State wrestling: Ankeny’s freshman phenom ousted in finals after dominant run

The day before the state wrestling tournament began, Ankeny freshman Caleb Rathjen tweeted that his plan wasn’t to go out and win, but to go out and dominate.

Through the semifinals, that’s just what he did.

Then he ran into a buzzsaw, Valley junior Nick Oldham (36-1), in the 113-pound finals.

Rathjen, who has been described by coach Jack Wignall as a phenom, was breezing through the competition. He took care of his opponent 16-0 in the first round. Then, in the quarterfinals, he pinned his opponent in 3 minutes 11 seconds. In the semifinals, the freshman sensation took down Dubuque Hempstead’s Dillon Gottschalk, 6-1.

The finals though, as expected, presented the greatest challenge of all. And Oldham proved to be too much for the young wrestler to overcome. Rathjen lost the match 10-8.

“It’s not a great feeling, but obviously it will be motivation for years to come,” Rathjen said after the loss. “My goals will be the same next year, to go out there and win a state title. I didn't reach my goal this year, but I’ll be back to reach it next year for bigger and better things.”

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Oldham got out to a quick advantage and led 4-0 after the first round. Rathjen fought to regain the lead, heading into the third period with a 6-5 advantage. Two quick points by Oldham in the final period, which put him up 7-6, was a crucial moment. The Valley junior would never trail again.

“I got back to my lead and ended up getting sloppy there in the third period and went straight to my back,” Rathjen said. “And it was hard to come back from.”

Ankeny senior Spencer Anderson was the lone other Hawks representative at the state tournament. He was able to stand on the 132-pound podium Saturday night after a seventh-place finish.

Anderson defeated Ryan Strickland from Southeast Polk to nab the seventh-place spot on the stand, and said it felt especially good to end his high school career with a win.

“It was my last match and I wanted to go out with a bang,” Anderson said. “And I had never beat him, so it definitely felt good to win my last match — especially against him.”

Anderson will move on from the Hawks and leave his legacy behind. But his young teammate, Rathjen, will be around for three more years, and will certainly be the face of Ankeny wrestling as long as he’s still around.

“Me and Caleb have known each other since we were very young, and we all knew that he was going to go on to do great things,” Anderson said. “I think his loss tonight will only make him better, because he’ll be hungrier these next three years." 

Two Centennial underclassmen finish in top four

A pair of Ankeny Centennial underclassmen finished their season as one of the four best grapplers in their weight division. 

Sophomore Ben Monroe advanced all the way to the 120-pound finals before losing to Waukee’s undefeated senior, Kyle Biscoglia. Monroe’s classmate Logan Neils finished fourth in the 160-pound bracket.

It was Monroe’s second straight appearance in the finals. As a freshman he advanced to the 106-pound finals before losing to Mason City’s now two-time state champ Cullan Schriever. 

This season, he ran into an experienced and dominant senior in the finals. Waukee’s Biscoglia had not lost a match all year, and controlled his 9-2 win over Monroe from start to finish.

“He’s got a strong grip, he knows his stuff and I guarantee you that he works hard, too,” Monroe said after the match. “He controlled the match, and I go to work harder to get to the top of the podium next year — that’s all there is to it.”

Centennial coach Jay Groth took a Centennial record eight wrestlers to this year’s state tournament. He acknowledged Biscoglia’s dominance.

“Kyle’s a hammer on top; he gets in his ball-and-chain ride and is just very good at what he does,” Groth said. “He’s very strong and mature, and he worked us. He worked us on top, and that’s something that Ben, I’m sure, will work diligently to make sure that doesn't happen again.”

Diligent is a perfect word to define Monroe’s approach to wrestling. And according to Groth, it’s Monroe’s discipline and work ethic that makes him such a dynamic young talent.

“He’s got a plan, he manages his weight, he trains hard, he eats healthy,” Groth said, “So, it’s great for the high school program and the kids' club to have a guy like Ben around and to see that kind of effort and success from someone as young as he is.”

Monroe’s class of 2020 companion, Neils is a multi-sport athlete who competes with the Jaguars’ football and baseball teams, too. Groth says that year-round athletic training benefits him come wrestling season.

“Logan wrestled very well all week, and he lost to (Zane) Mulder who was ranked No. 2, but otherwise I thought he wrestled great all weekend,” Groth said. “He’s a multi-sport athlete, which I think is awesome. And he lifts all year long, whether he’s playing football, baseball or wrestling. He manages his time well and is an extremely intelligent athlete.”

Both wrestlers will help spearhead what looks to be a very bright future for Centennial wrestling. Four of the Jaguars’ eight state qualifiers will be back next season.

And for Monroe, despite the loss in the finals, he was still able to see the big picture and enjoy what will always be an unforgettable experience for him.

“It was a great experience here, I really enjoyed it,” Monroe said. “It’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”