Iowa City High’s Cale Seaton ready for last state wrestling tournament run

Cale Seaton recalled his kindergarten friends urging him to attend a kids’ club practice at West Branch.

His family was new to the sport, but it became a permanent fixture in their lives. Seaton joined Iowa City High’s MatPac youth wrestling club.

By the time he was 7, they were loading up the family Chevrolet Traverse for wrestling tournament trips to places like Ohio, Tennessee and Indiana. The trek began with those long trips, but the Little Hawks’ senior would have never guessed where the road was going to lead him.

“It is crazy,” Seaton said. “I don’t think I would have imagined that as a little kid.”

The road has had some potholes along the way but Seaton has stayed the course, leading him to the top of the state podium last season. He is driven to return to that championship perch at the Iowa High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament Wednesday through Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Seaton (30-1) enters as the No. 2 seed at 132 pounds in Class 3A. He faces the winner of Pleasant Valley’s No. 15 Caden Ervin and Waukee’s No. 18 Carson Crigger in the second round.

“I have less than a week left in my high school career,” said Seaton, who has signed to wrestle with South Dakota State next season. “I just need to be in every moment and focused on every match. End it in a way that I don’t ever have to look back and regret anything I’ve done. So, it’s just going out and giving all my effort so there is no regret when I walk out of it.”

Seaton is concentrated on the present and has a bright future with the Jackrabbits. The past may have defined him as a special competitor. He suffered a knee injury in January 2023 that threatened to end his junior campaign. Seaton displayed his resolve, pushing through the pain to win the 126-pound crown.

“He stares adversity in the face and attacks it,” City High Coach Cory Connell said. “That's what he did last year with his injury for state. After surgery and with his (district) loss, he always finds the positives and makes the best out of it.”

Seaton had surgery the Monday after the finals. He began physical therapy as soon as he could. The tedious process was three times a week for about a month and a half. Appointments shifted to twice a week to once and then every other week. Recovery and rehab kept him off the mat for six months during the spring and summer — his longest stretch away from the sport since he was a youth.

“It made me realize how much I really loved wrestling and how grateful I was to compete because now I’m actually able to compete,” Seaton said. “Not having to sit out and watch is a big difference. It’s been a really awesome season to be able to get back on the mat.”

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Seaton said the hardest part was remaining patient, completing each stage of therapy and channeling all his energy into what he could do. He lifted regularly with former Iowa City West state champion, University of Iowa football player and Big Game Wrestling Club strength coach Alex Kannellis. Seaton threw himself into approved activities to combat the agony of not being able to wrestle.

“I lifted with him every day, so I was still doing a bunch of stuff,” Seaton said. “I picked up biking. I did a ton of biking on the aerodyne and outside. I was always looking to do the next thing and get to the next step of my rehab.

“When they cleared me to do the next thing, I kept doing that and drove it into the ground as much as I could to keep my body in shape.”

The breakthrough came at the end of August. Seaton returned to the mat with restricted drilling, but it only gave him a couple months to prepare for his final season. He was uncomfortable at first and that quickly dissipated.

“It was really slow, working back into it to be careful,” Seaton said. “I was ready for it. I was really ready to get back on the mat. … There was a little bit of fear because I wasn’t on the mat for so long. As I got back into it, I picked up right where I left off.”

Seaton has meshed perseverance, toughness, work ethic and athleticism for success. He also has benefited from outside factors that helped him to three state medals, including third-place finishes as a freshman and sophomore.

“He is willing to work harder at everything he does than anyone else,” Connell said. “Regardless of if that is wrestling live, technique, mentally, eating, sleeping, school, or anything else. He does everything right.”

Seaton credits current workout partners Kael Kurtz (138) and Kael Voinovich (157) for pushing him to be his best. He also trains with Big Game on Sundays. Seaton and Kurtz met through the MatPac in fourth grade. Seaton said his achievements might not be possible without getting to train consistently with Kurtz.

“I could not ask for a better situation than I have,” Seaton said. “Nobody else in the state has those two high-caliber partners like that. That feeds confidence. Coming into the state tournament, nobody’s trained with the people that I’ve trained with. It’s a really big thing to have on your side.”

His parents, Brad and Amber, have been his biggest fans and supporters. They provided the opportunities, donating time and treasure for their son’s passion.

“They’re always there for me,” Seaton said. “They’re always wanting the best for me.

“They travel with me all summer and spring when I’m wrestling at tournaments in Vegas and all over the country. They are always there and wanting to support me. I can always go to them. They’re always positive and a great support system.”

A positive attitude was needed after Saturday. Seaton suffered his lone loss in the district final, dropping an 8-6 decision to Bettendorf’s top-seeded Jayce Luna. Like a champion, he didn’t dwell on the setback and quickly turned his attention to improving for state.

“Last weekend, I had a little trip, a little fall,” Seaton said. “Maybe for an hour you can hang your head but I even had a match right after that.

“The injury, too, taught me when you get knocked down you have to get right back up. I think it was a good thing for me. It was a wake-up call for me, coming into state. It puts me on the hunt again. It makes me want it more, that’s for sure.”

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