Decorah has the lead in the team race after the first session of the state wrestling tournament at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
The Vikings, third in last year’s inaugural IGHSAU tournament, compiled 51 points through two rounds of wrestling in the championship bracket and one on the consolation side. Five Decorah wrestlers advanced into tonight’s quarterfinals and four others remain in contention to place as high as third.
East Buchanan is second with 48 points, followed by Cedar Falls (43), Bettendorf (40.5), defending team champion Waverly-Shell Rock (39) and Ankeny (37).
East Buchanan sent six to the quarterfinals and has one wrestler on the consolation side. Bettendorf and Waverly-Shell Rock each will have five in the quarters and Cedar Falls is sending four.
The Decorah and East Buchanan wrestlers were especially impressive during the opening sessions. Each picked up 12 victories on the championship side and for both teams, 11 of those wins came on pins. Neither team had a wrestler eliminated.
Decorah’s contingent includes returning champion Naomi Simon at 170 pounds. Simon pinned both of her opponents to run her record to 45-0. All 45 victories have been by a pin or forfeit.
Waverly-Shell Rock’s defending champ, Kiara Djoumessi, also pinned her way to the quarterfinals. She improved to 44-0 with 32 pins and six forfeits.
Cedar Falls kept nine of its 11 qualifiers in action, while Waverly-Shell Rock has six of its seven still going. All eight Ankeny wrestlers survived, though only two made it to the quarterfinals. Bettendorf still has seven of its eight qualifiers moving on.
Eleven champions from last year are back, with two of them at 125. Riverside’s Molly Allen, who moved up after winning at 115 last year, had two pins in under a minute. Union’s Jillian Worthen, the champ at 105 a year ago, advanced with a pin and a major decision. They would not meet until the finals.
Pleasant Valley sophomore Abigail Meyer, seeking a second title at 120, barely spent any time on the mat, pinning her first opponent in 30 seconds and her second in 29 seconds.
The opening session sold out for the second-straight year.