Author: marklongmainstream (Page 99 of 174)

Swim With Sharks

The shark dive and feeding frenzy are two of the newest attractions guests can enjoy at Wonders Of Wildlife! The Out to Sea Shark Dive takes you under water inside a metal cage to come face-to-fin with sand tiger sharks, brown sharks, and Atlantic Goliath groupers. The state-of-the-art air helmets allow you to comfortably submerge underwater without diver certification. WOW also provides guests with an  underwater camera during the dive, and you’ll receive a print photo with a flash drive of additional pictures. Wonders of the Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium is located at 500 W Sunshine St., Springfield Missouri.  For more information, click here.

Enjoy A Golf Cart Ride Through A Waterfall Paradise 

Experience the unforgettable two-and-a-half-mile journey on an electric cart as you explore the Top of the Rock Lost Canyon and Nature Trail. This dramatic trail was created to highlight stunning rock formations, waterfalls and views of Table Rock Lake. Don’t forget to stop at the Bat Bar for a fresh glass of lemonade. Top of the Rock is located at 150 Top of the Rock Road Ridgedale Missouri. For more information, click here.

Enjoy A Cave Boat Tour

The Bonne Terre Mine is the perfect place for adventure!   This cave boat tour will give you an unforgettable experience as you get to see into the past! Inside the Mine, you will find Billion Gallon Lake, which is the largest subterranean lake on Earth.  This is also home to the world’s largest freshwater dive resort. The boat tours last between 45-55 minutes, and will take you past ancient items submerged in the crystal clear water.  After the boat tour, your adventure continues on foot, exploring the vast underground. If that wasn’t enough, you can even become a certified scuba diver, and continue your exploration underwater.  Bonne Terre Mine is located at 185 Park Ave., Bonne Terre, MO. For more information, click here.

Ride A Mountain Coaster

The Copperhead Mountain Coaster lays claim at being the longest, fastest, and most scenic in the state. The Mountain Coaster at Shepherd of the Hills is still brand new, after arriving in Branson just a few months ago. This fast paced ride is nearly a mile in length, and travels 1,450 feet uphill before racing back down another 3,350 feet. As you twist and turn flying downhill the coaster can reach speeds of up to 50 mph. Shepherd of the Hills is located at 6021 W. 76 Country Blvd, Branson MO. For more information, click here.

Kayak Through A Old Mine

In 2013 Marsan Canoe and Kayak Tours began offering one of the most amazing float trips available today.   Located deep in the heart of the Midwest, lies a one of a kind kayaking experience that you will never forget.   Operated by Marsan Canoe and Kayak Tours, this amazing Adventure takes you into the depths of the long forgotten PPG no.9 glass mine. The 3 hour tour takes you up to 400 feet below ground, as you navigate your kayak through the flooded former sand mine.  On your tour you will pass such sights as the “Birth Canal,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “The Squeeze,” ” The Car Wash” and the “Townsend Center”which is the largest opening in the mine.  To reserve your spot call (636) 208-5026  to find out more about this amazing kayak tour click here.

For more of Missouri’s Incredible Adventures, click here.

The #1 ranked Iowa wrestling team suffered a huge blow when news broke that 3x NCAA Champion Spencer Lee would miss the rest of the season.

Fortunately for the Hawks, the team has a deep bench. Coach Brands had two studs waiting in the wings for the opportunity to step in and fill the hole Mr. Lee left.  While Spencer left some big shoes to fill, both Drake Ayala, and Jesse Ybarra are more than qualified to lead the team into battle.

As of today, it looks like the starting spot at 125 belongs to true freshman sensation Drake Ayala from Fort Dodge. Drake is someone I have followed since he was in junior high and I can say without a doubt that he is the Real Deal. Drake was a 3x state champion, in high school, and dating back to his youth wrestling days has claimed a whopping 15 Iowa state titles!

As great as Drake is, its still heart breaking to lose Spencer Lee from the line up. Spencer was almost a guaranteed 25 points at the NCAA tournament. Many so called experts, have predicted that losing these points gives Penn State an insurmountable advantage. In this article, I will show you this is simply not the case.

Iowa still has a strong case for 10 All-Americans:

Best Case Scenario  for the NCAA tournament

125 Ayala finishes 4th and scores 16.5

133 Desanto finishes 3rd and scores 19.5 points

141 Eierman finishes 1st and scores 25 points

149 Murin finishes 7th and scores 8 points

157 Young finishes 7th and scores 8 points

165 Marinelli finishes 1st and scores 25 points

174 Kemerer finishes 1st and scores 25 points

184 Assad finishes 6th and scores 12 points

197 Warner finishes 4th and scores 14 points

HWT Cassioppi finishes 2nd and scores 19 points

Total of 172 points.

A more realistic scenario:

This gorgeous cabin is a dream come true for nature enthusiasts! This cabin retreat has plenty of space, and all the amenities you could ask for. The cabin is located about 20 minutes from Des Moines. For more information or to reserve the cabin, click here.

Racoon River Retreat is located in the secluded Iowa town of Adel. About a half hour from Des Moines and an hour from Ames.

The cabin sits on 11 heavily wooded acres, and even includes its own private pond!

There are 4 bedrooms, 1 full bath, and a living space that centers on family fun!

Did I mention the cabin has its own private indoor heated pool? If that’s not enough, there is also the game room.

On the outside, there is a paved and furnished fire pit patio, a trampoline a pond with a dock, and even a place to launch fireworks!

This incredible cabin comfortably sleeps 8 people and has a whopping 2400 square feet of living space!

You won’t find better accommodations!

For more great lodging options in Iowa, click here.

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, 5th/6th grade and 7th/8th grade. This article will focus on the seventh/eighth grade level. This is part 4 of a 4 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!

1 Chase Watkinson-of Cedar Rapids: Chase is a 5x state champion, winning titles in both AAU and  the USA state tournament series. Chase has impressive victories over 8x Minnesota state champ Garrett Bjerga, as well as 5x Iowa state champion Ty Martin, and 12x Idaho state champion Greysen Packer. As part of Team Iowa, Chase has faced and defeated some of the best wrestlers from around the country. Chase has competed in more than a dozen national tournaments and is a 6x national champion!

2 Israel Garcia of Garner: Israel Is a 5x state champion, claiming titles in both the AAu and the USA state tournaments. He has also placed 7th 2nd 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd and 4th, making  him a 12x state place winner! He is also a 18x all-american and has claimed 8 national titles. Israel has quality wins over Ty Martin, Chase Watkinson, and 4x Nebraska state champion Cruzer Dominguez.

3 Coy Mehlert-of Laporte City: Coy is a 10x Iowa state cahmpion winning titles in both AAU and the USA state tournament series. He has also placed in the top eight on 9 other occasions.  His current record on Track is 69-13 and he has scored bonus points in 50 of those matches. He has quality wins over state champions Calvin Rathjen, Zahn Beal, Cain Crosson, and Jon Gonzalez.  Coy recently represented team Iowa in the National Duals in Kentucky and finished a remarkable 11-2, while competing against some of the best wrestlers in the region.

4 Dreshaun Ross-of Fort Dodge: Dreshaun is one of the most exciting up and coming wrestlers in Iowa. I have followed his career for a few years now, and let me tell you, this kid is the real deal! Dre, comes from the same storied Fort Dodge program that has produced Drake Ayala, and Brody Teske. Dreshaun has won a whopping 28 Iowa state titles! Claiming championships in freestyle, greco, and folkstyle. He has also won titles in 37 different national championships. Even more impressively, he is a 3x Super 32 champion.  Which is considered one of the top 3 toughest tournaments in America. To top it off he is also a 4x Flowrestling Reno World Champion!

5 Adrian Phetxoumphone-of Webster City: Adrian is a 4x Iowa state champion, winning titles in both the AAU and USA state tournaments. He has also placed in the top five on 6 different occasions. Adrian is also a 6x all-american, and has quality wins over Missouri state champion Ross Davis, and 7x Iowa state champion Calvin Rathjen!

6 Dawson Youngblut-of Jesup: Dawson boasts an impressive track record of  101-17, with 66 of those wins coming by  way of bonus point. Dawson is a 14x National Champion, and 21x All-American. Dawson is also a 14x Iowa state champion, winning titles in both the AAU and USA state tournament. He has impressive wins over Hendrix Schwab, Gavin Landers, and Joey Cahill.

7 Gavin Landers-of Denver: Gavin has an impressive track wrestler of 103-22, with 75 of those being bonus point victories! Gavin is a 12x Iowa state champion, and 18x national champion. He has quality wins over Iowa state champion Hendrix Schwab, Arizona state champion Costanzo Cardinal, and Missouri state champion Colin Rutlin.

8 Hendrix Schwab- Cedar Falls: Hendrix has a track record of 64-13, with an impressive 28 wins coming by way of pinfall. He is also a 5x Iowa state champion, and 3x national champion. Hendrix has wins over state champions from Utah, Tennessee, South Dakota, Washington, Iowa and Kentucky.

9 Brayden Koester-Bettendorf: Brayden has an impressive 8 state titles to his credit and has a Track record of 38-9 with 26 pins! Brayden recently claimed a championship at the very prestigeous USA Wrestling Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals. He is also a 9x all-american, and has quality wins over, Missouri state champ Isaac Ward, Iowa state champion Austin Scranton, and Wyoming state champion Kooper Burk.

10 Broedy Hendricks-Thor: Broedy has a Track record of 81-12 with 59 wins by pinfall. He is a 9x state place winner and 1x state champion! He is also a 22x all-american, and is a 7x National Champion! Broedy recently represented Team Iowa at the National Duals in Kentucky and was a perfect 6-0, scoring 3 pins and leading Iowa to the National Title!

11 Jaxon Miller-of Des Moines: Jaxon has an incredible Track record of 77-2, with 68 wins coming by way of bonus points! Jaxon is a 3x Iowa state champion, and a 4 time state place winner. At the 2020 state tournament he scored 3 pins and won 12-0 in the finals. He is also a 10x National Champion. He has quality wins over state champions form Texas, Iowa, Utah, Ohio, and Minnesota.

So there you have it, here is my list of the 10 best seventh and eighth graders in the state of Iowa. If I missed anyone, please let me know in the comments.

To see our list of the best fifth and sixth graders in Iowa, click here.

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 fifth/sixth  grade level. This is part 3 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!

Fifth And Sixth Grade

1 Amir Newman-Winfrey-of Des Moines: Is a fifth grader, and has won 6 state titles! 4 AAU and 2 at the USA State Tournament. He has also placed 2nd, 7th, and 3rd at the Iowa state tournament. Amir has quality wins over state champions Brennan Kloser, 4x state schampion Beckett Moyer as well as Oregon state champ Yareli Flores, and Missouri state champ Cole Martin. He is also a 9x National Champion, and 13x All-American!

2 Ty Martin-of Fairbank: Ty is one of those kids, that’s always seeking out the toughest competition he can find, from the Brian Keck Memorial Tournament, to Iron Elite Nationals, if the best kids are gathering and there will be wrestling mats, you can most likely find Ty. Ty is a 5x Iowa state champion, winning in both the AAU and the USA state tournaments, but winning state titles is just park of Ty’s story. I first noticed Ty, at the 2020 USA state tournament, when he pulled off a stunning upset over 2x Triple Crown winner Liam Jennett in overtime. Since them I have watched him defeat some of the countries best wrestlers at national tournaments all over the Midwest. He is a 6x all-American and 3x national champion. He has quality wins over 9x Minnesota state champion Owen Parrish, and 5x Iowa state champion Chase Watkinson.

3 Liam Jennett-of Madrid: Catfish, as he likes to be called is one of those kids that has the IT factor around him. When he takes the mat, all eyes in the arena shift his direction. In all honesty the attention is well deserved. Liam is a 9x Iowa state champion, winning titles in both AAU and USA state tournaments. He is also a 23x All-American, and a 13x National Champion. On top of that he is a 2x Iowa triple Crown Champion, as well as a Super 32 Champion, and a Reno World Champion!

4 Abe Heysinger-of Dubuque: Abe is one of those wrestlers, that other wrestlers cut weight to avoid. He is that good. Abe is a 10x Iowa state champion, winning titles at both the AAU and USA state tournaments. He is also a 25x All-American, and 12x National Champion. With credentials  like these its easy to imagine the type of competition  he has faced along this incredible journey. He has quality wins over 8x Wisconsin State Champion Arcadius Cruz, and 9x Iowa State Champion Liam Jennett!

5 Bo Hake-of Muscatine: Bo is a fifth grader who is a 4x state champion, he has also placed 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 2nd, 6th, and 2nd at the Iowa State Championship, competing at both USA and AAU tournaments. Bo has captured national titles at Corn Cob nationals, Christmas Nationals, and Turkey Nationals! Bo has Quality wins over 4x state champion Gavin McDermott, and 2x Wisconsin state champion Branko Navarrete and 3x Iowa state champion Bo Link!

6 Colton Shaffer-of Montezuma: Colton currently sports an impressive trackwrestling record of 93-25 with 50 pins. He is also a 3x national champion, winning titles at Corn Cob Nationals, Christmas Nationals, and USA Folkstyle Nationals! He is also a 7x state place winner and has won a state title in Greco. Colton has quality wins over state champions Owin Koethe, and Anthony Knott, as well as Kale Stepaniak.

7 Braylon Peters-Merrill: Braylon tore his way through the 2021 state tournament with 4 pins and a 12-0 major decision on his way to his 6th state title! Braylon’s success started at a very young age winning his first four national titles while still in kindergarten. Braylon was one of Iowa’s VERY few 4x super-peewee state champions, Only six wrestlers in Iowa history have accomplished this feat. Braylon has been crowned national champion on 8 different occasions, and has earned All-American status a whopping 10x!

8 Brooxton Lundgren-of West Union: Brooxton is a 5x state champion, and 8x state place winner. Brooxton has quality wins over 2x Minnesota state champ Hunter Peterson, 3x Michigan state champ Jameson Onstott, and 5x national champ Samuel Dagel from South Dakota! Brooxton has also won titles at the prestigious Rumble by the River tournament, and the 2021 Holiday Blitz, he also went undefeated at the Iron Elite duals and the Winter Throne duals.

9 Calvin Rathjen-of Ankeny: Calvin is a 7x state champion, winning titles in both AAU and USA state tournaments. He is also a 5x all-american and even won a USA Folkstyle national title in 2021. Trackwrestling has him sporting an impressive 43-6 record with 31 wins by bonus points. He has quality wins over state champions Jon Gonzalez, Arseni Kikiniou, and 4x Wisconsin state champion Martez Sheard!

10 Cain Crosson-of Indianola: Cain has a trackwrestling record of 54-13 and has scored bonus points in 41 of those matches. He is a 3x state champion, and a 13x state place winner. At the national level Cain has won 4 national titles and has been an 11x all-american. He has quality wins over 3x Colorado state champion Hudson Bragg, and 2x national champion Michael Daleiden of Wisconsin.

So there you have it, here is my list of the 10 best fifth and sixth graders in the state of Iowa. If I missed anyone, please let me know in the comments.

To see our list of the best third and fourth graders in Iowa, click here.