Skip to main content
Iowa
Join Now

#4 Iowa closes 2025 with a pair of duals at the "Uncivil War"

by: Tanner Lafever11 hours agoTannerLafever

The holiday season can be a bit sparse when it comes to ‘gifts’ for fans of Iowa men’s wrestling.

And as such, those same Hawkeye supporters would do well to savor this Friday’s “Uncivil War” event in Hannibal, Missouri.

There, in Hannibal High School’s Korf Gym, #4 Iowa will wrestle a pair of duals – marking its lone competitive dates in month of December.

Beyond Friday’s matchups against UT-Chattanooga and Utah Valley there’s nothing left on the calendar to fill the void between a streak-ending defeat to Iowa State (Nov. 30) and the Soldier Salute (Jan. 3-4).

So, it’s probably a good thing the Hawkeyes (and their fans) get two bites at the apple tomorrow night.

Meet the teams

While everyone from the team to the coaches to the fans will be hoping to see an improved product as compared to the last time Iowa (5-2) took the mat, the lineup itself remains very much the same based on this week’s probables:

157 pounds continues to hold an ‘OR’ designation with an entrenched starter yet to emerge between Jordan Williams and Victor Voinovich III.

Meanwhile, backup heavyweight Easton Fleshman supplements Ben Keuter – who’s just 26 days removed from sitting out the National Duals Invitational.

Between the Mocs (3-1) and Wolverines (2-1), a combined three wrestlers grace InterMat’s latest individual rankings. And the highest among them – UVU’s #13 David Evans (149) – still doesn’t top the lowest ranked of ten Hawkeyes.

Then again, as we all saw in the Cy-Hawk dual, rankings don’t guarantee a darn thing – do they?

How to watch

*All times Central Standard*

December 12th (Friday) – @ Journeymen “Uncivil War”

  • Location: Hannibal, MO (Korf Gym/Hannibal HS)
  • Time: 6:30 p.m. (UT-Chattanooga) and 8:30 p.m. (Utah Valley)
  • TV/streaming: live on FloWrestling
  • Radio: AM 800 KXIC, the Hawkeye Radio Network, YouTube (see below)

For the second time this season (National Duals) the Hawkeyes will appear on FloWrestling (subscription required).

UT-Chattanooga and Utah Valley will kick off Friday’s festivities – sponsored by Journeymen Wrestling – at 4:30 p.m.

After that, the Hawkeyes will wrestle back-to-back – with a projected start time of 6:30.

For any fans unable to watch the duals, Steven Grace and Chad Beatty will be on the call for the Hawkeye Radio Network – which you can also access via the YouTube stream below:

What to watch for

As highlighted already, a relative dearth of ranked-vs-ranked matchups means eyeballs will also be on other elements of Friday’s duals.

Chief among them, how does Iowa bounce back from a rivalry defeat that, prior to 12 days ago, it hadn’t suffered in more than two decades?

Fans are justifiably frustrated with both the results and aesthetics being put forth at weights like 141, 157 and 285 pounds.

And while the Hawkeyes can’t do a ton to flip the narrative based on Friday’s potential opponents, another less-than-inspiring performance could certainly raise the collective ire even more.

Of those weights, 141 presents the best opportunity for a demonstrable change in the status quo.

There, against Utah Valley, #8 Nasir Bailey faces #17 Haiden Drury – a wrestler with a 65-28 career record for the Wolverines.

Following Bailey/Drury, the marquee matchup of the evening will take place.

In it, Iowa’s Ryder Block will look to add yet another impressive win to his burgeoning 2025-26 resume.

His opponent – 13th-ranked David Evans – is a long-time Penn State reserve who’s thriving as he closes out his collegiate career in Utah.

For the Hawkeye sophomore – now up to eighth in the country at 149 pounds after a gritty win over Iowa State’s Paniro Johnson – he’s looking to not only win, but widen the gap against what will be his sixth ranked opponent in as many matches this season:

A similar initiative is in place for Iowa’s 125-pounder, who has won some big matches without really opening up his arsenal just yet.

#6 Dean Peterson will have a chance to take a nice first step toward that objective when he faces #18 Cooper Flynn in the headline bout against UT-Chattanooga.

Flynn was a two-time NCAA qualifier for Virginia Tech/Minnesota, finishing seventh at Big Tens for the Gophers last season.

The Tennessee native concludes his career with the home state Mocs in 2025-26.

As for Peterson, he’ll pursue both pace and points when the two meet up tomorrow night:

Short time

As is customary, I’ll have match-to-match coverage of the “Uncivil War” on my social media throughout the duals.

And once the Hawkeyes wrap things up in the (hopefully) not-too-late-hours of Friday evening, you can check back in on the site for my full recap of proceedings in Hannibal, Missouri.

I’ll emphasize again: enjoy this as much as you possibly can, Iowa fans.

There will be 22 days between Friday and the Hawkeyes’ next competition, and the holiday spirit can only sustain someone for so long…

So, savor the last (men’s) event of 2025 as much as you can.

I’ll talk to you all again real soon.

You may also like