-Messenger photo by Webster City's Chase Rattenborg will compete in the NCC wrestling meet.

IOWA FALLS — Teams will be looking to knock Clarion-Goldfield/Dows off the North Central Conference wrestling perch here Saturday at the league tournament.

Action begins at 10 a.m.

Last year, the Cowboys won their second consecutive tourney title and finished first for the fourth time over the past five years. Clear Lake was the runner-up a year ago with Hampton-Dumont placing third in the final standings.

Humboldt, Webster City, Algona, Iowa Falls-Alden and St. Edmond rounded out the team scoring.

Clarion-Goldfield/Dows crowned three individual champions a year ago in Carter Dietz, Sam Wigans and Spencer Trenary. They also racked up points thanks to six silvers and a third.

A handful of returning champions are back in the field including Webster City’s Camron Phetxoumphone, Sam Nelson from Clear Lake, Hampton-Dumont’s Jaycob Martzahn and Riley Burke from Iowa Falls-Alden.

Another 53 underclassmen placed in the Top-6 a season ago at the meet. One of those, St. Edmond junior Ryan Duckett, is not expected to be in action as he continues to recover from an injury.

Nelson, a junior, is chasing his third NCC title, while Phetxoumphone, a sophomore, goes after his second.

Remington Hanson and Reed Abbas each won championships two years ago as freshman for Clarion-Goldfield/Dows. They were runners-up a season ago.

Last year, Webster City’s Drake Doolittle and Clear Lake’s Eric Faught became the ninth and 10th wrestlers to capture four conference titles.

Ranked wrestlers include Phetxoumphone (Class 2A No. 1, 106); Humboldt’s Cole Nelson (2A, No. 4, 106), Cresten Craven (No. 9, 120) and Colton Goodell (No. 10, 220); Clarion-Goldfield/Dows’ Tyler Stein (1A, No. 8, 113), Hanson (No. 8, 138) and Abbas (No. 4, 145); and Algona’s Andrew Hamilton (2A, No. 4, 220).

Nelson is seventh at 126, Martzahn is 10th at 132 and Iowa Falls-Alden’s Alberto Salmeron is sixth at 138 in 2A.