Cougar freshman gets state experience

DES MOINES – Kaden Abbas didn’t get the ideal draw at last weekend’s state tournament.

But the 120-pound AGWSR freshman does have a blueprint on what to work on this offseason after going 0-2 during the Class 1A session of the Iowa High School State Wrestling Championships on Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

In the first year of having all 16 wrestlers seeded in each bracket at state, Abbas got the 16th seed in the 120-pound bracket. Two-time state champ and undefeated Marcel Lopez of New London got No. 1.

“That’s how it worked out,” AGWSR head coach Chad Gerbracht said. “We prepared for it like it was just another match, getting out there and ready to wrestle.”

Lopez logged a 20-4 technical fall in the second period to send Abbas to the backside.

“Sometimes when you see a kid with a number in front of their name or know they’re a place winner/champion, there’s a tendency to backpedal,” Gerbracht said. “But he stepped to the line and left it out there, he wasn’t afraid to compete in that match.”

His consolation opponent was Tyce Ruffridge of Pocahontas Area, a junior with a 30-8 record who was also making his first state appearance.

Ruffridge went up 6-2 after one period, added a takedown from the neutral position in the second period and scored five points from the top position in the third period toward a 13-2 major decision that ended Abbas’ run at the tournament.

“Ruffridge ended up controlling the match,” Gerbracht said. “We didn’t get strong on top. … We set up good shots to get in our shots and ended up on bottom.”

In a year with restrictions limiting attendance and ticket allotments for friends and family, Gerbracht was glad that Abbas was able to have the experience of the first high school state tournament at all.

“Hopefully we’re in a better place 12 months from now than we are in now,” Gerbracht said of the restrictions related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, “but we got a chance to have a state tournament, and that’s a win for everybody.”

For Abbas, the offseason will come down to finding a repertoire that will make the sophomore-to-be better prepared for any scenario on the mat.

“He’s wrestled a lot of the kids [on the podium] this year,” Gerbracht said. “We need that go-to shot we can count on, figure out what the best shot is, the best turn, best bottom move, and know that going into the match instead of waiting to see what happens.

“We addressed with him that it’s a learning year, there’s a lot of good competitors in that weight class. … It’s not out of line for a freshman to get on that podium, but now it gives him an idea of how hard to work in the next nine months.”