State Wrestling: A quest for 3-peats

DES MOINES - Different weights, different classes. The same goal.The wrestling careers of Alburnett's Christopher Halblom and Williamsburg's Austin Blythe have run parallel, but both are hoping they intersect this week in joining a select group of Iowa high school wrestlers.Halblom and Blythe will attempt to become the state's 42nd and 43rd four-time state finalists and 68th and 69th three-time champions in the state tournament that begins today at Wells Fargo Arena.Top-ranked Halblom (41-0) opens today against Pekin's Austyn Vogel at 125 pounds. He's hoping to add to the titles he won at 112 and 119 the last two seasons after reaching the 103-pound final in 2A as a freshman for Center Point-Urbana. Halblom said the titles put a huge target on his back, but he is feeling better than ever as state nears.“I haven't felt this good all year,” Halblom said. “I feel like I'm going to go out there and do what I can. Take everything to the other kid.”Halblom enters the tournament with 160 career wins. His last loss was to Charles City's Tanner Schmidt in the 2A finals as a freshman.“I think he thrives on the fact that he's chasing something pretty special,” Coach Kane Thompson said. “He looked ready to go (in practice). He looked like he wanted to compete right now.”It hasn't been confirmed, but Blythe is believed to be the first freshman state finalist at heavyweight. He owns the Williamsburg record for wins with 181, breaking his brother Holden's mark of 164. He has 141 falls according to Williamsburg Coach Grant Eckenrod, which puts him atop Iowa's all-time pins list.“He's so talented,” Eckenrod said. “He's got so much God-given ability. It's scary to be that big and be able to move like that and wrestle like he does.”Top-ranked Blythe, 6-foot-3, 285 pounds, who has signed to play football at Iowa, opens with Perry's Tyler White (20-9).Blythe said gets an adrenaline rush from being on the big stage."Being in Wells Fargo Arena is mesmerizing enough,” said Blythe, who is 45-1 this season. “If that doesn't get your heart racing I don't know what would.”The roads to state titles haven't been easy for either wrestler. As a sophomore, Halblom faced the second-ranked wrestler in the finals at sectional, district and state meets for his first crown. That could be repeated this week if he faces Lisbon's Kolbi Kohl in the championship. Halblom topped Kohl in finals the last two weekends to reach state. Last year, Halblom edged Don Bosco's Ben McMahon in overtime for his second title.He wants to put his mark on this bracket.“He's never really completely dominated a state tournament from start to finish,” Thompson said. “That's one of his big goals this year. he wants to show he's a dominant wrestler and score a lot.”Blythe earned his titles by avenging losses. Last year, he avenged a loss to Davenport Assumption's Tyler Swope in the quarterfinals, then did the same against Adam Praska of Crestwood in the final.“He seems to get up for the state tournament,” Eckenrod said. “He gets himself so mentally ready to go and so locked in at the state tournament, which a lot of kids can't do.”Blythe said he felt lucky to qualify as a freshman, then surprised himself by what he was able to accomplish in that first state appearance.“I didn't think I was anywhere near the top of the podium in terms of talent and experience,” Blythe said. “I was really happy to be there.”Blythe recorded two gutsy overtime wins that year to reach the final. That second was followed by two titles. Now he seeks a third.“Right now, I'm thinking about one at a time, but if it does happen I think it's going to be the biggest sense of relief and accomplishment I've ever felt,” Blythe said.