Ballard state wrestling recap: Gabe Christensen wins state title at 195 in Class 2A

Ballard had a productive boys state wrestling meet in Class 2A last Wednesday through Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

The Bombers crowned one state champion, had two wrestlers place second and another earn three victories during the tournament. Gabe Christensen won the 2A state title at 195 and Brody Sampson and Henry Christensen took second at 182 and 220 respectively.

Four other Bombers also competed at state — Tony Horness at 113, Tucker Vitzthum at 132, Rhett Hedrick at 160 and Luke Hartsook at 170.

Ballard placed seventh as a team in 2A with 74 points. Osage dominated the 2A team race, winning with 175.5 points.

Here is what we learned from Ballard's performance at the boys state wrestling meet.

Gabe Christensen earns himself a championship hug

There was only one thought running through Gabe Christensen's mind the moment the 2A championship match at 195 ended Saturday.

"I wasn't even thinking, I just wanted to go hug my dad," Christensen said. "I told him this was a long four years coming."

Christensen placed seventh at 160 as a sophomore and fifth at 182 last season.

Christensen, the No. 4 seed at 195 in 2A entering the tournament, defeated third seed C.J. Carter of Glenwood by a 7-3 decision in the championship round Saturday. His dad, Casey, is Ballard's head coach, so he was right there waiting for his son's embrace at the conclusion of the match.

"It was really special," Casey Christensen said "It's one of those moments not everyone gets to experience. I don't know if it's kicked in yet."

The championship match personified how Gabe approached the state tournament from the start. Every one of his four matches was a close, tense affair and his tremendous poise and focus helped him emerge victorious each time.

Gabe scored three takedowns near the edge against Carter, two of which came in the final seconds of the first and third periods. His first takedown came with three seconds left in the first period, the second with 1:12 to go in the third period and the final with four seconds left in the third.

Gabe won his first match by a 6-4 score over Mount Vernon's Ethan Wood and his semifinal match over Harlan's Zane Bendorf by a 9-7 decision. In the semifinals he defeated top seed Gavin Bridgewater of South Tama County by a 6-4 decision.

"The key for the whole tournament was being calm, patient and relaxed," Gabe Christensen said. "Then it was going out and being confident in my abilities."

Christensen placed seventh at 160 as a sophomore and fifth at 182 last season. He was elated to end his career atop the podium.

"Last night was incomprehensible," Gabe Christensen said. "The next morning it feels amazing. It was just a special moment."

Two more Bombers place second

Gabe's younger brother Henry fell just short of joining his brother as a state champion.

Henry, seeded sixth at 220, pinned Clarion-Goldfield-Dows' Ashtin Willms in 56 seconds, upset third seed Jaxon Cherry of Winterset by a 3-2 decision in the quarterfinals and knocked off second seed Barrett Muller of Osage by injury default in the semifinals after jumping out to a 4-1 lead before Muller went down. In the championship round Henry suffered a loss by major decision to Nick Reinicke of Dike-New Hartford, losing by an 11-3 score to end his season at 44-8.

"I know Henry is disappointed and it stings," Casey Christensen said. "That will just make him want to do better next year. He put it all on the line and I'm very proud of him."

Sampson followed up an eighth-place showing as a freshman and last year's fifth-place effort at 182 in 1A when he wrestled for Collins-Maxwell with a runner-up showing at 182 in 2A last week for the Bombers.

Sampson turned in a tremendous tournament after pinning Clear Lake's Kaleb Hambly in 2:29, defeating Williamsburg's Gable Dayton by a 9-5 decision and edging second seed Jarrett Roos of Sheldon/South O'Brien by a 3-2 decision to reach the finals. In the championship match Sampson went up against defending champion C.J. Walrath of Notre Dame-West Burlington and actually took Walrath down, something that hadn't happened to the Nike star in three years, before losing by fall to finish with a 51-3 record.

"Brody was definitely and underdog (against Walrath), but he wasn't afraid," Casey Christensen said "He should feel really proud of his state run."

Tucker Vitzthum gets three wins at state

Vitzthum went 3-2 at 132 during the state meet.

Vitzthum defeated Saydel's Kolton Keller by an 8-6 decision in the first round then lost by fall to second seed Matt Beem of Glenwood. In the consolation rounds Vitzthum defeated Washington's Caden Greiner in a 9-8 battle and South Tama County's MaCael Bear by a 7-4 decision to reach the fourth round, where he fell just shy of placing after losing by a 5-1 decision to Central DeWitt's Royce Butt.

Vitzthum ended his sophomore season with a 42-18 record.

Horness, Hedrick and Hartsook each went 0-2 as the other Bomber wrestlers to compete at state.

Horness lost by fall to Crestwood's Carter Schmauss in the first round and Fairfield's Cael McCabe by a 3-0 decision in the consolation second round to finish with a 16-26 record at 113. Hedrick suffered a 7-2 loss to Knoxville's Daniel Gorskikh in the first round and a loss by fall to Carroll's Jireh Gallegos in the consolation second round to finish 37-14 at 160 and Hartsook lost by fall to Aplington-Parkersburg/Grundy Center's Clay Saak and Sergeant Bluff-Luton's Zayvion Ellington to end up 26-16 at 170.

"We had our most state wrestlers since 2018 and most finalists since 2011," Casey Christensen said. "I know us coaches are all proud of the team's effort this year."

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Ballard's Gabe Christensen wins state wrestling title at 195 in 2A