Liam Weber of West Delaware's healed up and amped up to make a state tournament run

DES MOINES — It’s been almost a year to the day since West Delaware’s standout sophomore 157-pounder Liam Weber went under the knife.

Doctors needed to repair a torn meniscus that derailed his planned surge into the 2024 Class 2A Iowa High School Athletic Association state wrestling meet, so Weber chose to heal up and set his sights on the future.

He’s now arrived.

Weber — the No. 5 seed at his weight — won by technical fall in his second-round match on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena to set up a quarterfinal matchup with fourth-seed Tate Slagle of Algona. Weber’s now 42-2 this season and feels primed for a long-awaited podium-worthy breakthrough.

“For me, it’s always kind of been like tunnel vision,” he said. “I don’t let a lot of outside things affect me. So when that (injury) happened, I was looking towards the next best thing, and that was the next year at the state tournament, which is now.”

The physical pain Weber experienced late last season has slipped into long-term memory, and the mental strength he gleaned from that bout with adversity fuels his short-term vision locked onto Thursday Friday, and hopefully Saturday night.

“I think not wrestling (at state) last year lit a fire under me,” Weber said. “Made me want to wrestle here more. I’m glad to be surrounded by the people I am, and they really helped me with that decision last year. I’m glad to be here. I can wrestle my hardest instead of being kind of 50 percent.”

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The Hawks stood in second place in 2A with 36.5 points after Wednesday’s results. Davenport Assumption led the field with 45 points, and Independence ranked third with 36 points. Anamosa checked in at seventh with 28 points, and Mount Vernon and Union Community shared eighth place with 27 points.

It’s a wide-open 2A team race — and making the most out of simply being here formed a theme for some hungry and high-performing Gazette-area wrestlers.

Independence’s eighth-seeded 165-pounder Christopher Meyer won by major decision to advance to a quarterfinal bout with top-seeded Bo Koedam of Sergeant Bluff-Luton. Meyer, a junior, is wrestling in his first state meet.

“It’s funny,” Meyer said. “You go out there with a lot of emotions, You’re excited — and to be able to go out and perform like that in fort of a good crowd, honestly, you don’t really know what to expect, but it was fun.”

And while facing the top seed on Thursday looms as on on-paper uphill climb, Meyer’s familiar with such lofty challenges. His stepdad and Mustangs assistant coach, Keith Donnelly, affixed a sturdy rope to a tree on his property perhaps 40 to 50 feet off the ground. Meyer’s climbed it many times, gaining physical and mental strength with each grueling rep.

“The rope and I have had our fair share of meet-ups over the years,” he said. “I haven’t been on it as much as I used to, but look at me: I started to climb that rope every day, three times a day. Got up to 10 times a day. It builds more than your consistency. It’s strength, endurance. You don’t want to do (it), but you’ve got to do (it). Little things like that just kind of help you climb the ladder.”

Mount Vernon’s second-seeded 150-pounder, Mikey Ryan, has been climbing the podium at state ever since starting high school. He took eighth at 138 in 2023 and fifth at 150 last year. He’s preceded by his brothers Jacob, Trey, Paul and Henry in wrestling for the Mustangs — and Trey and Paul won state titles.

“I’ve been here watching my brothers ever since I can remember,” said Ryan, who won by technical fall to reach the quarterfinal round. “I mean, I always wanted to be like them. They’re some of my biggest role models. I just want to do what Ic an to maybe be in that conversation with them as a wrestler — just do what I can to represent my family and my community well.”

Union Community’s top-seeded 106-pounder Coy Mehlert’s in a similar enviable spot. The talented sophomore’s dad, Bart, is the Knights’ long-time head coach, and he’s also learned from star seniors Brayden Bohnsack (120) and Jace Hedeman (132), who both are chasing their third state titles this week.

“I don’t think anyone here probably trained as much as I did this summer in my bracket,” said Mehlert, who pinned his way to the quarterfinals in 49 seconds on Wednesday. “I did two-a-days in the summer pretty much all summer, so no one’s got the technique that I have.”

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