More often than not, Ankeny wrestler Trever Anderson finds a way to come out on top.
On Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena, Anderson was looking to become the first three-time state champion in school history.
But for one of the few times in his high school career, he couldn’t find the answers he needed.
Top-ranked Carter Freeman of Waukee Northwest got a takedown in overtime to beat the No. 2 Anderson, 3-1, in the 120-pound title match of the Class 3A state tournament.
“He has a different build,” Anderson said of Freeman. “And that definitely makes his wrestling style unique.”
After a scoreless first period, Anderson got an escape about 15 seconds into the second period to take a 1-0 lead. Freeman then escaped right away in the third period to tie the match.
In overtime, Freeman got the winning takedown about 15 seconds into the 1-minute period. The sophomore finished with a 46-1 record while claiming his second crown.
“I didn’t have any doubt that Trever would win. It just didn’t work out that way,” said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. “All sports have heartbreak, but to be out there on your own and to come up short, it just rips your heart out. And that’s what makes wrestling different from other sports. We had multiple coaches in tears afterwards–that’s how emotional it was. You live with these kids day in and day out for four years and for them not to reach their goals, you feel awful for them. As a coach, you think about what more you could have done to prepare him for this.”
Anderson finished with a 35-2 mark. Both of his losses came to Freeman.
Freeman also posted a 3-1 overtime decision against Anderson in the finals of the CIML Invitational on Jan. 28.
“Trever got to his legs multiple times at conference, but Freeman did what we call a pit drag in overtime to beat him,” Wignall said. “So I think in the back of his mind that was Trever’s worry–that his length would be tough to deal with. In his last two matches against (Cale Seaton of Iowa City High and Freeman), he didn’t take any shots. I think that was his game plan. He was tight and at the end of the day, it just didn’t work out for him on that night.”
It marked the second straight year that an Ankeny senior was denied a third championship. In 2021, Caleb Rathjen reached the finals at 152 before dropping a 3-2 decision to Aiden Riggins of Waverly-Shell Rock, who won another title at 160 on Saturday.
“It was heartbreaking for Trever not to get what he wanted and what I felt like he had earned,” Wignall said. “Nobody works harder than he does, and Caleb was the same way. There were definitely some flashbacks to last year.”
Still, Anderson led the eighth-ranked Hawks to a 13th-place finish in Class 3A. They scored 52 points.
Anderson will join Northern Iowa’s program in the fall.
“He’s a resilient kid,” Wignall said. “He was over it in about an hour and came out and watched the rest of the tournament. He said he has bigger goals ahead of him–like being a Fargo champion and a national champion at Northern Iowa–and I think those things are well within his reach. He’s a once-in-a-generation type kid. He just does everything right, and he’s going to be missed. Not just his wins but his personality, his demeanor, his leadership….everything. He’s just a fantastic kid.”
Anderson’s brother, Jace, became a two-time placewinner for the Hawks. The junior took fourth at 145.
The No. 7 Anderson won by medical forfeit over No. 1 Joel Jesuroga of Southeast Polk in a consolation semifinal on Saturday morning. He then dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 4 Bas Diaz of Waverly-Shell Rock in the third-place match.
“You know, fourth wasn’t what I wanted, but in the end it is ultimately a step in the right direction,” said Anderson, who placed seventh at 138 a year ago. “I was in no doubt the hardest bracket of the entire tournament that consisted of four state champs and five state finalists, and coming out top-four really shows that I’m right there. Not getting another chance at Joel was unfortunate, but at the end of day it is what it is. Coming out of this tournament just makes me excited for next year and just lets me show myself that I’m going to be right there competing for a state title come next season.”
Wignall also sees the growing confidence in Anderson, who finished with a 36-8 record.
“Jace realizes he can wrestle with the best kids in the state,” he said. “We always knew that about Jace, but I’m not sure Jace knew that about Jace. I think doubt creeps in and he has to live in the shadow of Trever sometimes, which is unfair but a reality. But Jace is his own person and for him to realize that he’s right there with the best kids in the state is going to be huge for him going forward. He has a bright future.”
Two other Hawks also earned podium finishes on Saturday. No. 5 JJ Maihan placed seventh at 113, while No. 5 Ben Hansen finished eighth at 126.
Maihan posted a 4-3 decision over No. 9 Steele Diercks of Bettendorf, avenging a loss to Diercks in the state duals tournament on Wednesday. The junior finished with a 27-13 record.
Hansen, meanwhile, dropped a 10-1 major decision to No. 3 Jayce Luna of Bettendorf in the seventh-place match. He also lost to Luna at the state duals.
The sophomore finished with a 30-10 mark. He placed eighth at 106 last year.
“We need to figure out what we can do differently to get Ben where he needs to be,” Wignall said. “Ben is a workhorse, but we need to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to get him on top of the podium, which is where he wants to be.”
No. 2 Southeast Polk racked up 160 points to capture its fifth state title since 2013. No. 3 Waukee Northwest, which had four champions, took second with 157 points in its first year as a varsity program.
