WAUKEE — Zach Thompson has already had a prep wrestling career many would envy. He was sixth in the Class 2A State Tournament at 106 pounds as a freshman, then returned as a sophomore to finish sixth at 120.
Now, early in his junior season, the sixth-ranked Bluejay 120-pounder has reached a career marker every wrestler hopes to reach — 100 career victories. Thompson was 4-1 Saturday at the Al Garrison Duals in Waukee where the history-making moment was made.
“That was an exciting moment for him,” Perry head coach Mark Weber said. “I know there had been a lot of work and sweat put in to get to the level that he is wrestling at, and he has earned all of those victories.”
Thompson has battled both injury and illness in his career, else the 100-win mark would have come weeks earlier, and his perseverance drew praise from Weber.
“His wrestling journey the last two-and-a-half years has had plenty of ups and downs, yet he will be stronger because of them,” Weber said. “Zachary is a great leader for Perry wrestling, both in the room and in the community.”
Perry struggled as a team Saturday, but Weber’s outlook remained positive.
“This was a pretty tough weekend for most guys on our team,” he said. “Some of our leaders were able to get match-ups against some ranked wrestlers, which will allow them to see where they are at nearing the halfway point in the season. Whether or not those matches ended in our favor, we will learn from them and get better.”
“Even in matches that did not go our way, we see guys who are making improvements every single match they wrestle,” Weber concluded. “As a coach, I determine success as being better than you were when you started (when the day started, or practice started) and that is what I want out wrestlers to but in to.”
Perry’s next competition will be Jan. 5 when they host Van Meter and Bondurant-Farrar, with a trip to the always-stout Jack Mendenhall Invitational in Ames scheduled for Jan. 7.
