McGeough only seventh Bulldog to make state wrestling finals
Gabe McGeough celebrates the semifinal victory that punched his ticket to the finals. He became only the seventh Bulldog wrestler to achieve this feat. “I had momentum building up in the tournament,” he said. “I was confident in my stuff.”
McGeough won the semifinal 4-3 over New London’s Dominic Lopez, who hadn’t lost a match all season and was favored by many to make the finals.
MFL MarMac senior Gabe McGeough placed second in Class 1A at 152 pounds at the IHSAA State Wrestling Tournament. He lost the championship match 3-1, in overtime, to defending state champ Wyatt Reisz.
McGeough attracted attention for his black cowboy hat and black shirt honoring late mentor and coach Al Reicks. “If Al was here, he’d just tell me to keep getting after it tomorrow and the next day. This cowboy hat, I’ve got to put it back on today, get back on the horse and keep going.”
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
MFL MarMac senior Gabe McGeough placed second in Class 1A at 152 pounds in this past week’s Iowa High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament, becoming just the seventh Bulldog wrestler to make the finals.
“Seven,” said head coach Chet Bachman. “That’s how hard it is just to get to the finals.”
This marked the third state tournament for McGeough, who placed fifth as a sophomore and third his junior season. He was ranked second at 152 pounds and had just one loss this season.
The road to the finals started with a fall over Maxwell Mintle of Lynnville-Sully in just 26 seconds.
“The first match, I was planning on getting it over with quick. Get on and off the mat,” McGeough said. “I felt confident.”
He followed that with a 12-5 quarterfinal win against Kuemper Catholic’s Shea Parkis, setting up a semifinal date with third ranked Dominic Lopez of New London, who hadn’t lost all season.
“He had to earn his way to the finals. Everybody was picking Lopez,” Bachman said.
McGeough prevailed 4-3, however, thanks to a third period takedown.
“I had momentum building up in the tournament. That guy in the semis was undefeated and a very worthy opponent, but I was confident in my stuff,” said McGeough. “He was long, so it was going to be hard to get to his legs. I dug my underhooks to get close to his body, ended up capturing the hips and getting two points there in the third period.”
In the finals, McGeough faced defending champion Wyatt Reisz of Logan-Magnolia. The two were tied 1-1 at the end of six minutes, but Reisz scored an overtime takedown that gave him a 3-1 win.
Aside from better positioning, McGeough acknowledged there’s not much he could have done differently.
“This loss is probably the toughest one because there’s not really anything I could do different,” he said. “You can do everything right. Sometimes things don’t go your way.”
“Obviously, it’s going to hurt and suck, and you’re going to question the things you did, but I gave my all out there,” he added.
While an overtime loss in the state finals is admittedly tough, Bachman chose to put a spin on the outcome.
“It’s about the journey,” he said. “It’s about the youth, the offseason, the camps. It’s about the process, about the teaching, the learning, the mind, the health, technique. There’s also a support network in every program.”
Bachman credited the assistant coaches for bringing unique perspectives to MFL MarMac wrestling. Travis Johnson is the energy, Collin Stubbs the thinker and Mike Meyer the teacher.
“Tracy [Decker], he knows how much sugar to pour in a jar and when not to pour too much,” Bachman continued.
McGeough’s father, Chip, was labeled the “business guy.”
“He’s the man who helps solve a lot of our conflict,” Bachman said. “And that’s what makes up all these guys. It takes a village to raise all these guys, and it takes a village to raise a state finalist. And the network goes above and beyond us coaches, obviously.”
Every journey has an end, though, and Bachman said it’s important to question what you got out of it.
“In the end, it’s not about the placing. We all learn a lot more from our losses than our wins sometimes. If you don’t have that, you won’t succeed. It’s about getting stronger with your mind and your heart,” he shared.
Wrestling has taught McGeough that.
“Wrestling is who I am. It’s everything,” he said. “This sport has taught me so much—it’s like my second dad. Grit, toughness, doing things right, getting school work done, watching what you eat. It really is a 24-hour process every single day, and I’ve really embraced that and took it under my wing to make sure I’m doing the right thing.”
“I’ve made a lot of changes on and off the mat, and I’m proud of myself. No matter the outcome, I think I’ve had a good four years, a good career. Tough to see it end, but thankfully I have more opportunities to continue wrestling,” he added.
