Wrestling is Rohweder’s passion

IOWA CITY - Iowa City West's Tanner Rohweder is obsessed with wrestling.

The three-time state medalist entertains the thought of winning a state title and continuing his career into college. Those goals make his mind race with thoughts of the sport, even when other subjects demand his attention.

'Wrestling is what I think about all the time,” Rohweder said. 'Sometimes I'll be in Math and have to tell myself to focus because I'll be thinking about practice.”

Rohweder won both matches last night, helping Class 3A fifth-ranked Iowa City West split a Mississippi Valley Conference double dual at home with No. 3 Cedar Rapids Jefferson and No. 7 Linn-Mar. The Trojans topped Linn-Mar, 35-30, while the J-Hawks earned the sweep.

The second-ranked 120-pounder doesn't participate in any other sport. Wrestling is his passion. He is devoted to being the best.

'He loves the sport,” West Coach Mark Reiland said. 'He is a student of the sport.”

Reiland, a former NCAA champion for the University of Iowa, has coached his share of NCAA Division I wrestlers, including national champion Derek St. John and current Hawkeye 165-pound starter Nick Moore. He is confident Rohweder can contribute at that level.

'You know he's going to be a 125-pounder and those guys are hard to find,” Reiland said. 'He's not afraid of hard work. It will be a big step up. He'll have to improve in a lot of areas.”

Rohweder wrestled his first matches of the year, returning from an ankle injury. He recorded a 6-0 win over Jefferson's No. 10 Joseph Sibomana in his first match and then added a second-period fall. He said it was a solid performance, but to achieve any of his goals he will need to become quicker and score more points.

'I felt good,” Rohweder said. 'This was my first couple matches back. It was good to get into it. There's a lot of room to improve.”

Rohweder will decide on where he will wrestle next year after this season. He has more important tasks at hand, including state and national titles.

'I'm pushing that on the on the back burner,” said Rohweder, who is a two-time All-American and Junior Freestyle national champion at Fargo, N.D. 'I've got two big things to do yet.”

Jefferson was the dominant team, dropping West, 44-27, and handling Linn-Mar, 48-14. The J-Hawks won eight matches against the Trojans, including six pins and a major decision. Jefferson built a 24-9 lead and won four of the last six matches to pull away after West cut it to 28-24.

The J-Hawks won nine matches against the Lions, including a 3-1 decision by fourth-ranked Kyle Briggs at 132, who scored a late takedown to beat Noah Ajram, who is ranked fifth at 120.

Jefferson's second-ranked 113-pounder and state medalist Brenden Baker had two pins for Jefferson in his first matches of the season, returning from a broken foot suffered before the season.

Toby Northrup (152) was a highlight for Linn-Mar. Northrup, ranked eighth at 152, rolled to a 20-8 win over the J-Hawks No. 7 Tavian Rashed. He closed the night with a first-period fall against the Trojans.

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