K-M wrestlers open season at Dan Gable Donnybrook in Iowa

The KoMet wrestling team opened up their ‘23-24 season this past weekend as they crossed the border into Iowa territory for the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook tournament. The Donnybrook pulls in nationally ranked teams from primarily the Midwest.
“It is a grind of a tournament. We faced nationally ranked wrestlers in a great environment. Two days of weigh-ins at Iowa’s weights, five matches. The entire weekend is a great way to measure where we are right now as a team and what we need to improve on to meet our goals at the end of the year,” said senior, Joey Kennedy.
K-M finished 7th out of 38 teams, which included being open at 190 pounds. Mount Carmel, Ill. won the Donnybrook. They are currently ranked #19 nationally, right behind Simley, (#18). The KoMets outscored Waverly-Shellrock, Iowa (#25) and Don Bosco, Iowa (#39).
“It’s a tough tournament with some really good teams. I mean, you won’t see us throwing a party for a 7th-place finish any time soon, but it is the highest we’ve ever placed there and we’ve taken some good teams in the past. We finished in front of some of the best teams across the Midwest and that makes me think we’re at least headed in the right direction,” said Head Coach Ryan Hill.
The KoMets had four wrestlers in the medal rounds Saturday night. Joey Kennedy (150) and Luke Swanson (157) both finished third. Jacob Duitsman (215) finished fourth and Dominic Mann (175) finished fifth.
“It was great seeing Kennedy Swanson, and Mann finish their tournaments with some gutsy wins, and Duitsman get his medal. While our goals are centered around how we compete at the end of the year, we think placing in the Donnybrook is a big jump board for the rest of the season,” said Hill.
“I felt like the whole team fought hard all weekend long. This is the most confident I’ve been about our lower weights in a couple years. They’re gonna win us some big duals this year,” said senior, Dominic Mann.
The MSHSL adjusted Minnesota’s weights this year. There will now be 13 weights instead of 14. While this might help schools who struggle to fill their line-up’s, this will eliminate a wrestler out of the K-M line-up. 107, 114, 121, 127, 133, 139, 145, 152, 160, 172, 189, 215, 285.
This week the KoMets will return to Iowa as they head to Decorah for a triangular with Decorah and New Hampton Thursday night. The Minnesota Christmas tournament is December 15 and 16 at the Mayo Civic Center. The KoMets will host Lake City on Dece,ber 21 in the Home Federal Arena and then travel to Chatfield for a state ranked match up on December 22.
K-M is currently ranked #2 behind Simley in AA. Chatfield is #3 in Class A.
“We have a laundry list of positions and situations we brought home to work on and we’re going to move forward and focus on Decorah and New Hampton this week,” said Hill.
“I’m so excited for this team. I felt that everyone’s mindset and goals are very similar. Looking forward to the rest of the season,” said senior, Luke Swanson.
Dan Gable Donnybrook results:
106: Rex Ayshford — 10th place
113: Kalin Anderson — 21st place
120: Broc Vaughan — 13th place
126: Keymoni Bent — 14th place
132: Aiden Friedrich — 14th place
138: Owen Friedrich — 17th place
145: Jonah Coleman — 13th place
150: Joey Kennedy — 3rd place
157: Luke Swanson — 3rd place
165: Kaylub White — DNP
175: Dominic Mann — 5th place
190: open
215: Jacob Duitsman — 4th place
Hwt: Kasson White — 22nd place