Saturday, February 15, is the day that dreams will be realized and hearts will be broken. Thirty-two competitors remain in each weight class and this weekend the field will be narrowed down to the 16 that get to call themselves state qualifiers. Like any tournament, certain Districts have weights that are more difficult than others, so these are the five weight classes in Class 1A and Class 2A you need to watch this weekend.

Class 2A

District 8 - 106 pounds - #3 Derrick Bass, #8 Lane Scorpil, #9 Dawson Townsend, Jack Kleese

Scorpil was able to score the upset in the Sectional finals over Bass after hitting a headlock late while trailing. Because of that, Bass will have to go through Townsend in a first-round match just to make the finals and set up the rematch with the undefeated Scorpil. Only two can qualify for state, so at least one ranked wrestler will be staying home. 

District 5 - 138 pounds - #5 Nathaniel Genobana, #6 Michael Thomas, #9 Payton Drake, Kaeden Lozano

Genobana is a two-time state runner up and was previously ranked #1 at 126. He’s now up at 138 and so far, the weight hasn’t seemed to be an issue. He edged out Thomas in the Sectional finals in a very close match. He’s got another challenge ahead of him this weekend as he’ll need to beat either Thomas or Drake to start another run back to the finals. 

District 5 - 126 pounds - #1 Matthew Lewis, #3 Brock Beck, #9 Colby Weiderholt, Gabe Gordon

Matthew Lewis is currently the only junior on pace to win four state titles. His path to number three continues Saturday and won’t be an easy one. He’ll have to face Weiderholt in the first round and then have Beck in the finals. If Lewis can win in the finals, it will set up a rematch of the Sectional finals for Beck and Weiderholt.

District 3 - 126 pounds - #5 Cael Ihle, #6 Hunter Worthen, #10 Logan Arp, Reese Broer

This weight could have some serious implications in the team race. Union, LaPorte City will need Worthen to qualify and score points at the state tournament if they want to knock off West Delaware. Worthen will have an uphill battle starting with a first-round match against Ihle. If he falls short there, Worthen will need to avenge his overtime loss in the Sectional finals to Arp. 

District 4 - 285 pounds - #2 Taven Rich, #3 Carson Pelton, #8 Cole Cremeens, Keaton Dennis

Rich has pinfall victories over both Pelton and Cremeens so he’s going to be the heavy favorite coming into this one. The first-round match between Pelton and Cremeens will likely decide which wrestler advances to state and which one stays home. Pelton has a 6-4 victory over Cremeens from earlier this year, so it's very possible that Cremeens can flip the script this time around.

Class 1A

District 1 - 113 pounds - #2 Clayton McDonough, #4 Jakob Whitinger, #5 Joe Ebaugh, Nathan Brumm

McDonough is 2-0 on the year against Whitinger, so the first-round match with Ebaugh should decide if he returns to the state tournament again. Whitinger scored the victory over Ebaugh at Sectionals, so he will be the favorite going into the wrestleback. Denver will need Ebaugh to qualify if they want a shot at a team trophy. 

District 5 - 145 pounds - #7 Dillon Lynott, #8 Garrett Sarringar, #9 Mark Dawson, #10 Reed Abbas

This is the only District bracket that has four ranked wrestlers. Lynott has beaten Sarringar who has beaten Dawson who has beaten Abbas, but this could very well come down to matchups. Anything could happen in round one with Lynott vs Abbas, as Abbas has 24 pins on the year so he is a threat to end a match at any point. Sarringar beat Dawson before Christmas break, and since then Dawson has gone 31-2, so that match could very well look different this time around. Either way, two very talented wrestlers will be staying home from this weight. 

District 6 - 170 pounds - #1 Carson Tenold, #3 Ethan Fulcher, #10 Max Bahls, Logan Hageman

Tenold was on a roll coming into Sectional having not lost since the second week of the season. Fulcher put an end to his hot streak with a 5-4 victory in the Sectional finals. Now Tenold’s path is just a bit harder. He’ll have to go through Bahls in a first-round match before the highly anticipated rematch with Fulcher.

District 5 - 182 pounds - #2 Treyton Cacek, #5 Carson Lynott, #9 Brodie Anderson, Keaton Bindel

Cacek has been on a roll for nearly two years now after going undefeated to a state title last year and only having one loss this year. Lynott lost by fall to Cacek earlier this year, but was able to close the gap in the Sectional finals, only losing by a regular decision. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to close the gap or if Cacek is just too much for him. In order for the rematch to happen, Lynott will need to beat a tough Brodie Anderson in round one.

District 1 - 285 pounds - #1 Chet Buss, #2 Chandler Redenius, #4 Chris Eastman, Levi Janssen

Chet Buss has been on a mission since missing the state tournament last year. His path won’t be easy this year, either. Buss will have Eastman in the opening round and Redenius in the finals if he makes it that far. Redenius beat Eastman 1-0 in the Sectional finals, so a rematch of that could decide whose dream comes true, and whose high school career is over.