Whatever advantage the Ankeny wrestling team enjoyed by hosting a Class 3A district tournament on Saturday was offset by a loaded field that provided a huge challenge for the Hawks.
Ankeny placed third in the eight-team field with 185.5 points and qualified nine wrestlers for the state tournament. Linn-Mar (Marion) captured the district crown with 218 points, while Dallas Center-Grimes was the runner-up with 190.5.
“That was a super tough district,” said Ankeny coach Jack Wignall. “We knew the top three teams would be us, Linn-Mar and Dallas Center-Grimes, but the rest of the field had some studs in it too. We knew it was going to be a tough day, so we were really happy to have nine qualifiers.”
Senior Ben Walsh at 120 pounds and freshman Ryne Dobson at 215 each claimed an individual title for the Hawks. Walsh advanced to state for the fourth time by winning a second straight district crown.
“We did pretty well as a whole,” Dobson said of his team’s performance. “We had more ups than downs today.”
Ankeny got runner-up finishes from Eddie Salgado at 106, Eli Perez at 126, Aiden Winkie at 138 and Calvin Rathjen at 165. Noah Kauffman at 144, Jacob Haase at 150 and Ryleigh Egeberg at 190 also qualified for state by placing third at their respective weights.
“Maybe we didn’t qualify as many kids as we wanted to, but the kids we got through have a really good chance to win some matches down (at state) and have an opportunity to place,” Wignall said.
After receiving a bye, Walsh won both of his matches by technical fall. He posted a 19-3 victory over Noah Kerndt of Dallas Center-Grimes in the finals.
“I was pretty confident,” said Walsh.
Walsh raised his record to 26-1. His only loss of the season came on Jan. 22, when he dropped a 4-2 decision to Waukee Northwest’s Joey Cahill after moving up to 126.
“I think I learned some things from that loss,” Walsh said.
Dobson, meanwhile, recorded three bonus-point victories to claim his crown. He pinned Holden Heideman of Linn-Mar in 3 minutes 2 seconds in the finals.
“It’s a pretty nice feeling,” said Dobson. “I hadn’t wrestled him before, so I just tried to feel him out in the first 30 seconds and tried to get to my shots. Whatever happens happens I guess.”
Dobson lifted his mark to 28-10. He said he didn’t expect to perform as well as he has as a freshman.
“I was just wrestling, and the results came with it,” he said.
Wignall has been impressed by Dobson’s ability to compete against older wrestlers at one of the upper weights.
“When he is on, he is on. And he was on Saturday,” Wignall said. “He was just lights out and dominated everybody he wrestled.”
Salgado dropped a 16-8 major decision to Easton Landas of Boone in the finals. He then pinned Quinn Harris of Dallas Center-Grimes in 43 seconds in a second-place match to improve to 31-10.
Winkie lost by a 15-0 technical fall to Tegan Ray of Linn-Mar. He is now 25-11.
Rathjen was pinned Noah Howk-Erwin of Linn-Mar in 5:01. He lost for only the second time in 26 matches this season.
“I think it was nerves,” Wignall said of Rathjen’s unexpected loss. “When somebody takes Calvin into the deep waters, he starts doubting himself and I don’t know why. He’s one of the top kids in the state. He is a stud, but when things get tough, his mind just goes south. He’s just got to bust through that. But that loss didn’t kill him, and he’ll bounce back. He’s just got to throw the kitchen sink at (his opponents).”
Perez dropped an 8-6 decision in the semifinals to eventual champ Aidan Johnson of Linn-Mar, but then notched three consecutive falls to qualify for state. He pinned Emperor Lewis of Des Moines East in 2:57 in the second-place match to raise his record to 15-11.
Egeberg posted a 10-3 decision over Reichen Lopez of Carlisle to place third. He will take a 30-12 mark into the state tournament after being pinned by Linn-Mar’s Philip Jacobs in 1:19 in the second-place match.
Both Kauffman and Haase recorded dramatic victories in their third-place matches.
Kauffman was trailing after two periods, 8-5, before getting a reversal and some back points to post a 13-8 decision over Tate Hollenkamp of Boone. He is now 27-11 after losing his second-place match by medical forfeit.
“That was big time,” Wignall said of Kauffman’s go-ahead move with 12 seconds left. “It was just incredible.”
Haase also trailed after two periods before pinning Jackson Murray of Dallas Center-Grimes in 4:40. His record is now 22-20 after he also lost his second-place match by medical forfeit.
Both of those wins led to assistant coach Austin Anderson jumping for joy and hugging Wignall.
“You get really emotional when your kids qualify for state in those types of fashion,” Wignall said. “You know how much work they’ve done and put into it. Jacob got tech falled by that kid at the regional dual, but he slapped a cradle on him and pinned him.”
Unfortunately, Ankeny also experienced some tough losses. Returning state placewinner Kash Johnson dropped a 3-1 decision in the semifinals to Tyler Nelsen of Dallas Center-Grimes, who avenged a 4-2 loss at the regional dual.
Johnson was then eliminated with a 17-12 loss to Trent Eckard of Boone in a consolation semifinal.
“That weight class was loaded,” Wignall said. “There were probably five or six placewinners in that bracket. It was just a bear, and we ended up on the wrong side of that and it sucks. But it happens that way sometimes.”
The Class 3A state tournament begins on Wednesday at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines. Walsh is looking to win a title after placing fifth at 113 a year ago.
“I’ve got the right coaches and the right (training) partners,” he said. “I’ll be good.”
Dobson also wants to keep his momentum going to the awards podium.
“My goal is to place,” he said.
