Iowa has a rich history, of producing some of the nations best wrestlers. Year after year this tiny state of just over 3 million, produces some of the best college wrestlers in the country. Have you ever stopped and wondered where all this top tier talent comes from? Well it all starts in Iowa’s super peewee and peewee programs found all over the state. Just about every elementary school in the state has some sort of youth program, and in more recent years elite kids clubs have been popping up all over the state. If that isn’t enough of an explanation, just check out the number of youth tournaments going on all year round within the Hawkeye state. Iowa has a HUGE number of tournaments to choose from, everything from beginner tournaments, to local tournaments, to regional tournaments, and more recently there has been numerous national tournaments popping up all over the state. If that wasn’t enough, there are dual tournaments and regular dual meets as well. If your a rasslin fan, Iowa is a great place to be.
In this article we will take a look at some of Iowa’s most elite kids, anyone between first grade, and sixth grade will be considered. I have done my best to review as many tournaments and results as possible, however I’m sure there will be numerous kids that slip thru the cracks on this list. If you can think of anyone who deserves to be included, just leave me a message and I will be sure to check out your suggestion. I’m breaking this list up into groups based on grade, instead of age. Grouping will be done by 1st/2nd grade, 3rd/4th grade, and 5th/6th grade. This article will focus on the third/fourth grade level. This is part 2 of a 3 part series. These will be listed in no particular order in a top 10 list. In some cases I may be adding an honorable mention section as well. Thanks for reading and enjoy!
Third and Fourth Grade
1 Jett Hines- of Pleasant Hill Jett is a third grader this year and is currently a 2x state champion, and also placed 2nd at state in first grade. Jett has quality wins over state champions, Rylan Gohn, Gunnar Atherton, Maddox Lennox, and Maverick Frazier. Jett is also a 6x All- American.
2 Beckett Loughren-of Independence Beckett is one of only a handful of kids that have won 4 pee-wee state titles. He also has a 2nd place medal from USA state, and a 4th place AAU medal as well. Beckett loves to score pins, in 6 state tournaments, he has won by pinfall 17x! I can’t seem to find much in the way of national experience, but he did win the Hammerin Hawks Christmas Classic, which is usually one of Iowa’s tougher tournaments and attracts kids from around the Midwest. Beckett does have quality wins over state champions Asher Whitmer and Evan Kleitsch.
3 Bentley Jacobsen-of Independence Bentley is a 3x state champion, and has also placed in the top 4 on three other occasions. On the national level Bentley has won 4 national titles and has been an all- american at least 6 times. He has quality wins over 4x national champion Asher Thomas as well as a hard fought 4-2 victory over Rico Silvestre, who is a 3x Illinois state champion.
4 Brennen Kloser-of Marion is another 3x Iowa state champion, he has also placed 3rd, 7th, 2nd, and 2nd at state. He has quality wins over 2x Missouri state champion Cole Martin, and AAU National Champion Breckin Falb. He is also a 2x All-American.
5 Kai McDonald-of Atkins: Kai is a 3x state champion and as good as he’s always been, he has really turned a corner in the last 2 years. I first took notice of Kai’s improvement when he pinned 4x state champion Bo Hake in the state finals in 2021. Since then he has won two national titles and finished second at Super 32, and the Reno World Championships! Kai has impressive victories over state champions from Florida, Michigan, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio, and California.
6 Gavin McDermott-of Bettendorf: Gavin is a 4x state champion, who has also placed 2nd and 4th in the state tournament series. He has 3 AAU titles and 1 USA state title. Gavin’s level of dominance is what puts him on this list, at the state tournament he has scored 15 pins most of which have come in the first 60 seconds! He has also pinned his way to a national championship, spending a total of 2 minutes and 10 seconds on the mat to claim the title. Gavin has impressive wins over state champions Kai McDonald, Jett Hines, Beckett Loughren, and Ashur Whitmer.
7 Liam Miller-of West des moines: Is a 2x state champion, in his second grade year he pinned his way through the state tournament in just 41 seconds. He is also a 6x all-american and even claimed the championship at the Turkey Nationals in 2019. He has quality wins over state champions Dagin Modina, Arik Honnold. and 6x national champion Samuel Dagel.
8 Tracen Frain-of Treynor: Tracen is a 3x state finalist and 2x state champion. He claimed both titles in 2021 winning the USA state title in January and the AAU state title in February! At the national level Tracen is an 8x all-american and 2x National Champion. He accomplished arguably his biggest feat, by winning 3rd/4th state as a 3rd grader. Something rarely seen in the Iowa state tournament. He has quality wins over 4x state Nebraska state champ Elias Rhodes, and 4x Minnesota state champ Tucker McLennan. He has also defeated 4x Iowa state champ Gavin McDermott and 3x Iowa state champ Parker Rissman.
9 Esaias Koethe-of Bondurant: Esaias is a 2x Iowa state champion, and 8x state place winner. He is also a 2x All-American. One thing that really stuck out with Esaias, is his willingness to wrestle up. Its not uncommon to see him wrestle at a 10U tournament one day and a 12U tournament the next. Often time the results remain the same: Esaias leaving with his hand raised. He has quality wins over 4x state champion from Oklahoma, Dalton Perkins, and 2x Illinois state champion Cameron Ramp, as well as 2x Minnesota state champion Garrett Williams.
10 Beckett Moyer-of Oskaloosa: Beckett is a 4x state champion, and has also placed 6th, 3rd, and 2nd in the state tournament series. He is also a 6x all-american, and 3x national champion! One of his most impressive feats, was placing second the the 2021 AAU state tournament in the 3rd/4th grade division, when he was still in 2nd grade. Beckett has quality wins over 3x Iowa state champion Mac Heysinger, 3x Ohio state champion Braxton Sharples, and 7x Indiana state champion D Angelo` Lil D ` Chavez!
So there you have it, here is my list of the 10 best third and fourth graders in the state of Iowa. If I missed anyone, please let me know in the comments.
To see our list of the best first and second graders in Iowa, click here.