Well over a dozen coaches. Eighty-eight wrestlers. One mission.
Recapture a traditional state title.
That’s what Southeast Polk wrestling is out to do in 2024, and they took another big step in that journey by winning the boys state dual tournament in class 3A on Saturday.
The Rams rolled to the finals, having little trouble against the reigning champion of the Class 3A duals and traditional state tournament last year in Waverly-Shell Rock. After out-scoring the Go-Hawks 54-24 in the first round, their next match on paper looked incredibly tough against Fort Dodge, with Dru Ayala, Dreshaun Ross and other high-profile names on the bout sheet.
After Ross pinned Southeast Polk’s Lafoy Hall to give the Dodgers a 6-4 lead, the Rams rattled off nine consecutive wins, including five pins to demolish the opposition with a scoreline of 53-18.
That set up a Southeast Polk-Bettendorf matchup in the finals. The Bulldogs were a battle-tested squad, with their semifinal match against Indianola going down to the last match (31-30).