DES MOINES — Perry senior Zach Stewart joined a distinguished list Saturday by claiming the Class 3A State Championship at 138 pounds with a 3-1 decision over Des Moines East junior Deville Dentis (44-4).
Stewart (55-5) became just the fifth Perry wrestler to stand atop the podium on what is arguably the toughest state mat tourney in the nation. He joins Virgil Reiter (1959, 154 pounds), Stuart Newman (1971, 119), Randy Moore (1971, 126) and Kane Seeley (2011, 215 and 2012, 220) as the only Bluejay matmen to earn a title.
Fellow Bluejay Kaleb Olejniczak finished second at 126 pounds, with Zachary Thompson placing fourth at 120.
“We wanted to go out and wrestle hard for six minutes and wear him (Dentis) down,” Perry head coach Mark Weber said of Stewart’s approach. “The best wrestlers commit to what they want to do and then do it at a high level of intensity, and that has been what Zach has done.”
Stewart seized a 3-1 lead and remained aggressive while showing his defensive skills in avoiding several strong moves from Dentis, who was seeking to become the first state champion from East since 1962. He was the first Scarlet Knight to reach the finals since 1999 but could not wrap up a slippery Stewart, who nearly succeeded in turning Dentis shots into counter-attacks, a possibility the East junior appeared to realize but could not avoid, as he trailed on the scoreboard.
The Perry coaches received flying jumps into their arms from an exultant Stewart after the win. Seeing his family was in the first row of the seats behind the print media, Stewart performed a “Lambeau Leap” of sorts, jumping into the crowd for an emotional celebration.
Weber, the Class 1A 160-pound champion in 2012 for Don Bosco (which won the team title as well that season), said the experience of winning a title and of coaching a champion were not the same.
“I was a lot more nervous tonight,” he admitted. “What you, as a coach, are so happy about when it happens is that is serves as validation for all you have been telling the young man, all the guidance and instructions all the coaches have given him. To see him learn from those things and put them is use was very satisfying.”
Olejniczak finished his junior year at 48-6 and as the runner-up at 126. He can have the satisfaction of knowing it took a Cael Sanderson-coached Penn State recruit with a 173-1 career record and four state championships to beat him.
Fort Dodge standout Brody Teske (39-1) became the 26th four-time state champion in Iowa history when he dodged an assertive Olejniczak move and managed to pin the Bluejay in 1 minute, 49 seconds.
“Kaleb got a shot in right way and get his (Teske’s) feet up in the air but couldn’t finish it,” Weber said. “He was focused and wrestled well, he just ran into a special guy. Anyone else, and Kaleb is a state champion. He has a year left, and I have no doubt he is going to finish as a champion.”
Thompson (44-7) moved into the third-place match Saturday morning with a 6-3 decision over Johnston sophomore Thomas Edwards (35-15). He met second-ranked senior Kobey Pritchard of Southeast Polk (35-7) in the consolation finals. Pritchard, who does not have a right leg, used superior speed to keep Thompson off-balance and score a 12-4 major decision, leaving the Bluejay senior fourth overall.
“Zachary has had some set-backs, some injuries and concussions, but I told him his story is that Zachary Thompson is a fighter, that he is always going to fight you hard, and he did,” Weber said. “He wants to wrestle in college but has not decided where yet. I hope he does. He loves the sport, and it can see him going on to be a coach.”
Thompson finished sixth at 106 as a freshman and was sixth, sixth and fourth, respectively, at 120 pounds. He is believed to be the only Perry wrestler to medal in each of his four seasons and finishes a stellar career with a 174-30 record, the most wins in school history.
Stewart caps his career with a state crown and a 124-36 overall record, while Olejniczak will have another season to add to his three-year mark of 133-19.
Forth Dodge scored 144 points to win the team race in 3A, with Waukee second at 139 and Southeast Polk third at 134.5 Perry, new to 3A this season and by far the smallest school in the class, managed to finish 10th, with 59 points despite having only three qualifiers.
