Photo by Jeff Yoder / Click here to view the 3A state wrestling photo gallery.

Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Andrew Rohret won the second state tournament match of his career on Thursday.

If you ask Rohret his opening round pin of Ottumwa’s Vincent Vass at the Class 3A state meet was earned months earlier.

“You just have to believe in yourself and believe in the work you put in and the time that you put in and let things happen,” Rohret explained. “I worked a lot more in the offseason and got a lot more one-on-one time with our coaches and that has really paid off.”

Rohret had a solid season a year ago, winning 38 matches including a consolation win at the 2A state meet in a 1-2 showing in his state debut.

He has taken things to another level this season.

After an offseason dedicated to improvement and filled with hours in the wrestling room Rohret returned to Wells Fargo arena on Thursday believing he was a state title contender.

The Clear Creek Amana senior looked like just that on Thursday.

Rohret controlled Vass from the outset, building a 2-0 lead before pinning the Ottumwa senior in 5:54 to advance to the 145-pound quarterfinals.

“You just have to worry about yourself and work on your wrestling,” Rohret said of his offseason. “If you do that things will take care of themselves.”

Rohret started his senior season with a breakthrough football season in which he led Clear Creek Amana is rushing and passing while directing the Clippers to the Class 3A playoffs.

He hasn’t slowed down a second on the wrestling mat posting a 42-7 record in his first season at the 3A level.

“He knows what’s on the line, he’s a senior, he knows it’s the last hurrah,” Clear Creek Amana coach Kyle Forness said. “He had a great football season because he had a great summer and a great spring and that propelled him into a great season.”

After a scoreless first period Rohret started down to begin the second period and needed just nine seconds to take a 1-0 lead with an escape.

Rohret immediately went on the offensive and took a 2-0 lead when Vass was called for stalling 10 seconds later.

“You can just see it when guys have been here before,” Forness said. “Andrew is calm, collected he’s been here before, he’s professional and he takes care of business.

Leading 2-0 Rohret started the third period on top and needed just 40 seconds to turn Vass onto his back.

He earned the pin with six seconds left.

“I was hopefully just wearing him down and getting a feel for him,” Rohret said. “I was on top and just worked my stuff and got it.”

Forness said the experience of last year’s state meet was key for Rohret on Saturday in staying patient late in a low scoring match.

“He got a win here last year so he knows what it takes and that propelled him into that match,” Forness said. “That kid was coming in pretty hot with some good upsets to get here and we really just handled it the entire match.”

The pin sends seventh-ranked Rohret to the quarterfinals for the first time where he will face fifth-ranked Eric Owens (35-4) of Ankeny Centennial on Friday morning.

Owens edged Rohret 3-1 in sudden victory back on January 5.

“We felt he could make a deep run,” Forness said. “We’ve taken our losses throughout the year, we’ve gotten better from each one of them. We’ve had plenty of tests and plenty of matches and now we can make a run. He’s well prepared.”

Clear Creek Amana 126-pound junior Samual Stevens ouned back from an opening round loss to advance to day two with a second-period pin of Ty Pfiffner of Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

Class 3A State Meet

Team scores (Top 10; Area Teams) – 1. Waverly-Shell Rock 31.5; 2. Southeast Polk 25; 3. Fort Dodge 23; 4. Cedar Rapids Prairie 22; 5. Johnston 21; 6. Bettendorf 20.5; 7. North Scott 19; 7. Waukee 19; 9. Ankeny Centennial 17; 10. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 16; 18. West High 11.5; 19. City High 10.

Opening Round (Area Athletes Only)

120 – No. 1 Cullan Schriever (Mason City) pinned No. 9 Kael Scranton (Clear Creek Amana) 3:27

126 – No. 7 Matthew Jordan (Des Moines East) pinned Samual Stevens (Clear Creek Amana) 2:58

145 – No. 7 Andrew Rohret (Clear Creek Amana) pinned Vincent Vass (Ottumwa) 5:54

First Round Consolation

120 – No. 7 Keaton Moret (Norwalk) dec. No. 9 Kael Scranton (Clear Creek Amana) 9-3

126 – Samual Stevens (Clear Creek Amana) pinned Ty Pfiffner (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) 3:26

Friday’s Quarterfinal Matches

145 – No. 7 Andrew Rohret (42-7) Sr., Clear Creek Amana vs. No. 5 Eric Owens (35-4) Sr., Ankeny Centennial

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