The Perry wrestling team will be represented at the Class 2A State Wrestling Tournament by a pair of juniors and a sophomore. All have achieved one goal — securing a spot on the mats at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines — and all have expressed the hope of finding themselves on the podium when the tourney ends.
From that point the visions and desires fueling the threesome begin to diverge.
Junior Zachary Thompson was sixth at the state wrestling tournament as a freshman at 106 pounds, then returned last year to place sixth again, this time at 120 pounds. Finishing higher on the podium has been his motivation all season.
Sophomore Kaleb Olejniczak opened with a win last year, but lost to the second-ranked wrestler in the state and was then eliminated. Making sure he scores more than one victory and finds his way to the awards stand has been his motivation.
Zach Stewart’s motivation has been to grab his share of state tourney glory by also finding a spot of the podium Saturday. Once described by head coach Mark Weber as “a guy who exemplifies what hard work in the off season can do” the junior is eager to make his own name.
What the three goals have in common is easy to identify: just being able to wrestle at “the Well” is not enough of a payoff for all their hard work — the Perry trio wants more.
“As their coach I am proud of all three guys because the results that they are seeing right now are a product of the work they have put in during the spring, summer, fall and each day of the season,” Weber said of the threesome. “As the season has progressed all three have become leaders by example and the young guys on the team have begun to model their intensity and actions. Each one has experienced a set back at some time during the season, but they have all learned from those situations and became better because of them.”
The path to the podium is easy to describe, more difficult to achieve: to stand among the top eight Saturday requires a wrestler to win twice before suffering a second loss. When and where those wins — and any losses along the way — occur determines the final placing.
The Class 2A tournament begins with Session 3 Thursday at 6 p.m. with first round and first round consolation matches. Those who win their opening bout and those who rebound for a loss with a win in the consolation bracket will move on to Friday’s Session 5, which begins at 9 a.m. The 2A semifinals and third round consolation matches will be held Friday in Session 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday’s Session 7 opens at 10 a.m. and features consolation semifinals and finals (third, fifth and seventh place matches). Session 8 begins at 5:45 p.m. Saturday and features awards, the Grand March and championship matches in all classes.
“I am confident that each guy can go out and battle with whoever steps out on the mat with them, and that is why this week will be so exciting,” Weber said. “No path is easy, and these guys are ready for the battle.”
Thompson (48-5) suffered a narrow loss in the semifinals last year, then had to submit medical forfeits in his final two matches to finish sixth when third might have been possible. The quest to write a different ending begins when the sixth-ranked Bluejay meets Cresten Craven (Humboldt, 35-11, Fr.) in his opening bout. Thompson pinned Craven earlier this season. Grant Hoeger (Beckman, 32-11, So.) and Sinjin Briggs (Gilbert, 46-6, Sr.) will meet in the other pairing. The winners will battle Friday i the quarterfinals while the losers will face each other in an elimination match Thursday.
Olejniczak is 50-4 and ranked fourth. He will tangle with South Hardin-BCLUW’s Ian Showers (37-6, Sr.) while third-rated Aden Reeves (Albia, 48-1, So.) and Ryan Clark (Mt. Vernon, 33-12, So.) will meet in the opposing bracket. Reeves was third at 106 last season.
“Zachary and Kaleb do have some experience on their side,” Weber noted. “My thoughts are that experience can certainly help calm some of those first round nerves, but it is all about perspective. All these guys have been expecting to see themselves on or on top of the podium all season long. When you spend every single night in bed visualizing those moments, suddenly you are not so nervous when you get there.”
Stewart (47-8) will wrestle his first state tourney match against Ryan Steffen (Creston, 42-7, Jr.), who is ranked eighth. The opposite pairing features Carson Hartnett (Webster City, 27-4, Jr.) facing Nate Lasher (Charles City, 20-7, Sr.). Steffen finished fourth last season at 126 pounds.
“These guys expect to be on top and they will wrestle each match put in front of them like it is the most important match,” Weber concluded. “That is the key — win or lose, the most important match is the next one. Keeping perspective.”
