Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Over the past four years City High has continued a steady ascent toward the top of Class 3A.

Nobody has pulled more weight during the Little Hawks’ climb than Jacob Dykes.

On Saturday night Dykes finished his career on top.

Dykes captured the 195-pound state title with a 7-2 win over eighth-ranked Reece Bowlin (40-6) of Indianola at the Class 3A state meet at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“It’s amazing,” Dykes said. “I talked to (Coach Cory) Connell when I was an eighth-grader and he was telling me about everything I could do in high school and I didn’t even see it myself. Connell has been the biggest supporter and I’m just glad to come out here and show where he has brought every one to.”

Dykes became the first City High state champ since 2005 and put an exclamation point on a season that saw City High scoot closer to the top of the Class 3A mountain.

Behind Dykes and a runner-up finish from fellow senior Wilfred Kadohou at 160-pounds City High placed eighth in the team standings with 71 points, both bests in six seasons under Connell.

“It’s another step forward, it’s another check mark that we need to get,” Connell said. “I’m never satisfied, it’s going to tough for me to be satisfied but I’m very proud of Jacob and Wilfred what they accomplished.”

Saturday’s title was feather in the cap of a career for Dykes’ that had seemingly always been hit by tough luck or close calls.

Dykes battled illness at the district meet as a freshman and failed to reach the state meet and had his sophomore season shortened by an elbow injury.

Last season he lost in the semifinals after 46 consecutive wins to open the season.

“It’s great being able to come out here finally show where I feel like I’ve been the last few years after just coming up short on whether its my physical stamina or just the short end of the stick anywhere else,” Dykes said. “It’s nice being able to complete what I came to do.”

No. 2 Dykes (45-1) avenged the only loss of his senior season with a win over top-ranked Tyrell Gordon of Waterloo East in the semifinals on Friday.

Dykes closed his career with 11 straight wins, including eight by fall, after a 12-4 loss to Gordon in the finals of the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament last month.

“He has been a leader in our room for the last four years and he’s one of our hardest workers,” Connell said. “He leads by example. He does everything right. He tells everyone else what they are supposed to be doing and how they are supposed to be doing it.”

Dykes needed just more than a minute to take control in the title match.

He got in on a single-leg takedown near the edge of the mat and calmly pulled Bowlin back to the center by his extended leg before completing the takedown.

Dykes said he prefers to finish takedowns on the mat and struggled early in the season with high finishes like the one that gave him a 2-0 lead in the state title match.

“I struggled a lot earlier this year with getting guys up in that position and elevating and tripping,” Dykes said. “The morning of Bean City (Dual Tournament at City High) I came in about 5 a.m. and spent three hours before weigh ins working on that upper finish and it just of clicked. Today I sat there for a second and it clicked.”

Dykes had the only three takedowns of the match, adding another takedown in the second and third periods along with an escape in the third for a 7-2 win.

“The first takedown is important in all matches,” Connell said. “I think that just gave him a lot of confidence and he just kept following the game plan and working and kept scoring.”

Dykes led City High to its best finish in a decade.

The Little Hawks won MVC regular season and Super Meet titles and reached the state dual meet for the first time since 2006.

On Saturday Dykes got his own fitting ending becoming the first City High champ since Kyle Anson and Zach McKray won titles in 2005.

“It’s amazing,” Dykes said. “Being able to come out here and finally win is huge.

Kadohou (39-8) capped his career with a runner-up finish at 160-pounds falling to three-time state champion Nelson Brands of West High 22-7.

Sophomore Ethan Wood-Finley added a fifth-place finish at 106 and senior Joey Harney was eighth at 138 as City High collected four medals.

The seventh-place team finish and 71 points topped last years 11th place, 46-point performance as the Little Hawks’ best under Connell.

“I’m never going to be satisfied, unless we came here with 14 guys and all of them won state championships it would be hard for me to say I’m satisfied,” Connell said. “I’m proud of the kids and we just need to keep getting better.”

Class 3A State Meet

Team scores – 1. Fort Dodge 144; 2. Waukee 139; 3. Southeast Polk 134.5; 4. West Des Moines Valley 106.5; 5. Glenwood 76.5; 6. Johnston 74.5; 7. West High 73.5; 8. City High 71; 9. Dubuque Hempstead 67; 10. Perry 59.

Championship Matches

106 – No. 1 Cullan Schriever (Mason City) dec. No. 2 Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge) 9-3

113 – No. 1 Nick Oldham (West Des Moines Valley) dec. No. 2 Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny Centennial) 10-8

120 – No. 1 Kyle Biscoglia (Waukee) dec. No. 6 Ben Monroe (Ankeny Centennial) 9-2

126 – No. 1 Brody Teske (Fort Dodge) pinned No. 5 Kaleb Olejniczak (Perry) 1:49

132 – No. 2 Drew Bennett (Fort Dodge) dec. No. 3 Eli Loyd (Pleasant Valley) 9-4

138 – No. 1 Zach Stewart (Perry) dec. No. 3 Deville Dentis (Des Moines East) 3-1

145 – No. 1 Cade DeVos (Southeast Polk) dec. Mason Hulse (Boone) 7-2

152 – No. 3 Harlan Steffensmeier (Fort Madison) dec. No. 2 Cayd Lara (Fort Dodge) 5-4

160 – No. 1 Nelson Brands (West High) tech fall No. 4 Wilfred Kadohou (City High) 22-7

170 – No. 1 Ben Sarasin (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) dec. No. 3 Anthony Zach (Waukee) 9-5

182 – No. 1 Joel Shapiro (West Des Moines Valley) dec. No. 3 Brandon Tessau 8-2

195 – No. 2 Jacob Dykes (City High) dec. No. 8 Reece Bowlin (Indianola) 7-2

220 – No. 1 Francis Duggan (West High) major dec. No. 2 Greg Hagen (West Des Moines Dowling) 13-4

285 – No. 1 Caleb Sanders (Glenwood) dec. No. 4 Dylan Olson (Dubuque Hempstead) 3-2

Area Individual Results

Consolation Semifinals

106 – No. 6 Devin Harmison (Southeast Polk) dec. No. 7 Ethan Wood-Finley (ICH) 7-2

Fifth Place

106 – No. 7 Ethan Wood-Finley (City High) dec. No. 5 Aiden Evans (Bettendorf) 4-1

Seventh Place

138 – No. 4 Will Jefferson (Bettendorf) major dec. No. 9 Joey Harney (City High) 10-0