wrestlers and matches to watch. We will provide live updates from Wells Fargo Arena each day, since many won't be allowed in this year because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Our coverage starts with this primer to get you ready for the week ahead: a list of the top-10 teams in each class and their number of qualifiers; all of the past state champs that are back again this year; each remaining undefeated wrestler in all three classes; and a list of all the Caels, Gables and other cool names to follow in this year's field.

Buckle up. This week has the chance to be one of the best in recent memory.

► Related:Here is every first-round matchup for the 2021 Iowa state wrestling championships

Top 10 teams in each class

Rankings from IAWrestle

Class 3A

  1. Waverly-Shell Rock — 12 qualifiers
  2. Southeast Polk — 10 qualifiers
  3. Waukee — 12 qualifiers
  4. Fort Dodge — 9 qualifiers
  5. Bettendorf — 9 qualifiers
  6. Iowa City West — 8 qualifiers
  7. North Scott — 8 qualifiers
  8. Linn-Mar — 7 qualifiers
  9. Johnston — 7 qualifiers
  10. Ankeny — 10 qualifiers

Class 2A

  1. West Delaware — 11 qualifiers
  2. Crestwood — 7 qualifiers
  3. Osage — 6 qualifiers
  4. Davenport Assumption — 5 qualifiers
  5. West Burlington, Notre Dame — 5 qualifiers
  6. Union, LaPorte City — 4 qualifiers
  7. Centerville — 3 qualifiers
  8. Independence — 9 qualifiers
  9. Bondurant-Farrar — 5 qualifiers
  10. Webster City — 3 qualifiers

Class 1A

  1. Don Bosco — 12 qualifiers
  2. Lisbon — 11 qualifiers
  3. West Sioux — 5 qualifiers
  4. Logan-Magnolia — 7 qualifiers
  5. New London — 5 qualifiers
  6. Underwood — 5 qualifiers
  7. Western Christian — 2 qualifiers
  8. Woodbury Central — 3 qualifiers
  9. Mount Ayr — 4 qualifiers
  10. Nashua-Plainfield — 4 qualifiers

Returning state champions

Three-Time Champs (1)

  • Matthew Lewis, sr., Centerville — 2018, 2019, 2020

Two-Time Champs (7)

  • Drake Ayala, sr., Fort Dodge — 2019, 2020
  • Aidan Noonan, sr., Cascade — 2019, 2020
  • Caleb Rathjen, sr., Ankeny — 2019, 2020
  • Robert Avila Jr., jr., Lisbon — 2019, 2020
  • Carter Fousek, jr., Crestwood — 2019, 2020
  • Marcel Lopez, jr., New London — 2019, 2020
  • Hayden Taylor, jr., Solon — 2019, 2020

One-Time Champs (13)

  • Adam Ahrendsen, sr., Union, LaPorte City — 2020
  • Graham Gambrall, sr., Iowa City West — 2020
  • Griffin Liddle, sr., Bettendorf — 2020
  • Bailey Roybal, sr., Waverly-Shell Rock — 2020
  • Trever Anderson, jr., Ankeny — 2019
  • Hunter Garvin, jr., Iowa City West — 2020
  • Mickey Griffith, jr., Des Moines Lincoln — 2020
  • Camron Phetxoumphone, jr., Webster City — 2020
  • Ryder Block, soph., Waverly-Shell Rock — 2020
  • Chet Buss, soph., North Butler-Clarksville — 2020
  • Ben Kueter, soph., Iowa City High — 2020
  • Brandon Paez, soph., Lisbon — 2020
  • Gable Porter, soph., Underwood — 2020

Undefeated wrestlers entering the 2021 state tournament

Class 3A

  • Carter Freeman, Waukee — 24-0, 106 pounds
  • Blake Giomio, Cedar Rapids Prairie — 16-0, 106 pounds
  • Kael Kurtz, Iowa City High — 12-0, 106 pounds
  • Nate Jesuroga, Southeast Polk — 22-0, 113 pounds
  • Parker McBride, Iowa City West — 7-0, 120 pounds
  • Grant O'Dell, Iowa City West — 12-0, 126 pounds
  • Ryder Block, Waverly-Shell Rock — 21-0, 132 pounds
  • Bryce Parke, Linn-Mar — 17-0, 132 pounds
  • Hunter Garvin, Iowa City West — 12-0, 138 pounds
  • Cole Ferguson, Waukee — 26-0, 138 pounds
  • Christian Stanek, Cedar Rapids Xavier — 34-0, 145 pounds
  • Joel Jesuroga, Southeast Polk — 23-0, 145 pounds
  • Aiden Riggins, Waverly-Shell Rock — 30-0, 152 pounds
  • Caleb Corbin, West Des Moines Valley — 22-0, 160 pounds
  • Tate Naaktgeboren, Linn-Mar — 9-0, 160 pounds
  • Ivan Thomas, Cedar Rapids Xavier — 32-0, 170 pounds
  • Ashton Barker, Iowa City West — 12-0, 170 pounds
  • McCrae Hagarty, Waverly-Shell Rock — 34-0, 182 pounds
  • Taner Harvey, Boone — 31-0, 195 pounds
  • Ben Kueter, Iowa City High — 7-0, 195 pounds
  • Bradley Hill, Bettendorf — 24-0, 220 pounds
  • Gabriel Greenlee, Ames — 31-0, 285 pounds

Class 2A

  • Anders Kittelson, Crestwood — 26-0, 113 pounds
  • McKinley Robbins, Greene County — 30-0, 120 pounds
  • Carter Fousek, Crestwood — 26-0, 126 pounds
  • Hayden Taylor, Solon — 35-0, 160 pounds
  • Jarrett Roos, Sheldon-S. O'Brien — 40-0, 160 pounds
  • Wyatt Appleseth, Panorama — 43-0, 160 pounds
  • Carson Babcock, New Hampton-TV — 42-0, 170 pounds
  • CJ Walrath, Burlington-Notre Dame — 45-0, 170 pounds
  • Jared Voss, West Delaware — 34-0, 170 pounds
  • Adam Ahrendsen, Union — 19-0, 182 pounds
  • Wyatt Voelker, West Delaware — 34-0, 195 pounds
  • Mason Askelsen, Ballard — 28-0, 195 pounds
  • Dylan Winkel, Central Lyon-GLR — 29-0, 220 pounds
  • Carson Petlon, West Delaware — 35-0, 285 pounds

Class 1A

  • Eli Becerra, Missouri Valley — 44-0, 106 pounds
  • Garret Rinkin, Nashua-Plainfield — 43-0, 113 pounds
  • Braden Graff, West Sioux — 39-0, 113 pounds
  • Marcel Lopez, New London — 56-0, 120 pounds
  • Beau Klingensmith, Woodbury Central — 44-0, 126 pounds
  • Clayton McDonough, Central Springs — 52-0, 126 pounds
  • Aidan Noonan, Cascade — 42-0, 132 pounds
  • Hagen Heistand, Logan-Magnolia — 39-0, 132 pounds
  • Gable Porter, Underwood — 10-0, 132 pounds
  • Cullen Koedam, West Sioux — 47-0, 138 pounds
  • Robert Avila Jr., Lisbon — 30-0, 145 pounds
  • Jace Mulder, Western Christian — 38-0, 152 pounds
  • Jaydon Knight, Mount Ayr — 40-0, 152 pounds
  • Maximus Magayna, Columbus Catholic — 38-0, 152 pounds
  • Cade Tenold, Don Bosco — 24-0, 170 pounds
  • Jackson Dewald, Westwood — 41-0, 182 pounds
  • Tristan Mulder, Western Christian — 27-0, 195 pounds
  • Cole Clark, Lisbon — 34-0, 220 pounds
  • Chet Buss, North Butler-Clarksville — 33-0, 285 pounds
  • Brant Baltes, Lisbon — 31-0, 285 pounds

Cael, Kael, Cale and Gable (and other great names in this year’s tournament)

One unique thing about the state wrestling tournament every year is seeing all the kids named Gable and Cael that have qualified. We’ve compiled a list here, as well as other cool names to listen for if you're lucky enough to be inside Wells Fargo Arena this week.

There is one Gable — Gable Porter, from Underwood. The sophomore is 10-0 this year and 45-0 for his career. The actual Gable himself would be both proud of Porter's accomplishments but perhaps irritated that he's the only Gable in this year's field.

There are many more Caels. In 2002, when Cael Sanderson won his fourth NCAA title to cap an undefeated college career, 76 newborns in Iowa were named Cael. Those kids will turn 19 this year. There are 17 with the same spelling in this year’s state tournament, as well as six Kales, three Kaels and one Cale, plus two Caelens, a Kalen, and a Carl.

That's a lot. Let's break this down. There are eight Caels in Class 3A and six more in 1A. Two Caels are from Ankeny (one from Ankeny, one from Centennial), and two more are from Don Bosco (Rahnavardi, Frost). One bracket, 106 pounds in 3A, has two Caels (Long, Nelson), a Kale (DiMarco) and a Kael (Kurtz).

There are more different spellings of the same names, like Aiden (Riggins and Grimes) and Ayden (Kingery and Nicklaus); Riley (Radke, Rankin, Hoven), Ryley (Barnett) and Rylie (Anderson); Kody (Cook, Huisman) and Cody (Hay); Tanner (Wink) and Taner (Harvey); two Griffins (Gammel and Liddle) and one Grifen (Molle).

You can do it with last names, too: Petersen (Kale, A.J. Joey) and Peterson (Braydon, Brett); Kristensen (Ezra) and Christensen (Koufax, Thurman, Gabriel); Dane Johnson and Rex Johnsen. Five kids have the last name Hanson (Cooper, Remington, Landon, Donavon, Casey). That's not counting the two named Ben Hansen (both freshman, too).

Some sound similar, like Tegan Slaybaugh and Easton Schlabaugh, or Gavin Wiseman and Cooper Wiemann. Some just go together, like Greyson Gardner and Jace Rose; Derrick Bass, Victor Bird, Nick Fox and Alex Beaver; Cael Winter and Trevor Summers; Jaiden Moore and Carson Less. Some just stick out, like Boden Pickle.

Some are hard to say, like Caleb Rathjen (rah-chee), Ben Kueter (kee-ter) and Cam Phetxoumphone (pet-sum-pawn). There's also a Greenfield (Brent) and a Greenlee (Gabe), a Castle (Theron) and a Barncastle (Triston), an Appleseth (Wyatt) and an Applegate (Mason), a Griffith (Mickey) and a Griffiths (Braylon).

There's Grant O'Dell, Brandon O'Brien, Tate O'Shea and Ben O'Neill. There are seven Garretts (and another Garret), six Gavins (one Garvin), two Mayberrys (one Mooberry) and three Peytons. There's six Moores, six Andersons, two Chances, and seven Hunters — but at this stage, everybody would rather be the hunter than the hunted.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.