Comets Carter Cajthaml, Talan Weber still alive at State Wrestling Championships

Press Staff Report

DES MOINES — You don’t have much better first days at the Traditional State Wrestling Championships than Charles City’s Carter Cajthaml and Talan Weber had on Wednesday.

Both went 2-0 with convincing victories in their respective Class 2A brackets, propelling them to the quarterfinal round where a win would place them just two victories from a state title while assuring at least a sixth-place perch on the podium.

But on Thursday, both Comets were sent to the consolation side of their brackets with a pair of losses to No. 3-ranked wrestlers.

Though that finished their Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena, it didn’t finish their tournament as both wrestlers made it to Friday’s 9 a.m. to noon session where they have “blood round” bouts waiting for them — fourth-round consolation wins guarantee top-eight podium placement; fifth-round consolation wins guarantee top-six placement and advancement to Saturday’s final session where podium placement for all brackets will be determined.

Competing in his second-straight state tournament, Comet 150-pound senior Weber earned an 11-3 major decision over Tristan Sinnard of Knoxville during Wednesday’s opening round. Weber followed with a fall victory over Carroll’s Cooper Ludwig at the 3:33 mark in the second round. But during Thursday QFs, Weber lost a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Algona’s Tate Slagle.

On Friday, Weber (28-9) faces Williamsburg’s Nile Sinn with state-medalist distinction on the line.

As one of the few ranked freshman wrestlers in the state, Cajthaml showed his mettle early in his 132-pound bracket while compiling a 19-3 technical-fall victory over Winterset’s Kasen Cochran in the first round before pinning Saydel’s Kolton Keller midway through the third period in the second round.

On Thursday, Cajthaml was pinned midway through the second period by Glenwood’s Matthew Beem.

Cajthaml (37-7) faces Bettendorf’s Steele Diercks on Friday.

Charles City’s 126-pound senior Jordan Young was able to bounce back from his second-round loss on Wednesday to win his first consolation match on Thursday. But a subsequent 1-point loss in the consolation third round capped Young’s final-season record at 35-7.

In the first round against South Central’s Joshua Young, Young won a 17-4 major decision before South Tama’s Amare Chavez bounced him to the consolation backside with a 3-1 decision in the second round.

On Thursday morning against West Delaware’s Kooper Waugh, Young came back from a 3-2 deficit to win a 10-6 decision, but later was stopped by Albia’s Conner Pickerell who got the better end of a 6-5 decision.