Matt Levins The Hawk Eye / Rayn Walrath Photo Credit
DES MOINES — Kaiden Dietzenbach has a flare for the dramatic.
With time running out in the final match of his high school career, only one move and 20 seconds stood between the Notre Dame-West Burlington/Danville high school senior and his last chance to become a state champion.
Dietzenbach went for broke, scoring a late takedown for a 3-2 win over Landen Davis of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont in the Class 2A 138-pound state championship match at Wells Fargo Arena.
And when it was over, Dietzenbach placed an imaginary golf ball on an imaginary tee and hit it with an imaginary golf club
Fore?
How about ace in the hole.
“First and foremost, all glory to God. Every time before I go out there I see the cross on my warmup. I see the cross on my singlet. I’m asking God to be with me out there and help me along the way,” Dietzenbach said. “It was amazing, especially to do it with my brother, CJ. Me and him do everything together, from us both getting beat in the first round two years ago to now we’re bringing home brackets and hats together. That’s pretty cool.”
Dietzenbach, after finishing fourth, third and second the last three seasons, made the final step up the podium.
After watching teammate and best friend CJ Davis win a state championship moments before at 126 pounds, Dietzenbach wasn’t about to break a promise the two made before the season.
“What was a bigger relief off my shoulders was when CJ Davis went out and won his title. I said we’re doing it together. He got it done, so I had to hold up my end of the deal,” Dietzenbach said. “This whole year me and CJ said we want four state hats. We want that team state hat and we’re each getting one. We’re going home with some hats.”
Davis (45-2) scored the first point of the match on an escape three seconds into the third period. It appeared the 1-0 lead would stand until Dietzenbach scored off a late scramble.
“Landen Davis likes to be in that three-point stance. I played one year of football, but I was never very good, so my three-point stance could use a little work,” Dietzenbach said. “I worked on it, knowing it was going to be down close to the mat match. I went in knowing that and I think I executed on that pretty well, especially on that last takedown.”
Dietzenbach (46-1) gave up an escape with 13 seconds left, then held off Davis to preserve the win.
“A match is six minutes for a reason. If we wrestle 5 minutes and 45 seconds, he won. But we wrestled six minutes and that’s when I got it done,” Dietzenbach said. “I looked up that that clock and I told myself, ‘I’m going to give this everything I’ve got.’ I went all out and I got it done.”
“There’s a huge difference between them this year and years in the past,” ND-WB/Danville coach Bill Plein said. “In past years they would have been in the waning seconds of the matches and thought, ‘I’m going to lose this.’ They didn’t today. They fought through it today.”
While many athlete say they are going to Disneyland after winning a championship, Dietzenbach made no bones about his plans.
“I’ve been saying all wrestling season I’m ready for golf season,” Dietzenbach said. “It’s here. It’s time. Let’s go hit the course.”