Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

IOWA CITY – After making his debut at the state wrestling tournament a year ago Regina senior Sam Aitchison is focused on much more than winning a few matches on senior night.

The drive for those lofty senior season goals begins in earnest for Aitchison on Saturday at the River Valley Conference meet in Monticello.

But first Aitchison did have some senior night business to attend to on Thursday.

Aitchson went 3-0 on Thursday helping Regina pick up dual wins over Iowa Valley and North Tama at a home triangular in which the Regals honored their five senior wrestlers and a pair of senior managers.

“It’s weird, I’ve been doing this for five years now, wrestling at Regina and this group of seniors has been together since junior high,” Aitchison said of senior night. “So it’s a weird feeling but we are working on moving forward and using this as a stepping stone to sectionals, districts and state.”

Aitchison posted a pair of pins and a win via forfeit on Thursday, securing a 42-33 win over North Tama with a second-period pin of Logan Rausch.

Regina won its opening dual 41-33 over Iowa Valley and fell to Class 2A sixth-ranked Vinton-Shellsburg 58-15 in the final dual of the evening.

This night was all about Aitchison and his classmates who have helped already helped the Regals to one of the most successful regular seasons in recent program history.

Fellow seniors Caden Shetler, Aidan Udell, Carter Rios and Alex Spies have all played a key role in helping Regina to a strong season.

“This is a special class for me because they are the first one from when I started coaching,” Regina coach Zach Ries said. “They were very raw at the beginning but that’s kind of where our system has been, get them in seventh or eighth grade and put in the hard work in the weight room and special things start happening.”

Aitchison improved his season record to 31-3 with three wins on Thursday and is ranked ninth in Class 1A at 152 pounds.

The path to success has been slow but steady for Aitchison.

He won 11 matches as a freshman and didn’t have a winning record until he went 18-11 a year ago.

This season Aitchison has been among the best in Class 1A.

“He has earned it because he is in the weight room three or four times a week and when everyone else is sleeping he is doing two or three more times what everyone else is being asked to do,” Ries said. “He has put in the commitment to do that extra work and you can see that.”

Aitchison isn’t alone.

Outside of Udell, who is a two-time state qualifier the rest of the Regina seniors are enjoying extended varsity success for the first time.

Shetler won 21 combined matches his first two seasons and at 26-13 is enjoying his first winning season at 195 pounds. Rios is 18-12 in his first winning season.

According to Aitchison the senior class success is no accident, it has come from hard work.

“Even last year I didn’t really have too much business at state but I put in work in the offseason and was in the weight room a lot,” Aitchison said. “We have a great strength and conditioning program at Regina and doing those workouts over a couple of years really helped.”

Aitchison watched some younger Regina wrestlers take losses on Thursday and can relate.
That’s why he has spent his senior season conveying to the freshmen and sophomores in the Regina lineup how he has enjoyed success in his final season.

“One thing we’ve been trying to bring some of the freshman and sophomores along that are losing matches because we were there two years ago,” Aitchison said. “It sucks but if you keep working you will get better and eventually have that success.”

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