Ankeny junior Jace Anderson placed fourth at 145 pounds in the Class 3A state wrestling tournament on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena. He finished the season with a 36-8 record.
Anderson is a three-time state qualifier and a two-time placewinner for the Hawks. He took seventh at 138 as a sophomore.
Here is some inside info on Anderson:
Congratulations on an outstanding season. I know your ultimate goal was to be a state champion, but you still have to be awfully proud of everything you accomplished.
Yes, it isn’t ultimately what I wanted, but I’m glad that I finished my season off strong.
You lost to fourth-ranked Bas Diaz of Waverly-Shell Rock, 5-2, in the third-place match. What made him so tough?
Bas is a great wrestler, and he’s just so defensively tough. He stays low to the mat and is so strong, making him hard to score on.
You competed in what you told me was no doubt the hardest bracket of the state tournament with four state champions and five state finalists. Were you surprised that fifth-ranked Ryder Downey of Indianola emerged as the champion?
I was a little surprised to see Ryder come out on top, but he’s a great wrestler who always takes challenges head on so I give props to him for that.
You’ve just been through a four-day grind with the state duals tournament followed by the traditional tournament. Are you more mentally or physically tired at this point?
I would say I’m just physically beat up considering I could barely get out of bed (Sunday) morning.
Your team placed sixth in the duals tournament before finishing 13th in the traditional tournament. What did you think of your team’s performances?
I think our team underperformed a little bit, but I’m still super proud of our team as a whole. I expect us to be even better next season.
Your brother, Trever, was going for his third state title, but lost in overtime to Carter Freeman of Waukee Northwest in the 120-pound final. Did you say anything to Trever afterwards to try to lift his spirits?
Whenever Trever loses matches like that it affects me pretty hard, too. There was nothing for me to say to him at that moment to make him feel better. I just met him in the tunnel afterwards and gave him a hug. No words were needed. As my brother he knows how proud I am of him and how much I look up to him.
You’ve obviously had to grow up in the shadow of your brother, who is one of Ankeny’s all-time greatest wrestlers. Has that been difficult at times?
Growing up with Trever and Caleb (Rathjen) has been awesome but also probably the biggest challenge I’ve faced. Coach (Jack) Wignall and (assistant) Austin (Anderson) know I struggle with that a lot and just constantly remind me that I’m Jace–not Trever and not Caleb–and I don’t have to prove anything to nobody or live up to anyone else’s legacy.
Will it seem strange to not have Trever around next year?
When Caleb left last year it was super weird because he’s always been like another older brother to me, and now that Trev is going to be gone too it will be even weirder.
Trever has signed a letter of intent to wrestle at Northern Iowa. Would you like to wrestle in college as well?
Wrestling in college has always been a dream of mine, but as I get older I’m debating it more and more. But I think it is what I will end up doing.
Coach Wignall told me that you’ve always had the ability to compete with the state’s best wrestlers but that maybe you didn’t believe it yourself. Are you starting to believe that you belong with the state’s best?
I think I’ve always known I’ve belonged with the state’s best, but now I think I’m just starting to have that confidence when I walk out onto the mat which is a huge difference-maker.
I know your nickname is “Bird”. When did people start calling you that?
For as long I can remember that’s just what I’ve always been called. I think it started when I was around 3 years old when one of my dad’s friends started calling me “Bird” and I guess it’s just been stuck ever since. Almost every single one of my close friends and family now always refer to me as “Bird”.