Ankeny Centennial wrestling coach Jay Groth has vowed to get a tattoo the first time a Jaguar wins an individual state title.
Now, it’s possible that he might have to get two.
Centennial’s Cale Vandermark and Max Dhabolt both advanced to Saturday’s championship matches by recording technical falls in the semifinal round of the Class 3A tournament on Friday morning at Wells Fargo Arena.
“I’m pretty sure he’ll do both of us if we both win,” said Vandermark. “Hopefully, we can get the job done.”
The duo became Centennial’s first finalists since 2019. The Jaguars have had five runners-up in school history, including Ben Monroe three straight years in 2017-19.
“It’s good to be back in the finals again. It’s been a little while since we’ve been there,” said Groth. “Those two guys have definitely earned it. They’ve worked their tails off to get there.”
Both Centennial and Ankeny are assured of having four placewinners. The Jaguars moved into eighth place with 88.5 points following Friday’s session, while the Hawks are in 12th with 69.5.
Southeast Polk has already wrapped up its second consecutive crown. The Rams have scored a record 221.5 points heading into Saturday’s consolation finals, putting them more than 100 points ahead of Bettendorf.
The second-seeded Vandermark cruised to a 19-3 victory over No. 3 Kendall Kurtz of Iowa City High at 120 pounds. He raised his record to 41-2.
“It feels pretty good,” said Vandermark, a junior. “I knew I could get the job done fast. I wrestled Kurtz in the summer and teched him just like that. It was the same result. I’m just looking forward to tomorrow now.”
Vandermark will face No. 1 Jake Knight of Bettendorf (47-1) for the crown on Saturday night. Knight handed Vandermark both of his losses this season by identical 4-1 scores.
“I just have to keep firing attacks,” Vandermark said. “I’ve been slow in all the previous matches. I need to get him moving and maybe tire him out. Just keep firing.”
The No. 1 Dhabolt was just as impressive at 157. The sophomore blanked No. 4 Jake Pontier of Indianola, 15-0, to improve to 32-1.
Pontier reached the semifinals despite battling a shoulder injury, but was simply no match for Dhabolt.
“I was very confident,” Dhabolt said. “I thought I could take advantage of (his injury).”
Dhabolt will meet No. 2 Bas Diaz of Waverly-Shell Rock (44-2) in the finals. Dhabolt posted a 4-1 decision over Diaz in the title match of the Ed Winger Invitational on Jan. 25 at Urbandale.
“I’ve just got to stay smart and stick to my game plan like the last time,” Dhabolt said. “Go out there and win.”
Groth is confident that the Jaguars’ championship drought will end.
“We’re definitely ready for them,” he said. “There won’t be any surprises, but we’re going to do everything we can to make the outcome at 120 different (than the last time) and the one at 157 the same.”
Southeast Polk has seven finalists. Two of them advanced with victories over Ankeny wrestlers on Friday.
No. 1 Nico DeSalvo recorded a 15-0 technical fall over No. 5 Ben Walsh at 113. Walsh, a junior, will take a 29-4 record into Saturday’s consolation matches.
DeSalvo is now 37-0.
“He is very good,” said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. “Ben’s had a great season, and I hope he comes back on the back side and gets third. That’s where he needs to be.”
No. 3 Truman Folkers will also try to earn a third-place finish at 126. He dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to No. 2 Max Riggins, who had lost to Folkers in last year’s tournament.
After Riggins rode Folkers out in the second extra period, the Ankeny senior let Riggins escape to begin the third overtime. Folkers (34-5) was then unable to get the takedown that he needed.
“We knew it was going to be a one-point match,” Wignall said. “In our overtime ride we opted to cut him because we’d been in on his legs three times. We just thought we could get there, but we just couldn’t finish it.”
The highlight of Ankeny’s day came in the consolation bracket, where No. 6 Calvin Rathjen at 132 and No. 11 Kash Johnson at 150 both secured spots on the awards podium.
Johnson stunned the crowd with a fall over No. 2 Logan Trenary of Southeast Polk in just 10 seconds in the blood round.
“It was like a Gator Bacon,” said Johnson, a sophomore. “That’s what I was planning on doing the whole time–that’s what I was looking for. I knew I could beat him if I got to my positions. With that front headlock, I knew I could win.”
It was Johnson’s third straight pin and his fourth in the tournament.
“That’s how he wrestles,” Wignall said. “It was a great match for him.”
Johnson’s father, Matt, is an assistant coach for the Hawks. Serving as one of the coaches for his son’s match, Matt was so excited by Kash’s pin that he fell and injured himself.
“I was just jumping around and celebrating and twisted my left ankle pretty good,” said Matt.
Coach Johnson was asked if the injury was worth it.
“One hundred percent,” he said with a smile. “Kash was expecting to wrestle the Carlisle kid (Mason Lucas), and then we saw the quarterfinal result where Trenary lost. We just told him, ‘If you see a move, hit it hard.’ We didn’t think it was going to be 10 seconds into the match, but we’ll take it!”
Johnson (26-18) then lost by a technical fall to No. 6 Elijah Blewitt of Indianola in a rematch from Wednesday’s second round. He will wrestle for seventh place on Saturday.
Rathjen, meanwhile, can place as high as third after winning twice on Friday. The freshman posted an 8-5 decision over No. 7 Cale Nash of Clear Creek-Amana in the blood round, then followed with an 8-2 decision over No. 11 Jashua Anglo of Johnston.
Anglo had defeated Rathjen, 12-5, in Wednesday’s second round.
“I knew that if he lost that quarterfinal match I was probably going to get him (again),” said Rathjen, who is now 33-5. “I just went out there and got it back. I took a few sloppy shots in that first match, and he was able to re-attack. I was smart about my attacks this time, and I got one late and put him to his back.”
The match was tied at 1-1 before Rathjen got a takedown and a four-point near-fall in the third period.
“That kid is super athletic,” Wignall said of Anglo. “I couldn’t believe today (Rathjen) had two or three outside singles, and he had trouble finishing them. But he finally got one done, and that was what we needed.”
Rathjen said he still has more work to do.
“I didn’t wrestle wide open that first match against him,” he said. “I just had to cut loose and do the best that I can, so I’m trying for third (place).”
Centennial will have No. 6 Ethan Sodergren at 138 and No. 5 Isaac Bruhl at 150 in action on Saturday morning. Sodergren will wrestle for seventh place, while Bruhl can place as high as third.
Sodergren (33-9) pinned No. 18 Isaiah Madison of Johnston in the blood round. The sophomore then dropped a 19-12 decision to Collin Frost of Davenport Central, who avenged a 12-6 loss in the second round.
Bruhl, meanwhile, scored a total of 38 points in a pair of technical falls.
“It’s my last year, and I was definitely looking to win a state championship,” said Bruhl, who is now 28-4. “But it didn’t happen, so I’m just looking at the next best thing–which is third. I’m hoping I can get that.”
After posting a 16-1 win over No. 9 Brady Jennings of Clinton, Bruhl followed with a 22-5 rout over No. 12 Brady Rissman of Western Dubuque. He beat Rissman by a similar score, 20-3, in the second round.
“It was awesome to see him open up and attack the way he did against both kids,” Groth said. “Hopefully, he can do the same tomorrow and finish his career with four wins in a row and a third-place medal around his neck. That would be great.”
Bruhl could potentially meet No. 4 Parker Casey of Johnston for either third or fifth place. He lost to Casey in overtime, 2-1, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
“That one hurt a little bit, but it fueled me, too,” Bruhl said. “I was ready to go back out there, and hopefully if I keep on winning I can get to that third-place match and maybe I’ll see him there again.”
Here are Centennial’s match-by-match results from Friday:
Blood Round
126: Andrew Roland lost to Malik DeBow (Linn-Mar), 12-0.
138: Ethan Sodergren pinned Isaiah Madison (Johnston), 2:56.
150: Isaac Bruhl won by technical fall over Brady Jennings (Clinton), 16-1.
Semifinals
120: Cale Vandermark won by technical fall over Kendall Kurtz (Iowa City High), 19-3.
157: Max Dhabolt won by technical fall over Jake Pontier (Indianola), 15-0.
5th Round Consolation
138: Ethan Sodergren lost to Collin Frost (Davenport Central), 19-12.
150: Isaac Bruhl won by technical fall over Brady Rissman (Western Dubuque), 22-5.
Here are Ankeny’s match-by-match results from Friday:
Blood Round
106: Eddie Salgado lost by technical fall to Carew Christensen (Waukee Northwest), 19-3.
132: Calvin Rathjen beat Cale Nash (Clear Creek-Amana), 8-5.
150: Kash Johnson pinned Logan Trenary (Southeast Polk), :10.
157: AJ Rouh lost to Levi Johnson (Spencer), 11-1.
Semifinals
113: Ben Walsh lost by technical fall to Nico DeSalvo (Southeast Polk), 15-0.
126: Truman Folkers lost to Max Riggins (Southeast Polk), 2-1 (OT).
5th Round Consolation
132: Calvin Rathjen beat Jashua Anglo (Johnston), 8-2.
150: Kash Johnson lost by technical fall to Elijah Blewitt (Indianola), 16-0.
