Class 2A state wrestling: Lucas Roland becomes PCM’s first state champion ... for mom

The pink was everywhere all weekend long, and Lucas Roland couldn’t help but smile. 

But his biggest grin came Saturday night, when, after winning a historic state title, the PCM senior ran off Mat 2 and jumped into the crowd in Section 104, where he hugged his mom, Jeri, who currently has breast cancer.

“It’s the greatest thing that I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” Roland said. “Just to know all that she does to support me and that she can see me accomplish my goals — it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever felt.”

Roland won the 170-pound state title in Class 2A on Saturday night. He beat top-ranked Kolton Bartow of Wahlert, 5-1, to become the first state champion from PCM. The junior capped his season at 49-1 overall.

But Roland’s story has less to do with his incredible performance this weekend than the motivation behind it.

Jeri was diagnosed with breast cancer in late October, just before wrestling season, but by then, he was already on the mat. He had traveled to Kansas City for a tournament, which he says helped keep his mind off the news back home.

As the season began in November, wrestling became a distraction for Roland. He was focused, hoping to improve off his fifth-place state finish from last year. He dropped one match to Southeast Polk’s Thaddeus Breitsprecker in December. It remained his only loss of the year.

FINAL MOBILE BRACKETS  |  FINAL DESKTOP BRACKETS

As the postseason neared, Jeri began another round of chemotherapy, but continued to show up in support of her son. She was at Wells Fargo Arena all week, and after each round, Roland sped off the mat to wrap her in a hug.

“She’s meant everything to me. She’s my mom,” Roland said. “She’s been fighting right there alongside with me. I know that if I keep fighting and giving it everything I got, I know she’s going to do the same. I just kept doing that all week. That’s really what it’s been about.”

Wrestlers and fans from opposing teams showed support by wearing pink. He drew the attention of nearly everybody as his story began to circulate. On Saturday, coach Jeff Nicholson wore a pink tie while he sat in the corner.

After Roland beat Bartow — the same Bartow that bumped Roland to the wrestlebacks and then beat him again to send him to the fifth-place match last year — he jumped from the mat and embraced his mom in the stands. The sold-out crowd inside the Well gave him a standing ovation.

Roland then made his way into the tunnel, where coaches from Wahlert, Ballard and Fort Dodge gave him high-fives. He hugged Woodward-Granger’s Cody Fisher. Albia’s Aden Reeves met him with tears rolling down his cheeks.

“It’s the greatest thing you could ask for,” Roland said. “I keep saying it. It’s just great to know that everybody is there for you, even if it’s people you’ve never met. There are so many people there for you inside of this community. It’s all family.”

With his own watery eyes, Roland could hardly put the experience into words. He won a state title — one that, because of the strength showed by his mother, he knew he could not lose.

“I really wasn’t too tense going into this match, to be honest,” he said. “If anything, I was the most relaxed I’ve been all year. Just do my thing, stay on my offense and keep my feet moving. Have fun, score points. That was my mindset. I can’t lose. I can’t get scored on."

CLASS 3A:Fort Dodge clinches first traditional team title since 1985

Ramirez wins fourth, helps Wahlert to first team crown

Josh Ramirez was the third Iowa prep wrestler to win four state titles on Saturday night. Of course, he won his other three in his native Louisiana, but his week inside the Well was an experience that more than topped his memories from back home.

“Very unique,” Ramirez said. “It was very exciting. I enjoyed it. I wish I had come here my freshman year so I could experience it, but I got to experience it my senior year.”

HISTORY MADE:Teske, Thomsen join Iowa's exclusive 4-time champion club

And Ramirez put on a show for the crowd in the process. He pinned his way to the finals at 160 pounds, where he beat Dyersville Beckman’s Luke Hageman, 11-7, under the lights on Saturday night.

The Ohio State-bound senior played a huge role in Wahlert’s team-race domination. The Eagles won the Class 2A team title, the program’s first traditional team state championship.

The reason why — bonus points. Ramirez, Bartow and 220-pounder Boone McDermott all pinned their way to the finals of their respective weights. Blake Bradley also added 12 team points with his fourth-place finish at 285 pounds. In the end, Wahlert scored 94 team points, 14 clear of second-place New Hampton.

As the Chickasaws collapsed throughout Friday, and South Tama County, Ballard and West Liberty all ran out of firepower, it was Wahlert that stood above the rest, clinching the team title before Saturday’s finals even began.

“It feels amazing,” Ramirez said. “First one Wahlert has ever won. To be a part of that with this class with Boone and Kolton — I’m happy. I’m very excited I made the move up here. Definitely worth it.”

CLASS 1A:Allard, Happel halfway to four-peat, Cameron Beminio's 'good weekend'

Reeves uses quick pin for second title

Aden Reeves wasted little time winning his second state title on Saturday night.

The Albia junior secured a first-period pin to win the 120-pound championship in 2A. Reeves rolled up Sergeant Bluff-Luton’s Jack Gaukel in 55 seconds. When he spoke with the media afterward, he had hardly even broken a sweat.

“I just went out there and got after it,” Reeves said. “I got the leg up and went for the head. That’s not really what you’re taught to do. My coach will probably chew my butt off after this, but it felt right, so I went with it.”

Reeves simply dominated the field this week, securing three pins and a 20-9 major decision over Union’s Jack Thomsen in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Campbell commit said the feeling was just as good as when he muscled his way to his first title.

“It feels awesome,” he said. “It feels about the same. There are no extra words to describe it.”

FROM THE ARCHIVES:The best state wrestling tournament celebration photos

Ruffridge joins sister as state champion

After Reeves won his title at 120, Pocahontas Area’s Shea Ruffridge won at 126, defeating Clear Lake’s Eric Faught, 3-2, for his first state title. 

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Ruffridge’s older sister, Elle, is Iowa’s all-time leading scorer in girls’ basketball. Elle led Pocahontas Area to a state title last year.

Now, Shea can add his gold medal to the family collection.

MORE:See every photo from 2018 state wrestling tournament

Blockhus wins third; Broderson, Robertson win second; Lewis wins first

New Hampton’s Michael Blockhus reached the state finals for the fourth straight year. The Northern Iowa-bound senior beat Ballard’s Jarrett Miller, 9-5, for his third state title.

Davenport Assumption finished with two champions. Julien Broderson finished his dominant junior season with a second-period pin over Southeast Valley’s Kyler Fisher in the finals at 182 pounds, securing his second state title. Matt Robertson also won his second championship with 4-3 win over South Tama County’s Brady Fritz at 132.

Centerville also finished with a champion, as Matthew Lewis muscled out a 1-0 sudden-victory decision over Columbus Community’s Jarod Kadel at 106 pounds. Lewis is just a freshman, meaning many more titles might be on the way.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

Class 2A Team Race

1. Dubuque Wahlert, 94
2. New Hampton-TV, 80
3. South Tama County, 75
4. Ballard, 69
5. PCM, 62.5

Finals Results

106: Matthew Lewis (Centerville) 41-2, Fr. over Jarod Kadel (Columbus/WMU) 43-2, Jr. (SV-1 1-0)
113: Andrew Flora (ADM) 46-1, Jr. over Nathaniel Genobana (Centerville) 32-3, Fr. (Dec 1-0)
120: Aden Reeves (Albia) 50-0, Jr. over Jack Gaukel (Sergeant Bluff-Luton) 44-8, Fr. (Fall 0:55)
126: Shea Ruffridge (Pocahontas Area Comm.) 51-1, Sr. over Eric Faught (Clear Lake) 51-1, Jr. (Dec 3-2)
132: Matt Robertson (Assumption, Davenport) 46-4, Sr. over Brady Fritz (South Tama County) 46-4, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
138: Michael Blockhus (NHTV) 57-0, Sr. over Jarrett Miller (Ballard) 49-3, Sr. (Dec 9-5)
145: Ryan Steffen (Crestwood, Cresco) 38-8, Sr. over Austin Rozeboom (Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley) 25-3, Sr. (Fall 3:16)
152: Isaac Judge (South Tama County) 48-2, Sr. over Kyler Rieck (Spirit Lake Park) 46-4, Jr. (Dec 5-0)
160: Josh Ramirez (Wahlert, Dubuque) 13-2, Sr. over Luke Hageman (Beckman Catholic, Dyersville) 43-4, Sr. (Dec 11-7)
170: Lucas Roland (PCM) 49-1, Jr. over Kolton Bartow (Wahlert, Dubuque) 44-4, Sr. (Dec 5-1)
182: Julien Broderson (Assumption, Davenport) 36-0, Jr. over Kyler Fisher (Southeast Valley, Gowrie) 54-2, Jr. (Fall 3:20)
195: Bryce Esmoil (West Liberty) 53-0, Sr. over Cody Fisher (Woodward-Granger) 54-3, So. (Fall 1:05)
220: Boone McDermott (Wahlert, Dubuque) 45-1, Sr. over Jordan Baumler (North Fayette Valley) 38-3, Sr. (Fall 5:27)
285: John McConkey (Atlantic-CAM) 57-1, Sr. over Spencer Trenary (Clarion-Goldfield-Dows) 50-5, Jr. (Dec 7-6)