Des Moines Register's top-10 Iowa high school boys Wrestler of the Year candidates right now
We are now under a month away from the best of the Iowa high school boys wrestlers making their way to Wells Fargo Arena to attempt to win a state championship.
Among that group, 42 will be crowned title winners of their weight class, forever enshrining themselves in Iowa high school wrestling lore. However, even among that exclusive crew, a select few stand among the crowd every year.
The Des Moines Register has selected 10 boys Wrestler of the Year candidates as we head into the final stretch of the season. We have nine returning state champions on this list. Among the 10, there are just five losses between them this season.
While these are the Des Moines Register's current top 10, other wrestlers in the state still have an opportunity to crack their way into contention for the award with time remaining in the season.
Here are the Des Moines Register's top-10 boys wrestler of the year candidates:
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Stats are as of Jan. 13 from Trackwrestling. All wrestlers are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
Dru Ayala | Fort Dodge | Senior
Ayala is wrestling at the highest level of his high school career right now, sitting with a 26-1 record at 120 pounds. Why? After losing in the finals of the IHSAA state tournament in back-to-back seasons, the Fort Dodge senior has all the motivation in the world to end on a high note.
Koufax Christensen | Waukee Northwest | Senior
A two-time state champion, he's looking well on his way to earning his third with a 25-1 mark on the season. His only loss came against Seth Mendoza (Chicago, Mt. Carmel), who is currently being courted by several major Division I programs and is ranked No. 5 in the country at 126 pounds among all classes, by a 9-4 decision at the Dan Gable Donnybrook.
The Oklahoma commit has not lost a high school match against an Iowa opponent since 2021 when Christensen lost to then-future Hawkeye Nate Jesuroga as a freshman in the Class 3A 116-pound final. In short, he's one of the best in the state.
Carter Freeman | Waukee Northwest | Senior
He's one of two boys wrestlers in Iowa who can become a four-time state champion this year, but he's going to face maybe his biggest challenge yet to do so. Freeman dropped just the fifth bout of his high school career to Fort Dodge's Koy Davidson in the 138-pound final of the Council Bluffs Classic (2-1 decision). If he can overcome that adversity from earlier this year, the UNI commit will be forever enshrined in Iowa high school wrestling history.
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Jace Hedeman | Union | Junior
Hedeman suffered the first loss of his high school career to Christensen at the 2024 Bobcat Jerry Eckenrod Invitational in the 126-pound final (1-0 decision). The good news for Hedeman is that he won't have to see Christensen in the Class 2A IHSAA state tournament and is still has an astounding 128-1 record all-time in high school.
The two-time state champion committed to Northern Iowa back in November and will look to add another title to his trophy case in February.
Jacob Helgeson | Johnston | Junior
The Dragons' 165-pounder is looking to repeat as a state champion in 2024. So far, he's doing quite well at making his way toward that, recording a 22-1 record with his only loss against an out-of-state opponent. In 17 of those wins, he's earned the victory by pin.
Mason Knipp | Columbus Catholic | Senior
Knipp is a winner through and through. After winning a state title in wrestling last year, he's following that up with a stellar season so far.
In his senior campaign, Knipp is 24-0 with 15 of his victories via pin.
Max Magayna | Waterloo East | Senior
The North Dakota State commit is a three-time state champion, winning at 152 pounds as a freshman, 160 pounds as a sophomore and 170 pounds as a junior for Columbus Catholic. After transferring to Waterloo East, he'll be looking to win his fourth state title in a different weight class, with Magayna sitting at 28-0 at 175 pounds in his senior campaign.
Dreshaun Ross | Fort Dodge | Sophomore
Everyone is gunning for this guy and he has a lengthy list of wrestling accomplishments at the local and national level. He's 29-0 so far as a sophomore and undoubtedly one of the biggest recruiting prospects in wrestling and football in the state of Iowa currently.
Cale Seaton | Iowa City High | Senior
You would never know this guy suffered a major knee injury just last year, winning a state title just a month later and returning better than ever with a 15-0 record in his senior year thus far.
Tucker Stangel | Osage | Senior
Stangel is the senior leader of this Osage team looking to add another state title to the rafters. After going 44-0 last year and winning his first state championship, he's now 38-0 in his senior campaign.
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: Top-10 Iowa boys high school Wrestler of the Year candidates 2024
