HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING: THE FEW, THE PROUD

Greene Co.’s senior duo hits mat with experience, strength

By BRANDON HURLEY

Sports Editor 

sports@beeherald.com

@BrandonJHurley

JEFFERSON – Two contrasting styles but one common goal - state. 

For a squad chock full of youngsters and inexperience, Greene County’s most veteran pair of wrestlers have their sights set on lofty goals, hoping to leave a lasting legacy on and off the mat.  

The Rams’ only two seniors, Isaiah Yoder, who wrestles at 182 pounds, and Hunter Ruth, 220 pounds, are making waves as the season comes to a close with sectionals quickly approaching, each fresh off HOIC conference championships Saturday, Jan. 21. 

While focusing on their own individual success, the duo also has transitioned into their roles as leaders of a roster that boasts a large freshman class, whether through audible directions or by their actions out on the mat. Yoder sports a career record of 91-50 while Ruth is 54-34 with a state tournament appearance in 2015. 

“They’ve had a lot of time here, we depend on them to guide our guys because they have been through the whole thing,” Greene County head coach Mark Sawhill said. “They know what’s expected, they know what everybody should be doing and they aren’t afraid to bark out orders and get things done.”

Yoder and Ruth each have their own way of commanding respect, but through very differing leadership styles, Sawhill said. 

“Hunter is more vocal,” the coach said. “He’ll talk to everybody.”

His counterpart, Yoder, on the other hand, is much gentler, more unassuming, but still expects the highest level of competition from his teammates.  That quiet leadership could very well be attributed to the patience he’s shown over the years. He wrestled the most matches in school history last year, and it’s seemed to make him a better wrestler his final go-around. 

“Isaiah is basically a guy who leads by doing. He’s not going to talk very much, he will if he has too,”  Sawhill said. “Otherwise, he’s a quiet leader but he sets a good example and people follow him because he’s the kind of young man - both of them are (Isaiah and Hunter) - that kids follow in their footsteps.” 

Ruth hopes to return to state after an absence a year ago – he was knocked from the 2015 state tournament as a sophomore in consecutive matches, losses to Carlisle’s Andrew Hill and Darrin Greenfield of Sheldon/South O’Brien. 

“Hunter is a strong ox,” Sawhill said. “It takes a lot to bring him down. With his strength, he can get some things down.”

Ruth is 21-2 so far this winter, but sat out the opening two weeks for a suspension and has picked up several wins thanks to forfeits. 

Yoder (31-5) has yet to make a state tournament appearance, but came painfully close as a junior. He finished fourth at the district tournament last February. 

One of the senior’s four losses this season came at the hands of the top-ranked wrestler in Class 2A and two-time state champion, Chase Shiltz of Creston/Orient-Macksburg in the Dallas Center-Grimes Mustang Invite in December. 

Another loss came Tuesday, Jan. 3 in a 1-0 decision against Belmond-Klemme’s Tucker Kroeze.

Yoder isn’t one who will overpower his opponents, but he’ll break them down, one-by-one. 

“Isaiah is more of a finesse guy. He’s going to come into you hard with a good ankle pick that he has,” Sawhill said. “He’s constantly in your face all the time. He’s kind of like a nat, he’s always in your way.

(Isaiah and Hunter) have a little different wrestling styles, but their intentions are pretty much the same, they know we are out there to win, to win big and they aren’t going to quit for six minutes.”  

An increased leadership role isn’t something new for Ruth, as he was a captain for the Greene County football team this past fall, but he does acknowledge being one of two seniors is a bit of an adjustment. He’s tried to use what he’s learned over the years and teach the younger guys. 

“It’s really different. We always had some one to look up to and now it’s just us two with a bunch of first year wrestlers and freshmen,” he said. “The thing with wrestling, if you’re inexperienced, you take a lot of lumps. A lot of telling them to keep on fighting, not give up and believe in themselves.” 

The Rams have five freshman that see frequent varsity action while five of their top wrestlers are juniors. Due in part to that lack of experience, the dual team losses have piled up this winter, but Yoder and Ruth have shown top-notch individual success. 

Ruth vividly recalls what it’s like to be a small fish in a big pound. 

He wrestled varsity his freshman year at 170 pounds, and of course, took his fair share of peaks and valleys as well.  

“It’s not easy to be varsity as a freshman,” Ruth said. “Their records my not look good but they are getting better every time they go out.” 

The toughest part for any wrestler, he said, is making that transition from middle school to the high school ranks. The competition is on a whole nother level. 

“In middle school, you wrestle any kid, it’s going to be a pretty even match,” Ruth said. “You get up to high school and you’re going against kids that have been in AAU and go to five camps every summer. 

You are going to see kids, that since they were in diapers, this was their life.”

For any young wrestler experience is vital, even if you get hit with loss after loss. That experience has blossomed into a successful senior campaign for Yoder, just as he fully embraces his role as a team leader. 

 “(I learned) to never give up when it seemed really hard. It’s a really hard sport, you just have to push through it even if you aren’t succeeding at a young age,” he said. “I always saw the seniors as guys that always go harder and always do more when no one is looking. They listen, they know what they are doing.” 

Yoder’s newfound dedication to improve has shown big dividends this far. The senior put in a lot of offseason work with wrestling and lifting. Ruth continually uses the football workout plans during the wrestling season to stay in tip-top shape as well. 

“This year, what’s helped Isaiah is he got into the weight room this summer and it’s been big,” Sawhill said. “They are both bigger and stronger and it’s helped them this year.”

Ruth has keyed in on eliminating the outside noise this winter. He believes that, along with unmatched endurance, it gives him a good chance at a return trip to state. He’s reflected on the tough times he had as a freshman but also what it felt like to have success as a sophomore. 

“I learned how to maintain composure, how to take leadership and what it meant to be a leader and how to work hard,” the senior said. “I feel like I’m a lot more focused this year. I need to stay in the weight room, keep the diet healthy and take good care of myself.”  

Despite the youth that will follow in their footsteps, Ruth feels the wrestling team is in some pretty sturdy hands. 

“The kids are definitely going to have to step up. In the next couple of years, the program is definitely looking (bright),” the senior said. “We have a lot of young talent coming in. It’s not an easy sport, and if you let losses get you down, it’s going to get worse and be an even harder sport.”

Both Yoder and Ruth have turned early losses into success late in their careers, but if they want to make a trip to downtown Des Moines next month, they have to each stay out of their own way, Sawhill said. The noise – rankings and records – go out the window when the wrestlers are out on the mat for a heated six minutes. 

“It’s going to be a mental thing. You need to go in there thinking you can beat anybody,” the coach said. “It doesn’t matter what he’s done. It matters what he’s going to do and what you’re going to do with him from there. 

If they can keep their heads on straight and go out there with the attitude they can beat anybody, it’s going to help them big time.”  

Sectionals are set for Saturday, Feb. 4. The Rams are slotted in 2A sectional 15 in Humboldt. The top two place winners in each weight class will then advance to districts held Feb. 11 in Webster City.  

The 2017 wrestling state tournament is set for Feb. 16-18 at Wells Fargo Arena in downtown Des Moines. 

The Rams came in fourth at the Heart of Iowa Conference tourney Saturday in Alleman, scoring a total of 130 points. Prairie City-Monroe captured the team title with 220 points. 

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