The Bulldog wrestling team traveled to Osage Thursday night and finished off a perfect dual record in the Top of Iowa Conference, according to a press release.

The team took out Rockford 84-0 in the first dual of the night, and then beat Eagle Grove 48-24. “Rockford is pretty shorthanded this year, so that dual went very quickly,” said coach Alex Brandenburg. “We wrestled very poorly against Eagle Grove, which had me very concerned heading into the dual with Osage.”

The two wins set the stage for the championship dual of the Top of Iowa Conference, as both Lake Mills, No. 4 in 1A; and Osage, No. 8 in 2A, carried in perfect 14-0 records.

The dual was a classic with back and forth drama. The Bulldogs got out of the gate fast and jumped out to a huge 35-6 lead with six matches left. The lead seemed safe, but the strong Green Devils lower weights stormed almost all the way back. In the end, Lake Mills pulled out a 35-33 victory.

“The last dual was crazy, and no one could have predicted all the twists and turns that happened,” Brandenburg said. “It was an ugly win to say the least, but we will take it.”

This was the first season the Top of Iowa Conference made the schedule where every team wrestled every team in both divisions, and whoever planned the schedule certainly set it up for a dramatic dual to decide the title in the end. Several Bulldogs finished with a perfect record on the night: Caiden Jones, Brett Peterson, Elijah Wagner, Zack Wagner and Drake Harnish. After the three wins, Lake Mills is now 26-2 on the season.