West 'misfits' produce success on the mat

IOWA CITY -- Jack Hathaway called the members of the Iowa City West wrestling team a bunch of misfits, and head coach Mark Reiland wouldn't want it any other way.

"Usually misfits are pretty darn good in wrestling," Reiland said. "They have the right mentality anyway."

The mindset allows them to mesh into a successful unit on the mat. The Trojans boast five wrestlers with state finals experience, and enter the season ranked second, following a year where they won a Class 3A state duals title and were runners-up at the traditional state meet.

Many of the Trojans have different backgrounds and personalities. They all seem to fit right in in the practice room. Winning is a commonality and that includes sharing the accomplishments of teammates.

"Even if some of us don't find success, we're still happy for the rest of the team," Hathaway said. "Success does help a lot to keep a team together."

Wrestling "misfits" may find sanctuary with each other during the grind of the season. Wrestlers push them to the limit while training. Add a bit of weight cutting and it's tough for others to relate.

"Sometimes it's hard to hang out with people outside of wrestling," Hathaway said. "They don't really understand what you're going through so it's hard.

"We all get along really well so we hang out whenever we have time."

You might catch some hunting or fishing together, too. Even as the seasons change, many are involved in wrestling year-round.

"I think wrestling is the thing that brings them together," Reiland said. "Some of them wrestle all the time so they are together all the time."

A wrestling room can transform into a battlefield despite strong team chemistry. Competition can lead to some major clashes during training. It is all part of trying to make each other better.

"It's tough," Dakota Bauer said. "We just beat the crap out of each other day in and day out.

"We're all friends, but we get (mad) at each other. Some days we hate each other, but we leave the room and we're fine."

West went 37-2 and were Mississippi Valley Conference champions last season. The Trojans have seven wrestlers ranked in the top nine by The Predicament, including top-ranked seniors Phillip Laux (113), Bauer (132) and 160-pounder Justin Koethe. Jack Hathaway, a state champion at 125 last year, is ranked second behind Southeast Polk's undefeated three-time state champ Cory Clark, who signed to wrestle at the University of Iowa. Kegan Wakefield, a 2011 state finalist, and Mickey Pelfrey are ranked third at 138 and 195, respectively. Ernest Willis is ninth at 120. Gradey Gambrall, a state runner-up in 2010, is not ranked. Laux won the 103-pound title last season and Bauer was a 2A 112-pound champion as a freshman at Ballard.

Laux and Koethe have signed to wrestle at University of Wisconsin, Bauer with Iowa State and Hathaway with Oregon State. The Trojans may not be as deep as recent years, but those top wrestlers are ready to hoist the rest on their shoulders and earn as many team points as possible.

'We know what we have to do," Bauer said. "We know we have to get those bonus points."

A prevailing philosophy in wrestling is for individuals to take care of their own tasks and the team aspect will work out. The Trojans follow that school of thought but they do focus on team success as well.

"We want them to worry about themselves first and foremost," Reiland said. "At the same time, we need to do the things that will make the team successful."

Individual gold has been captured, but West hasn't won a traditional state team title since 2007. These seniors have never experience a state title in Des Moines, even though they have placed in the top-four every year since the last championship. Sights are set on that one elusive achievement.

"That is the main goal this year," Hathaway said. "I think a lot of us would do almost anything to sacrifice for it. We all want it pretty bad."

West won its first state duals title last season since back-to-back championships in 2006-07, reaching the finals for a sixth straight year. It isn't enough to rectify the lapse in team titles at the traditional state meet.

"The goal and mindset is to get them both," Reiland said. "That's what they wanted last year and they were two points short. That's going to continue to be what we're looking at this year."

The Trojans have plenty of confidence that they can assemble enough "misfits" to fit together for a championship caliber squad.

"I see it happening," Bauer said. "We have the lead guys and even the weights where we're not so strong at those guys work hard and bang in the room everyday. We'll be able to fill in those other spots."