Polo's Peterson wins Class 1A state wrestling title
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By Jason Hickman and
Brian Weidman
Reporters
It was a picture perfect weekend for Polo senior wrestler Jake Peterson during the Class 1A State Wrestling Finals Feb. 19-20.
The road wasn’t easy, falling in the sectional finals and having to wrestle the state’s top ranked wrestler in the quarterfinals, but when it was all said an done there was just one wrestler left at the top of the podium.
“It’s crazy and amazing,” said Peterson. “I have put so much work into it, and it has all paid off. It’s unlike any feeling I have felt before.”
Peterson becomes Polo’s third wrestling champion, joining Dan Hartman (1982, 167 pounds) and Cort Lawton (2006, 125 pounds).
“This means a lot to me. The entire Peterson family is about wrestling, and I felt like it meant a lot to my family, to me, and to the community,” said Peterson. “The town has really supported me. It has just been amazing.”
The senior heavyweight lost in the finals of the Byron Class 1A Sectional Feb. 13, but his second place finish still advanced him into the state competition. It would put him in a bracket where he would have to face the top ranked wrestler in the state in just the second round.
In retrospect he is actually pleased that he fell in the sectional finals to Riverdale’s Mitchell Keppy going into the state competition.
“Looking back on it now I’m glad that I lost to him,” said Peterson. “It definitely woke me up, and it gave me that extra kick to get it in gear and get ready for state.”
Peterson didn’t waste time at state, pinning his first opponent, and that moved him into the quarterfinals in quick fashion.
“Getting it over quickly was important to start the tournament off, especially at state where anything can happen,” said Peterson.
He then earned a thrilling last second victory over the state’s top ranked heavyweight to move into the second day’s semifinals, and it was a match that he didn’t exactly know what to expect from going in.
“I really didn’t think that I could beat him,” said Peterson. “I knew going in that I could hang with him, and after I won I was thinking that the title was mine.”
In the semis, Peterson continued to battle as he earned another slim one point victory, and moved into the final against Keppy.
It was the fourth time the two had matched-up this season, with Peterson winning the first two before the sectional defeat.
“I was hoping that he would make it to the finals, not just to get another shot at him, but also so our sectional would be represented with two finalists,” said Peterson. “To get some pay back for the previous weekend was a nice touch.”
Keppy (38-3) took a 1-0 lead with an escape early in the second period, but Peterson returned the favor with an escape early in the third.
With 54 seconds remaining in regulation, Peterson dove for Keppy’s right leg and got it. The takedown gave him a 3-1 lead, and he rode out his opponent the rest of the way.
“Just like every other match I couldn’t get the shot in the beginning,” Peterson said. “They would defend it, so I waited until the third period, wore him down, he just went right past and I got to the leg. That was the difference.”
Polo head coach Justin Zigler noted his main contribution to Peterson’s title was providing strength and conditioning, and credited Crase with the hands-on training.
“From the get-go, Jake new it, I knew it, my assistant coach knew it – we knew that he could do it,” Zigler said. “All he had to do was set his mind to it, train like he did and come out on top.”
In the second round in a match-up of the top two heavyweight wrestlers in the state, Peterson and Crum traded escapes to open the second and third periods to make the score 1-1.
It appeared an overtime was imminent before Peterson successfully executed a single-leg takedown and scored two points with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. Crum got an escape to make the final 3-2.
“I thought if I wore him down a little bit, it’d be easier,” said Peterson, who opened with a pin of Argenta-Oreana’s Trent Trudeau in the first round. “I got worn down too. He’s really strong, by the way. It’s just incredible. I don’t know how I hit that.”
