Ankeny Centennial coach Jay Groth has been blessed with some talented wrestlers in his nine years at the school.
He’ll now have to say goodbye to two of the best that he has coached.
Seniors Carter Cahill and Jackson Helmkamp closed out their high school careers on Saturday at the consolation finals of the Class 3A state tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Helmkamp earned a fourth-place finish at 160 pounds, while Cahill took sixth at 152.
“Their grades were never an issue. Their work ethic was never an issue,” Groth said of the duo. “They were great leaders for us, and they’re both going to go on and do great things.”
Centennial also got a sixth-place finish from sophomore Lucas Bruhl at 138. The three placewinners helped the Jaguars to tie Norwalk for 16th place in Class 3A with 34 points.
Groth entered the consolation finals hoping to have a trio of third-place finishers.
“We went out there and fought, but we just didn’t get done what we wanted to,” he said. “There were a lot of variables there.”
The fourth-ranked Helmkamp posted an 8-1 decision over No. 5 Brayden Broderick of Waukee Northwest in a consolation semifinal. He then dropped a 6-4 decision to No. 3 Christian Stanek of Cedar Rapids Xavier in the third-place match.
“I wish I had that last one back, but it is cool that I placed fourth even though I didn’t wrestle the whole season,” Helmkamp said. “I still wished I was higher up there.”
Helmkamp was a four-time state qualifier and a two-time placewinner. He finished eighth at 126 as a sophomore.
Helmkamp posted an 11-3 record this season. He underwent surgery in the offseason and didn’t return to the mat until last month.
“I honestly didn’t think Jackson would be in our lineup at all, with the kind of surgery that he had and where he was at when the season started,” Groth said. “To get a few matches in beforehand and to get a good seed at the district tournament and to where he finished at state, it’s pretty awesome to see him have the success that he had. He’s a pretty talented wrestler. He’s one of those kids that always knows where he’s at on the mat, and he’s got a lot of determination and a lot of guts. He had a heck of a tournament, and he’s going to look back on it and be pretty proud of what he did.”
The No. 3 Cahill dropped an 8-1 decision to No. 4 Dylan Whitt of Cedar Falls in a consolation semifinal. He then lost to No. 5 Peyton Westlin of North Scott, 7-3, in the fifth-place match.
Cahill, who finished with a 36-7 record, also lost to Westlin in the quarterfinals on Friday morning.
“It’s very hard to believe that my career is over,” Cahill said. “It wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Leaving knowing I did everything I could feels fulfilling.”
Like Helmkamp, Cahill was a two-time placewinner for the Jaguars. He placed fifth at 160 a year ago.
“Carter is one of those kids you wish you had 50 of them,” Groth said.
The No. 5 Bruhl dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 7 Grant O’Dell of Iowa City West in a consolation semifinal. He then lost to No. 3 Chase Fizer of Bondurant-Farrar, 6-2, in the fifth-place match.
Bruhl finished with a 19-5 mark.
“Lucas had a great season, overcoming some adversity of his own,” Groth said. “He got through some things that just made him tougher.”
Bruhl will be back next year along with three-time state qualifier Cael Wiener and two-time qualifier Payton Bright. Groth said he wants his returnees to set some high goals.
“Just getting (to state) is not the ultimate goal,” Groth said. “I think we’re going to see an amped up level of commitment in the offseason.”