Anticipation high for Wolverine wrestling season

Anticipation for the 2025-26 Nodaway Valley wrestling season is so palatable it’s off the charts this preseason.

Among the many storylines this year is senior Ashton Honnold’s pursuit of three-straight state championships. Another is that the team wants to contend for a state duals tournament bid.

The season in which all this can be accomplished is right around the corner. The team held their annual open mat practice that was open to the public on Saturday, as well as the Nodaway Valley Wrestling Hall of Fame Banquet at Sixteen Oaks.

Head coach Brad Honnold returns to lead the Wolverines in waht hopes to be a historic season.

“We want to get going. We are excited for this season and have been since February of last year to get going with this team. We are getting some statewide notice but we have a lot of unknowns going into the year,” Coach Honnold said. “We are not content with the great year we had (six state qualifiers and two state titles) last year. We have Ashton going for three straight individual titles, we have a couple of seniors that have made state but want to be on the podium. The other two [returning] qualifiers also want to make their mark at state.”

By many metrics, the Wolverines had a big season a year ago. They had a pair of state champs in Trent Warner and Ashton Honnold, six state qualifiers and made a third consecutive trip to the regional duals tournament. All these things lead the Wolverines to have high expectations going into their first meet, which is Tuesday, Dec. 2, at Panorama.

Aside from Ashton Honnold, who went 52-0, other returning qualifiers from 2024-25 are 106-pounder Josh Nelson (37-17), 120-pounder Ty Strode (38-7), 126-pounder Keyin Steeve (39-8) and 190-pounder Caleb Christensen (43-13. Steeve collected his 100th win last season and Honnold reached that point before last Christmas.

There are eight juniors or seniors on this year’s Wolverine roster. Seniors are Ashton Honnold, Matthew Nelson, Steeve and Strode. Juniors out this year are Christensen, Derek Raasch, Bram Dahl and Jett Christensen.

The Wolverines have five sophomores and a big freshman class of 10. In all last year, eight Wolverines won at least 20 matches.

“I am really excited to see our returners that didn’t qualify for state last year and what they want to do this year. Returners like Matthew Nelson, Derek Raasch, Bram Dahl and Jett Christensen are coming in just as hungry as the state qualifiers are,” Coach Honnold said.

Graduates from last year’s team were Warner, Eli Harris and Kasen Hansen. Warner is playing football for Northwest Missouri State University while Hansen is wrestling at North Iowa Area Community College.

Coach Honnold said it’s good to see wrestlers who are successful in other sports as well.

“We have a big freshman class but we return five state qualifiers. We had kids that had a good summer, we had a successful cross country season and the football team picked up a win for the first time in a long time,” he said.

Wolverine fans will have plenty of chances to see their team this year as Nodaway Valley will host five meets in the regular season, the first being the annual Coach Riley Invitational Saturday, Dec. 6.

The Wolverines will host a pair of duals before Christmas with a five-team meet Monday, Dec. 8 and another Dec. 16 with a triangular. The meet Dec. 8 brings in East Union, Martensdale-St. Marys, Mount Ayr and Wayne. The eight days later brings in AHSTW, Audubon and Missouri Valley. After Christmas, the Wolverines host a POI double dual with Southeast Warren, Central Decatur and Lenox Jan. 8. The other home dual is a quad Jan. 13 when Clarke, Van Meter and Earlham are in town.

The Pride of Iowa Conference meet is at Central Decatur on Friday, Dec. 19. Nodaway Valley will compete at stout weekend tournaments after Christmas at Tri-Center on Jan. 10, Creston a week later and the John J. Harris tournament a week after that in Corning. A big tournament at Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center wraps things up Jan. 31.