NL dominates All-Union wrestling

DES MOINES - It was another big year for Union Area wrestling, and that means another highly decorated All-Union wrestling squad. The All-Union team, formerly known as the All-Golden Triangle team is a collection of the best area wrestlers at each weight class.

New London rules the area in the sport of wrestling, and that was evident in this year's selections. The Tigers had six wrestlers make the 2019-20 team, including captain Marcel Lopez, and head coach Mark Chiri was named the All-Union coach.

Listed below are the full selections for the 2020 All-Union teams.

Coach: Mark Chiri, New London: As stated above, the New London wrestlers currently rule Southeast Iowa, and a big part of that is the success of their head coach. Chiri led the squad to a the regional duals this year, going 1-1.

Along with success as a team, New London sent six wrestlers to the state tournament and had three Tigers finish in the top four, ending the weekend with one state championship and two fourth-place finishes.

106: Lane Scorpil, sophomore, Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union:

The state tournament semifinals is quite a place to suffer one's first loss. Scorpil ran through the regular season in his sophomore year with an unblemished record to qualify for the state tournament.

At state, Scorpil was seeded second. He won his first match by an 11-0 score and his second 6-2 to get to the semifinals. He lost his next three matches. Scorpil finished the tournament on the podium, standing sixth in Class 2A at his weight. His final record was 35-3.

113: Marcel Lopez, sophomore, New London (Captain)

The Lopez train has been running through Class 1A wrestling over the last two years, and nobody has figured out a way to stop it. Lopez ended his sophomore campaign in the same place as he ended his freshman year, at the top of a podium at Wells Fargo Arena.

Lopez went 48-1 this year and won four-straight decisions at the state tournament in Des Moines. He was the top-ranked wrester in Class 1A 113 pounds, but still came into the state tournament as the No. 2 seed. After knocking off his first three opponents, Lopez beat top-seeded Clayton McDonough of Central Springs 6-2, to secure his second state title in two tries. That was plenty enough to earn the nod to be the All-Union team's 2019-20 captain.

120: Josh Glendening, freshman, New London

As if New London's team wasn't good enough, a talented freshman class joined the fray this year, and in that freshman class was Josh Glendening, who went 48-5 in his first high school season.

Glendening rolled to a conference championship in his first season on the mats and ended his season in Des Moines. The Tiger 120-pounder went 1-2 at state, setting himself up for a decorated career on the mats at New London.

126: Mason Dye, senior, Sigourney-Keota

Dye finished his senior season seventh at the state tournament after finishing first at districts. He won his first match at state, where he was seeded sixth, by major decision, but was pinned in the quarterfinal by the eventual third-place finisher. Dye won his next match at state with a pin in 47 seconds. He lost his next bout in the sudden victory period, but won his seventh-place match with a 7-3 decision. He finished with a 32-5 record for the season.

132: Jalen Collins, senior, WACO

Collins won a district title and was seeded eighth at the state tournament. He lost his opener at state but recovered to eke out a 12-11 decision before being eliminated. His outstanding year was capped with a record of 37-6 record. Collins was one of three Warriors at state. 'I'm not sure when the last time Waco had three qualifiers was,” WACO coach Seth Pugh said.

138: Dominic Lopez, New London, freshman

Like his older brother, Lopez had plenty of hype coming into his freshman year at New London, and he more than lived up to it with one of the best runs of any first-year grappler in Class 1A.

Lopez finished the season in the 50-win club, going 50-4, including three wins at the state tournament. He made the third-place match at Wells Fargo, falling 2-1. All three 138-pounders ahea dof Lopez were seniors, meaning the young Tiger will be one of the favorites in the lower to middle weights when the new season starts up next winter.

145: Jonah Clark, sophomore, WACO

Clark improved throughout the season, finishing with a 26-13 record. He finished second at districts and lost his opener at the state tournament. He rebounded well with a 9-3 victory, but was eliminated at state with a 4-2 loss. 'I was very happy with the way we bounced back in the consolations,” WACO coach Seth Pugh said.

152: Jaden Williams, senior, WACO:

Williams earned a number seven seed at state with a district championship. He lost his opener at state but scored an 8-4 decision in the consolation round before losing in the next round. Williams fashioned a 39-6 record in his last campaign as a Warrior. 'I thought all three of these kids had great seasons and I'm proud of the way they finished,” WACO coach Seth Pugh said.

160: Gabe Carter, senior, New London

Carter had quite a senior campaign for the Tigers, reaching the 50-win mark and finishing top four at the state tournament in Des Moines.

After going 1-1 in his first two matches at state, the Tiger senior went on a huge run through the consolation bracket, knocking off three wrestlers in the bracket before finally meeting his end with a sudden victory loss in the title bout.

170: Currey Jacobs, junior, New London

New London's top junior had plenty to be proud of in 2019-20. After a second-place finish at conference, Jacobs battled his way to the state tournament.

Jacobs went 38-13 in his junior season. He went 0-2 at state, but brought plenty of momentum for his send offseason next winter.

182: Cael Yeggy, senior, Highland

Yeggy finished his three years of wrestling as a member of the Huskies at state. Constant improvement was a hallmark of his career and he finished his senior season with a 31-15 record. Although he lost both of his matches at state, he is an example of Coach Derick Ball's constant work in the program.

195: Isaac Boucher, senior, Mid-Prairie

Boucher earned the sixth seed at the state tournament, despite finishing second in the district tourney. Boucher won his opening match at state, but lost his next two contests. Boucher finished the season with a 43-8 record, improving from just 10 wins his freshman season. His amazing season and career put him seventh on the Golden Hawks' all-time win list with 128 career wins.

220: Jaxon Allen, senior, New London

New London's heaviest state qualifier ended his high school in style, with a trip to the state tournament in Des Moines. Allen went 40-12 this season and took second in the district tournament to punch his ticket to the big dance, where he went 0-2.

285: Brayden Hartman, freshman, Washington

Hartman was the only Demon to qualify for the state tournament and was just a freshman, so he provides a promising future. Hartman was second at districts and lost his two matches at state, but represented well. He finished with a 21-16 record.

The 2019-20 All-Union wrestling team was selected by sports editors Andy Krutsinger and Doug Brenneman