The only head coach in the history of the Ankeny Centennial wrestling program has departed from his position in style.
After guiding junior Max Dhabolt to a second consecutive Class 3A individual state title last weekend, Jay Groth announced his retirement on Thursday after 34 seasons as a head coach.
Groth spent two years at Des Moines Hoover and 19 more at Des Moines Roosevelt before starting the Jaguars’ program when Centennial opened its doors in the fall of 2013. He finishes his career with 467 victories.
“I loved going to practice when I first started coaching, and I still love going to practice now. During the winter that’s the best part of my day, so I’m definitely going to miss that,” said Groth. “I don’t think I’m going to miss being the head coach with all the other things that go along with it–like the fundraising, ordering gear and checking grades. But I’ll definitely miss my relationships with the wrestlers, the other coaches and all the families.”
Groth was named the Class 3A Coach of the Year in 2019, when Centennial went 21-1 and placed third in the Class 3A state duals tournament. The Jaguars also took fourth in the traditional tournament, their highest finish ever.
Centennial earned another fourth-place finish in 2024. Cale Vandermark was a sophomore on that team, and he completed his career last weekend by becoming a four-time top-four finisher.
Groth said he started to think about retirement when Vandermark was a freshman and his brother, Cody, was a junior.
“I thought with Cale graduating in four years and I would be close to 60 years old, it seemed like a good time to hang it up and let somebody else take over,” he said.
Groth coached his final match on Saturday night at the Casey’s Center, where Dhabolt posted a 7-4 decision over former state champion Jaxon Miller of Carlisle to capture the Class 3A crown at 175 pounds. The Jaguars finished 16th overall with 68.5 points.
Dhabolt, who won the title at 157 as a sophomore, is on pace to become a three-time champion next year.
“My wife (Shannon) is mad at me that I left before Max graduated, but I wanted the next guy who comes in to be in a position where the cupboard isn’t bare,” Groth said. “They’ll have Max who is going to be a three-time state champ, Ethan Sodergren who is going to win a title next year, some other qualifiers back, and a great group of eighth graders. It’s a good time to leave so that the next guy will have some studs to work with.”
Groth coached his wrestlers to a total of 10 individual state titles, including four-time champion John Meeks at Roosevelt. John Nicholson won two crowns with the Roughriders, James Nicholson and Montell Marion each captured one, and now Dhabolt has claimed the first two titles in Centennial’s history.
But Groth made an impact on all of his wrestlers–not just the state champions.
“Myself, alongside thousands of other men thank you for your dedication and passion for not only wrestling, but building up young men,” former Jaguar state qualifier Michael Witt wrote in a Facebook post. “The impact you have made on my life is profound.”
Brandon Haugh, a two-time state qualifier under Groth at Roosevelt, wrote that his former coach was a big influence both on and off the mat.
“You were a lot more than a great coach,” wrote Haugh. “To a lot of us you were a great teacher, a great mentor, a great friend, and to some a great father figure. Thanks for everything. A lot of lessons were learned under your leadership.”
Anne Owens, whose sons wrestled for Groth at Centennial, was among the nearly 200 people who commented on Groth’s Facebook post announcing his retirement.
“You have done so much for all three of our kids and helped us mold them as well,” wrote Owens. “Thank you for life-guiding all your student athletes and managers. And parents too!”
Groth said he wants to spend more time with his family.
“My immediately family has been super supportive of me,” he said. “My son (Michael) coaches wrestling now, my daughter worked for the J Robinson Wrestling Camps and Nike Wrestling for a long time, my youngest daughter has been a manager, and my wife has been super supportive. We’re a wrestling family.
“But you’ve got to love them while they’re living. That was a phrase that (longtime Ankeny coach) Dave Ewing taught me, and I’m going to do that while everybody is still around,” he added.
Centennial Activities Director Nate Lingren will have some big shoes to fill.
“Thank you for all you’ve done,” Lingren wrote on Facebook. “You deserve this, and we are so proud of you and this program. THANK YOU!”