Bulldogs bring home confidence—and two medals—from state tournament

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

MFL MarMac wrestlers Keith Anderson, Holden Mathis, Karter Decker, Quinn McGeough and Taylor Herzmann capped off their successful seasons last week, at the state tournament in Des Moines. Mathis earned a fifth-place medal, while Decker finished sixth.

“They wrestled really well and wrestled at, probably, the highest level they could have,” said head coach Chet Bachman of all the wrestlers. “This was a great ending in my book for the team, the coaches, these kids. I couldn’t be prouder.” 

The tournament expanded to 24-man brackets this year, and competition was whittled down over four days instead of three.

“It was a grind,” Bachman said.

That was especially true for Mathis, who wrestled a team-high seven matches en route to placing fifth at 132 pounds in Class 1A. 

“The first two days were not too bad on your body. You’re kind of used to that from practice. The third day, you just have to mentally prepare yourself and overcome all the soreness of your body and all the struggles. The fourth day is really tough,” Mathis explained. “You really have to have your mind in the right place to succeed.”

Mathis, a junior, entered the tournament ranked 10th. He pinned Hunter Wernli of North Mahaska in the opening match, then scored an overtime win against seventh-seeded Kendrick Huck of Nashua-Plainfield in round two. His first loss came in the quarterfinals, by a narrow 4-2 decision to eventual second-place finisher Tanner Arjes from North Butler-Clarksville.

In the fourth- and fifth-round consolations, Mathis picked up a fall over Iowa Valley, Marengo’s Zane Keim and won a decision against previous opponent Huck. A 15-5 loss to Wilton’s Jordan Dusenberry, the fourth seed, put Mathis in the fifth-place match. There, he edged third-seeded Carlos Valenzuela of Highland, Riverside 6-5.

“Holden Mathis had probably the tournament of his life. He was very focused, very determined,” Bachman said. “He beat some really good kids. He was the 10th seed, so for him to get fifth place, that’s a heck of an accomplishment.”

Mathis credited his mindset.

“Thinking to myself I’m going to go out there and wrestle my match as hard as I can and never give up. I knew their seeds,” he said of his higher seeded competition. “It motivated me.”

According to Mathis, the medal around his neck signifies his growth as a high school wrestler. He’s not done yet, though.

“It definitely doesn’t show my complete potential,” he said. “I had a really good year. Next year, it’s going to be tough to beat it, but I’m sticking it in my mind that I’m going to be better.”

For Decker, the fourth time was the charm at this year’s state tournament. The senior accomplished the rare feat of qualifying four times, but had yet to reach the podium.

“There’s been a lot of work, a lot of time, put into this sport. I’ve been wrestling since I was four or five years old,” he said, “so it feels good to get a medal.”

The 13th-seeded Decker reached the semifinals at 145 pounds with a 13-1 major decision against Kaden Abbas of AGWSR, then falls over East Mills’ Ryan Stortenbecker and Emmetsburg’s Ryan Brennan, who were seeded a respective fourth and fifth. 

Eventual champion Mikey Baker from West Sioux, Hawarden defeated him 5-3 in the semifinal.

“When you get into the semifinals, it’s a good accomplishment to get there and put yourself in that position. The other coach was worried. You had him worried because you were dangerous and wrestling well,” Bachman told Decker. “That match was really close and could have gone either way at the end.”

Starmont’s Keaton Moeller pinned Decker in the consolation semifinal the next morning, and he wasn’t able to beat Brennan a second time in the fifth-place match. 

Decker said confidence was the key to his success.

“I felt like I didn’t have much to lose. I’m already a four-time state qualifier. Sure, I wanted to get that medal, but I wasn’t going to get it if I wrestled timid,” he explained. “I had a ton of confidence going into every match I wrestled, even the ones I lost. Against the one seed and Moeller, who’d beaten me three times already, I had a ton of confidence. I was excited for them.”

The medal finishes off what Bachman called an incredible season and incredible career. Decker recorded his 150th career win in the first round match. He also set school records for most pins in a season, with 38, and career pins, at 105. 

“I did not always like wrestling,” Decker admitted, “but it’s done a lot for me, a lot of things I’ll take with me the rest of my life.”

That includes working hard and doing something even when you may not want to.

“Don’t talk, don’t complain about it. Just do it. That’s what I’ve been doing all year, and I think that will carry on the rest of my life,” Decker said. “Then there are some of the memories you make. Wrestling really brings everybody together.”

McGeough, a 160-pound sophomore, finished the state tournament 2-2. That included an exciting 9-8 win over Kayden Baxter of AHSTW in the opener. 

“The first round match was crazy,” Bachman said. “When you can win close matches at the state tournament, that tells you a lot about the kind of kid we’re dealing with.”

Although McGeough lost his second round match by technical fall to top-seeded Wyatt Reisz of Logan-Magnolia, he rebounded on the backside with a fall against Nashua-Plainfield’s Eli Kalainoff. A 7-0 loss to John McGill of Colfax-Mingo in the third consolation round ended McGeough’s state run.

McGeough said it helped he was able to get to his attacks more.

“I had nothing to lose, so I though I might as well go out there and be aggressive, and I think it worked,” he shared. “I beat a kid who had beaten me earlier in the season, and that was like the cherry on top.”

With two years of high school remaining, McGeough is motivated to return to Des Moines.

“I had a lot of fun down there. And now that I know what it’s like, it definitely prepares me for future years. I’m excited to get back down there and hopefully be on the podium,” he said.

Bachman sees a bright future too.

“As a sophomore, he’s got room to grow, both mentally and physically,” the coach said. 

Another sophomore who will look to grow in his craft is Anderson. After finishing third at 113 pounds at districts, he didn’t expect to make it to state this year, but the top qualifier from Starmont could not wrestle due to medical reasons.

Anderson didn’t find out until Tuesday morning—the day before the tournament started.

“I woke up and my dad said, ‘Well, you better get to school and start running.’ I didn’t know what to think,” he admitted. “It was so surprising. All year, I wanted to make it to state, and after districts, I was bummed. When my dad told me, it got real. I was super excited.”

The quick turnaround meant Anderson had to shed roughly eight pounds in a short span. Running got him down to two pounds over before the group left for Des Moines. He was one-tenth over when it came time to weigh in.

“He just walked back and forth for five minutes and lost a tenth,” Bachman recalled.

“It was tough, but I got it done,” Anderson said. “I had that drive to be better.” 

Coming out of the tunnel into Wells Fargo Arena was an experience, according to the sophomore.

“The place is huge. You look around at all the people and a bunch of wrestlers you’ve never seen before. It’s a surreal feeling,” he said.

Anderson was pinned in both matches—one by Wilton’s Austin Etzel and the other by Don Bosco’s Cole Frost. Bachman still liked his approach.

“He attacked his kids and went after it and wasn’t scared. That’s all we ask: a strong effort,” the coach said.

Despite the losses, Anderson will treasure the experience.

“After being able to experience it and see what it’s like, it will push me to try even harder. I want to get back and get that feeling again,” he said.

For Herzmann, a senior wrestling at 220 pounds, qualifying for state was the highlight of his wrestling career. After competing in junior high, he took a year off as a freshman, then returned his sophomore season. At the time, this feat was something he never would have imagined.

“From wrestling as a sophomore and barely winning a match to making it to the state tournament. It’s about putting the time and work in,” Herzmann shared. “Wrestling is one of the sports where you have to dedicate a lot of time. It’s not just going to be given to you. Everything you get in wrestling you have to earn.”

Bachman echoed those sentiments.

“I’m pretty proud of this kid. He didn’t really turn into what he’s turned into until his senior year. When he won conference, I think confidence builds everything. He went out and did it on his own. He went to the state meet and wrestled really well.”

Herzmann lost both matches, the first a 6-0 decision to Kennen Roadcap of Montezuma. Lisbon’s Indy Ferguson edged him 5-1 in the next.

Bachman credited Herzmann for staying in good position.

“He didn’t flop to his back and get pinned or give up on the edge of the mat. He was determined to do his best,” Bachman said.

“I was ready to wrestle,” Herzmann added. “I thought to myself, ‘It’s now or never. Go get it.’ I wrestled the best I could, stayed in good position the whole match and only lost by a couple points.”