Introducing the Iowa Eight for the 2021-22 high school wrestling season
The Iowa Eight is the Des Moines Register's preseason list of the eight best high school wrestlers in Iowa.
The selections are made based on past performances and future prospects, both within their high school seasons and in other statewide and national competitions, as well as Register staff observations and consultations with high school, college and recruiting contacts. Incoming freshmen through seniors are eligible.
Wrestlers are listed alphabetically. Records that weren’t given to the Register were compiled through Trackwrestling. All national weight class and prospect rankings are from MatScouts.
Robert Avila Jr.
School: Iowa City West
Year: 2022
Weight: 152
Record: 141-1
College Choice: Virginia (signed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Avila is one of the state's most exciting wrestlers, a three-time state champion with a national title and two Greco-Roman All-American finishes on his résumé, too. He is riding a 134-match win streak into his senior season.
Avila transferred to West from Lisbon over the summer, and will attempt to become a four-time state champion this season. Only 29 wrestlers in state history have won four state championships, and only one other, Joe Gibbons, did so at two different schools.
Ryder Block
School: Waverly-Shell Rock
Year: 2023
Weight: 138
Record: 67-1
College Choice: Iowa (committed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Block is one of the state's best pound-for-pound wrestlers. He won a state title as a freshman and made the finals again last season. He also took eighth at the Cadet world team trials last spring, and was a critical part of Iowa's dominant run to first place at the Junior freestyle national duals last summer.
Block is considered the No. 54 overall prospect in the 2023 class nationally and is also ranked No. 14 nationally at 132 pounds, though he will wrestle 138 this season for a Go-Hawk team seeking a fourth-straight state championship.
Hunter Garvin
School: Iowa City West
Year: 2022
Weight: 145
Record: 94-7
College Choice: Stanford (signed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Garvin is not only Iowa's top-rated senior, but one of the top wrestlers pound-for-pound in the nation. He is considered the No. 24 overall prospect nationally in the 2022 class and is ranked No. 3 in the country at 145 pounds.
His résumé explains why: he's a three-time state finalist, a two-time state champion, and a three-time national champion, in 2018, 2019 and 2021, too. He also took fourth at the Junior Greco-Roman world team trials. He will take a 30-match win streak into his senior season at West — which, led by Garvin and Avila, will be a force in Class 3A this year.
Nate Jesuroga
School: Southeast Polk
Year: 2023
Weight: 120
Record: 72-2
College Choice: Iowa (committed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Jesuroga is Iowa's top pound-for-pound wrestler, regardless of weight class or age level. He won a bronze medal at the Cadet world championships this past summer, is ranked No. 1 in the country at 120 pounds and is considered the No. 4 overall prospect nationally in the 2023 class.
Jesuroga won a Class 3A state title last season and has backed up his top ranking at virtually every stop possible, winning at both FloWrestling's Who's Number One and the prestigious Super 32 Challenge. He will headline a Southeast Polk squad that will challenge Waverly-Shell Rock in Class 3A this season.
► RELATED: Meet Southeast Polk star wrestler Nate Jesuroga
Ben Kueter
School: Iowa City High
Year: 2023
Weight: 220
Record: 35-0
College Choice: Iowa (committed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Kueter has a strong case as one of the state's top overall athletes. As a linebacker and tight end, he helped the Little Hawks to a 10-2 record and the Class 5A state semifinals this fall. But he excels even more on the mat, where he's won two Class 3A state titles in as many seasons for Iowa City High.
Kueter is 35-0 overall entering his junior season and has also won a Junior folkstyle national title, reached the Junior freestyle national finals, and took third at the Cadet world team trials last spring. He's currently ranked No. 4 nationally at 220 pounds and is considered the No. 13 overall wrestling prospect in the country in the 2023 class.
Tate Naaktgeboren
School: Linn-Mar
Year: 2023
Weight: 170
Record: 54-3
College Choice: Iowa State (committed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Naaktgeboren is another highly credentialed member of an incredibly talented junior class. He's considered the No. 30 overall prospect in the 2023 class and is currently ranked No. 8 nationally at 170 pounds.
Naaktgeboren is a two-time Class 3A state finalist and a 2021 state champion. He also won a Junior folkstyle national title last spring and reached the semifinals of the Cadet world team trials. He enters his junior season riding a 15-match winning streak.
Aiden Riggins
School: Waverly-Shell Rock
Year: 2022
Weight: 160
Record: 122-5
College Choice: Iowa (signed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Riggins became one of Iowa's fastest-rising talents last season. He went 36-0 and won a Class 3A state title. He stormed to the finals of the Cadet world team trials last spring, was also a crucial part of Iowa's first-place run at the Junior national duals, then reached the Junior freestyle national finals in July.
Riggins is currently ranked No. 3 nationally at 160 pounds and is also the No. 25 overall prospect in the 2022 senior class. He and Block will be critical players in the Go-Hawks' quest for a fourth-straight Class 3A state team championship this season.
Wyatt Voelker
School: West Delaware
Year: 2022
Weight: 220
Record: 119-13
College Choice: Northern Iowa (signed)
Why he’s one of the Iowa Eight: Voelker is another still-budding talent on the national scene, and proved his worth this summer by becoming a Junior All-American in all three wrestling disciplines: he made the national finals in folkstyle, took eighth in freestyle, then won a Greco-Roman national championship in July.
All of that success followed Voelker's Class 2A state title run last winter, during which he went 42-0 with 41 bonus-point wins. He's currently ranked No. 9 nationally at 195 pounds, and is considered the No. 52 overall senior prospect.
Just Missed
Chet Buss, North Butler-Clarksville — A two-time Class 1A state champion with a 127-2 career record. Of his 127 wins, 96 are pins. Ranked No. 13 nationally at heavyweight. Northern Iowa signee.
Carter Fousek, Crestwood — A three-time state champ in Class 2A. Past Cadet freestyle national finalist. Iowa State signee.
Nick Fox, Osage — Two-time state finalist who emerged as one of Iowa's next star wrestler this summer. Went 15-1 at the 16U national duals, then became a double All-American at the 16U freestyle and Greco-Roman national championships in July. Considered the No. 103 overall recruit in the 2023 class.
Griffin Gammell, Waukee Northwest — Returning Class 3A state finalist who became a Junior freestyle All-American this summer. Another member of Iowa's national title-winning Junior freestyle dual team this summer. Ranked No. 20 nationally at 182. Virginia signee.
McCrae Hagarty, Waverly-Shell Rock — Another one of Iowa's breakout stars. Went 39-0 and won a Class 3A state title. Earned double All-American honors at the 16U freestyle and Greco-Roman national championships in July. Currently ranked No. 15 nationally at 195. Also a standout football player.
Bradley Hill, Bettendorf — A fast-rising wrestling talent. Returning Class 3A state champion, a Junior folkstyle national finalist and a Cadet world team trials finalist, all last year. Currently ranked No. 9 nationally at 220. Iowa signee.
Gable Porter, Underwood — A two-time state finalist and 2020 state champion in Class 1A. Made the finals at both the Cadet Greco-Roman world team trials last spring and the Junior Greco-Roman national championships last July. A top-200 prospect nationally in the 2023 class.
Hayden Taylor, Solon — Three-time state champion in Iowa's Class 2A with a 145-2 overall record. Will carry a 111-match winning streak into his senior season. Considered the No. 93 overall prospect in the 2022 class.
Last Year's Iowa Eight: Adam Ahrendsen, Robert Avila Jr., Drake Ayala, Hunter Garvin, Matthew Lewis, Griffin Liddle, Aidan Noonan, Caleb Rathjen.
Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet the Iowa Eight for the '21-22 high school wrestling season
