LAKE MILLS — Lake Mills wrestling is headed back to the State Dual Tournament.
The Bulldogs hosted Class 1A Regional Duals Tuesday night and emerged victorious, earning a spot in the 2026 State Dual Tournament this weekend in Coralville.
The night opened with a regional semifinal between Central Springs and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayshire. The Titans jumped out to an early lead and held on down the stretch, edging Central Springs 42-40 to advance to the regional final against the host Bulldogs.
Lake Mills wasted little time asserting control in the championship dual. Strong performances in the lower weights helped the Bulldogs build a commanding 24-3 lead early. GTRA responded by winning three of the next four matches to trim the deficit to 30-15, but Lake Mills put the dual out of reach with back-to-back victories at 165 and 175 pounds.
“Our kids wrestled very well as a team tonight,” said Lake Mills head coach Alex Brandenburg. “We won just over half the matches in the dual but outscored them 21-6 in team bonus points.”
Lake Mills went on to defeat GTRA 45-24 to secure the regional title and a return trip to State Duals — a result that exceeded preseason expectations.
“Out of our trips to State Duals, this was the most unexpected as we started the year unranked,” Brandenburg said. “These kids have done a great job buying into the team concept and executed their individual jobs in duals this year.”
The Bulldogs enter the state tournament with a 29-5 team record and are currently ranked No. 3 in the state, though final seeding for State Duals will be determined by a vote of participating head coaches Wednesday morning.
State Duals will be held this weekend at Xtream Arena in Coralville.
