State wrestling: Brody Teske, Alex Thomsen join Iowa's exclusive four-time champion club

For days and months and years to come, in the communities surrounding Fort Dodge and Underwood and in fervent wrestling pockets around Iowa, they’ll all talk about the 2017-18 high school season. They will talk about how Brody Teske and Alex Thomsen, two of the state’s all-time great prep wrestlers, made history.

They’ll talk about how they both entered their senior seasons undefeated. They’ll talk about how Teske handed Thomsen his first career loss, 11-9 in Council Bluffs in December. They’ll talk about how Thomsen returned the favor with a 10-8 overtime decision in Cedar Rapids a month later.

They will talk about those matches, and the other 364 victories they combined to win during their illustrious high school careers. They will talk about Saturday night inside Wells Fargo Arena, when they took center stage at the 2018 state wrestling championships and completed their long-awaited coronation.

Teske and Thomsen joined the exclusive club reserved for four-time state champions. Teske took the 126-pound title in Class 3A with a first-period pin over Perry’s Kaleb Olejniczak. Thomsen beat Lisbon’s Cobe Siebrecht 18-6 to win at the same weight in Class 1A.

More state wrestling coverage:

• Class 3A: Fort Dodge clinches first traditional team title since 1985
• Class 2A: Lucas Roland becomes PCM’s first state champion ... for mom
• Class 1A: Allard, Happel halfway to four-peat, Cameron Beminio's 'good weekend'
• Best state wrestling tournament celebration photos

After each victory, both flashed four fingers on their right hands while the referees raised their left before a sold-out crowd.

"It is cool," Thomsen said. "It's a really cool thing. I think we both put in a lot of hard work, and I'm glad it's finally paying off.

"It's going to sink in tonight."

Only 25 wrestlers before them had won four state championships. Prior to Teske and Thomsen’s addition to the list, there had been four seasons where two wrestlers each won their fourth titles, but Saturday night was the first time that two wrestlers did so at the same weight.

"It feels good," Teske said. "Job completed, you know? Mission completed."

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Since the duo won their first titles back in 2015, they have been inextricably linked, each mowing through every opponent in their respective paths. Teske won 3A titles at 106, 113 and 120 pounds, while Thomsen had won 1A’s 113 as a freshman before going back-to-back at 126.

The wins piled up without much resistance. Entering this season, Teske sat at 135-0, with 71 pins and 25 technical falls. Thomsen was equally as dominant, racing to a 139-0 career mark at the start of his senior campaign. The question was not whether they would complete undefeated careers, but how many wins they would accumulate along the way.

But the trajectory of their respective seasons changed once they both decided to wrestle at 126 pounds. The schedule revealed two tournaments where they could potentially cross paths. Both acknowledged that it could benefit them both to wrestle one another, and the idea became intoxicating to wrestling fans statewide.

Then it became real. 

On Dec. 9, on Mat 5 inside the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Teske overcame a 7-3 deficit and scored a takedown off a re-shot with less than 10 seconds left to win 11-9. Three lead changes and a combined five total takedowns were at the heart of what many considered to be the match of the year.

Teske improved to 148-0 that day. Thomsen fell to 152-1, but was upbeat afterward. Shortly after walking off the mat, he met with teammate Logan James, who wasn’t sure what to tell Thomsen. It turns out, James didn’t have to say anything at all.

"He told me, 'A good wrestler never loses twice,'" James said. "And I didn’t say a word to him after that."

IOWA'S 50 BEST PREP WRESTLERS: Teske, Thomsen both on the list

True to his word, Thomsen set his sights forward, knowing a rematch was all but certain in Cedar Rapids the following month. With the gym inside Jefferson High School filled to the brim, they squared off again and produced a match that rivaled their first meeting. Thomsen secured a takedown in sudden victory to win 10-8 and improve to 168-1 for his career.

Teske fell to 162-1, but actually raised his own hand afterward — a habit, he joked afterward. He said he likes to model his life after legendary Iowa State wrestler and Iowa coach Dan Gable, and that Thomsen was his Larry Owings.

With both of those matches behind them, the chase for four was on. Teske and Thomsen resumed their demolition in pursuit of history. This past week, Teske, a future Penn State Nittany Lion, went pin, pin, technical fall en route to Saturday’s final. Thomsen, a Nebraska signee, earned tech falls of all three of his opponents by a combined 69-22.

Ahead of their finals matches, the two shared a moment where Mat 1 and 3 collided. Thomsen commented on Teske's shoes, and Teske offered a compliment in return. They both laughed. Their shoes looked worn from countless hours and days in practice rooms and competitions.

The moment was subtle yet gripping, two legends hanging loose before making history.

The domination resumed soon after. Teske locked up a cradle against Olejniczak and secured a pin in 1 minute, 49 seconds. Afterward, he raced off the mat and hugged his parents at the bottom of Section 120. He finishes his prep career with 174 wins and one loss.

"Going up on the podium and having everybody clap — that's awesome," Teske said. "Every ounce of hard work and sweat and tears — every emotion, it's all right there."

Thomsen employed his usual catch-and-release style en route to seven takedowns and a major decision, but ran off in frustration afterward. He wanted to perform better in the final match of his high school career, but in a moment of reflection afterward, he appreciated the gravity of his achievement.

"Obviously, our matches against each other are going to be remembered for a long time," Thomsen said. "I just hope we're remembered as kids who put in a lot of hard work and we did everything the right way. We didn't take any shortcuts."

STATE WRESTLING PHOTOS: All our 2018 images, all in one place

The crowd stood in full throat at each match’s conclusion, and roared louder when they stepped up to the top of the podium to receive their medals. History will show Teske above Thomsen on the four-timer list, because the Iowa High School Athletic Association organizes it alphabetically.

But for one night, and for one season, Brody Teske and Alex Thomsen were equals. They will go down in history as two of the best. They will both be in the record books, each with one career loss and four state titles.  

And for a long, long time, wrestling fans across the state will talk about that.

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