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Hawks bury Prairie for 3rd place, 59-6

DES MOINES - The friendly rivalry between the Cedar Rapids Jefferson and Cedar Rapids Prairie wrestling teams got a little contentious at the state dual meet tournament at Wells Fargo Arena Wednesday night.

Both teams had one of their wrestlers disqualified for "flagrant misconduct" during their consolation battle for third place as tempers flared on both sides.

Jefferson ran away with the meet, 59-6.

The J-Hawks used the bulk of their varsity lineup, including seven of the eight wrestlers who will compete in the individual state tournament that begins Thursday. The Prairie Hawks took the opposite approach, resting all nine of their state qualifiers after using them earlier in the day.

It turned out to be a mismatch, but the grapplers who took the mat took it seriously. Too seriously, perhaps.

Nick Hogan of Prairie was disqualified from his meet against Nick Dreckman at 170 pounds for unnecessary roughness. And Richard Moomey of Jefferson was disqualified from his bout against Jonah Manson at 220 for similar reasons.

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Prairie, Jeff matmen fall in semifinals

DES MOINES - The Cedar Rapids Prairie and Cedar Rapids Jefferson wrestling teams got off to promising starts at the Class 3A State Duals Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Both teams prevailed against strong competition in the opening round, then both clubs smacked into brick walls in the semifinals.

The Prairie Hawks were socked by top-ranked Southeast Polk in the semifinals, 56-12, and the Jefferson J-Hawks lost to second-ranked Bettendorf, 44-29.

Prairie and Jefferson advanced to the "Battle of Southwest Cedar Rapids" for third place Wednesday night, while Southeast Polk and Bettendorf were headed for a showdown for the title.

Prairie dumped fifth-ranked West Des Moines Valley, 35-23, in the opening round Wednesday. Jefferson bumped off third-ranked Johnston, 33-19, for a pair of satisfying victories over CIML clubs.

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Mark Bliss named Prairie football coach

Prairie High School Athletic Director Rocky Bennett has announced the hiring of Mark Bliss as head football coach pending board approval.

Bliss comes to Cedar Rapids Prairie from Ozark High School in Ozark, Mo., with 26 years of experience in education and athletics. Bliss succeeds Mike Morrissey, who resigned after four seasons to accept a coaching job in Arizona.

"On behalf of myself and my family I want to thank the College Community School District for giving us this incredible opportunity to be a part of their family," said Bliss. "After thorough research and input from close family friends who live in the Cedar Rapids area, I have no doubt we are moving to a community that prides itself on providing essential resources for all of its students to attain a quality education.

"I look forward to getting started and it will be our mission to build a program that will compete at the highest level and give the Prairie community something to be proud of."

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Pasker adds exclamation point for Prairie

Most wrestlers have to carefully watch their diet and shed pounds to make proper weight for their matches, but Tyler Pasker of Prairie faced a different problem heading into the Class 3A district meet Saturday.

Pasker actually had to gain seven pounds just to sneak into the 285-pound bracket as one of the lightest heavyweights in state history, and the gambit paid off when he pinned a much larger man to make the state tournament.

The Prairie Hawks won the district title and qualified nine wrestlers for the state tournament in Des Moines next week. Pasker might be the happiest member of the club after what happened in the Prairie gym.

The Hawks had an opening in the 285-pound division and Pasker volunteered for the job, even though he normally weighs about 190. But to be eligible for the 285-pound class, he had to "eat" his way out of the 195-pound division to meet IHSAA requirements. And at this time of year, the 195-pound class is actually 197 due to a two-pound allowance.

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