8 boys wrestlers who stood out at the Iowa Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships

There's never an offseason when it comes to high school wrestling here in Iowa.

This past weekend, some of the state's best wrestlers gathered at Southeast Polk High School for the Iowa Freestyle and Greco-Roman state championships, looking to finish in the top four or better in their weight class to qualify for the USMC Junior and 16U Nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. There, they would get the chance to prove they are among the nation's elite.

We saw state champions, upcoming Division I wrestlers and several youngsters make a splash in Pleasant Hill. Here are eight who stood out with their performances.

Maximus Dhabolt, Ankeny Centennial

One of a number of guys to win both a Freestyle and Greco-Roman state title in the same weekend, Dhabolt was as impressive as any of them.

The Ankeny Centennial freshman wrestled in seven matches and conceded just two points the entire time. For a lean, taller wrestler, Dhabolt is very crafty on his feet. He's an elusive athlete and when you can get ahold of him, he does a great job keeping his balance and staying heavy to prevent guys from completing takedowns.

After taking third at the boys state championships last winter and losing just three matches, he's going to be one to watch potentially break out.

Broedy Hendricks, Humboldt

Here's another freshman who made a big statement this weekend, winning a 16U Freestyle state title at 175 pounds and outscoring his opponents 30-2.

Hendricks is incredibly strong. He uses his strength to his advantage, locking up cradle pins in the freestyle finals and making it difficult to score on as he works his way out of situations. He came up just short of winning a state title in February, but his size and strength likely will put him atop the podium in Wells Fargo Arena before his high school career wraps up.

Daniel Herrera, Ames

Herrera was one of the tournament's most dominant wrestlers by recording three technical falls and outscoring his opponents 35-4. The four-points he conceded came at the tail end of the first period of his finals match as Herrera was looking to finish the match and pushed the envelope a bit too far against Trent Warner and conceded a four-point action.

Herrera was wearing a Yonger Bastida Cyclone Regional Training Center singlet at the tournament as well, a nod to his fellow Cyclone heavyweight as he continues to show he's the heir apparent to one of the best wrestlers in the nation.

Jabari Hinson, Ames

Hinson was one of a few hammers in the Junior level 144-pound classes for Freestyle and Greco-Roman. In the 144-pound freestyle bracket, Fort Dodge's Koy Davidson (state champion), Osage's Blake Fox (state champion), Mount Vernon's Jase Jaspers (four-time state medalist) and West Hancock's Teague Smith (multi-time state finalist) and Hinson were all in one bracket.

Yet it was Hinson who came out on top with wins over Jasper in the semifinals and Fox in the finals. Fox would get that match back by beating out Hinson in the 144-pound Greco-Roman final, but that run through that bracket was as impressive of a feat as anything anyone else did during the weekend.

Daniel (Max) Magayna, Waterloo East

After falling just short of winning his fourth state title in high school, Magayna was on a mission at Southeast Polk. Wrestling in the Junior freestyle and Greco-Roman 175-pound classes, he had bonus-point wins in all but one of his matches, that being against Northern Illinois commit and state champion Damarion Ross.

Magayna and Waukee Northwest's Carter Freeman, who won a Junior Freestyle state title as well, came out and avenged those tough losses that prevented them from becoming four-time champs. Pretty cool moment for the two of them.

Cory Mehlert, Union

Five matches, five bonus-point wins for the Union freshman. He took 16U Freestyle and Greco-Roman state titles at 100 pounds, winning by technical fall in three matches and had two pins in under 30 seconds in his other matches.

For a smaller guy, Mehlert has a ton of power. He had a couple of big throws that caught the eye of the crowd on a couple of occasions. After taking fifth at the IHSAAs, he'll be one to watch take off in his sophomore season.

Caleb Olson, Union

Despite being in some tough brackets at 157 pounds, Olson also walked away with a Junior Freestyle and Greco-Roman state titles. He won by technical fall, fall or injury default in his seven matches, including a victory over Kellen Smith, a Class 1A state finalist this winter.

Cale Seaton, Iowa City High

Seaton had it tough from the jump with his first match against reigning state champion Rowdy Neighbor of Alburnett. Still, it didn't seem to bother him and he won by technical fall through the Junior freestyle 132-pound bracket.

He's off to South Dakota State here in a just a couple of months, but Seaton will always be remembered for coming off a major knee injury just over a year ago and being more dominant than ever. One gritty dude.

Cale Vandermark, Ankeny Centennial

The Jaguars have a bright future in front of them with Dhabolt and Vandermark, as they both swept the 16U Freestyle and Greco-Roman state titles in their weight classes.

Not only did Vandermark do that, he won by technical fall in all but one of his eight matches, conceding one point the entire weekend. Like Dhabolt, Vandermark is a technically sound wrestler who is tough to score on. He'll be another one to watch potentially explode next season.

Full results for the Iowa Freestyle and Greco-Roman State championships can be found on trackwresting.com

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championship takeaways