Top-ranked Alburnett opened with three straight pins and cruised to a 60-14 Class 1A regional dual final win over No. 17 Earlham. The Pirates earned their eighth State Duals berth.
Just three years after placing 46th at the Class 1A state tournament, Alburnett is back among the top 1A programs. The Pirates are ranked second in dual and tournament rankings with seven ranked wrestlers to start the second half of the boys’ wrestling season.
For the first time, states had the opportunity to choose the number of weight classes for competition. Iowa remained with 14 weights that include new division in the middle to upper weights.
Each of his first two seasons, Alburnett’s Preston Klostermannwas forced to settle for second the opening weekend of the season. Not this time. Klostermann tallied four pins in the two-day competition, including a third-period fall over Clear Creek Amana’s Ryker Jones, to claim the 144-pound title Saturday at the Cliff Keen Independence Invitational.