Bulldogs Claim Deike Duals title as Stevens earns 100th career win

The Hampton-Dumont-CAL boys’ wrestling team wrapped up its 2022-2023 wrestling regular season by taking the team title at the second annual Steve Deike duals. 

The tournament was moved from the beginning of January to the beginning of February on the weekend that used to be sectionals. Coach Patrick Hansen said that with sectional wrestling being eliminated by the state, going two weeks without competing before districts would be tough.

The Bulldogs began the day with a dual against Collins-Maxwell. The Bulldog wrestlers took 10 forfeits on their way to an 82-0 win. Maddon Evans, Jayson Stevens, and Charlie Showalter won by fall while Taylor Mahler earned a major decision. The second matchup pitted the Bulldogs against Forest City where they won the first ten matches and only lost two. Burmester, Evans, Heilskov, Stevens, Stevens, Mahler, Strother, Mahler, Vosburg, and Janssen won by fall, while Bunston and Showalter won by decision. Jayson Stevens first-period pin was the 100th victory of his career and the milestone was noted. The Bulldogs ending up winning the dual 66-12 as well.

The third matchup was between the Bulldogs and Iowa Falls-Alden. IF-A forfeited the first five weights to the Bulldogs while Mahler, Showalter, Mahler, Bird, and Burmester would all win by fall. Janssen won by major decision and the Bulldogs took the victory, 64-15. The fourth dual of the day saw the Bulldogs face BCLUW-South Hardin. Jaymes Stevens, Strother, Bird, Vosburg, and Burmester won by fall, while Carter Heilskov won a tight battle with Sean May, 9-4. 

The final matchup of the day would see Charles City go up against the Bulldogs in a matchup that decided the 2023 Deike Dual champion. The Bulldogs opened with three victories, Carter Heilskov by forfeit, Jayson Stevens by fall, and Jaymes Stevens by forfeit. Strother, Showalter, and Taylor Mahler would follow suit with forfeit, pin and forfeit. The Comets battled back, winning three matches in a row, but Sean Heilskov would get a first-period pin, and Hector Bunston ended the dual with a first period fall. The Bulldogs defeated the Comets 48-31, going 5-0 on the day, thereby winning the Deike Duals. Jayson Stevens, Jaymes Stevens, Charlie Showalter, Taylor Mahler, Hector Bunston, and Carter Heilskov would all go 5-0 on the day for the Bulldogs. The five victories helped the Bulldogs to finish 13-10 in duals for the season.

Hansen said he is excited for how the team is looking heading into districts. 

“We had a couple kids move to different weight classes that will help them in the postseason, and a couple other kids will move into the varsity lineup,” he said. “It should be an exciting meet in Webster City next weekend for districts.” 

Hansen also wanted to give a shout out to the middle school and youth that wrestled at AAU districts and wanted to recognize the wrestlers that qualified for AAU state. Those wrestlers were Brooks Varrelmann (sixth grade), Madox Strother (seventh grade), Will Varrelmann (eighth grade), Joe Powers (eighth grade), Joseph Weinandy (eighth grade) and Briggs Gruelke (eighth). 

The high school wrestlers will return to action Saturday in the district wrestling tournament in Webster City. The tournament begins at 10 a.m. and tickets must be purchased online through the IHSAA website.