Southeast Polk-Ankeny wrestling dual gets out of hand, entire gym ejected

Officials opt to eject both fan bases during Southeast Polk-Ankeny wrestling dual

Southeast Polk and Ankeny squared off in a wrestling dual Thursday night. While you can see fans in the stands at the point of the picture being taken, they were all asked to leave later in the night. / X/Ankeny High School

When you get Southeast Polk wrestling involved, the intensity gets turned up to another level.

That was the case in Ankeny, Iowa on Thursday night, as the No. 1 and nationally-ranked Rams entered the Hawk gym for a dual with Ankeny. 

While the end result of the meet was never in question, the final score did prompt some questions, as it read “Southeast Polk 60, Ankeny minus-1.”

I’ve never heard of this happening in any sport. Both Ankeny and Southeast Polk crowds were asked to leave after eight matches.

Based off live stream both crowds were rowdy but that is standard for wrestling duals.

Not clear if an official or AD decision.#IAhswr pic.twitter.com/AWLm8ivoCb

— Tony Hager (@hagertony) January 10, 2025

If you have never been to a wrestling dual in Iowa, the fans on both sides of the mat - or sitting together on one if that is the preferred layout - are always involved, always yelling and always really believing they are not getting the benefit of the calls. 

* Southeast Polk ranked nationally by High School Sports on SI

Well, that was definitely the case with both Southeast Polk supporters and those cheering on the home team, Ankeny. 

And after hearing about it all night long, the officials in charge of the action on the mat had heard enough. 

According to multiple reports that have surfaced online, fans from both teams were sent packing early to their cars. And not just a few of them. 

Everybody. 

Before the wrestlers could return to the mat, officials had thrown every single man, woman and child out of the stands and to the parking lot. Which, side note, had to make for some very interesting discussions both on the way out of the gym and as people packed into their vehicles and drove away. 

Having covered many, many duals and tournaments over the years, the most interesting part of the wrestling community in Iowa is the actual passion they have for the sport as a whole. While some might wonder if the action outside the gym was just as intense, my guess is that fans from both sides probably came together to “team up” in support against what was being called on the mats. 

Southeast Polk and Ankeny were both docked one team point for flagrant misconduct, which lead to the interesting final score involving a negative number. 

The Rams swept all 14 matches, including a thrilling 1-0 victory at 132 pounds by Carter Pearson over Calvin Rathjen. 

Our Wrestling Hawks welcome SE Polk to The Nest in a tough CIML matchup. pic.twitter.com/FlAAOhGm4x

— Ankeny High School (@Ankeny_HS) January 10, 2025

Looking over the scoresheet from the night, one could almost guess that the Pearson vs. Rathjen match might have been the tipping point to what escalated into an empty gym. Pearson was awarded one escape point in the second period after a scoreless first.

With the actual outcome of the dual already decided, Ankeny fans were probably hoping to see a bright spot in the form of an upset win by Rathjen.

Pearson’s victory also came on the heels of the only other close match of the night, which saw Max Riggins score a 4-2 decision over Truman Folkers at 126 pounds. Riggins had a second period takedown around escapes by Folkers, adding his own escape point in the third to seal the win.

Dokken Biladeau, Abraham Bushong, Wyatt Gibson, Oaklee Keomala, Hansen Holden, Cooper Martinson, Jaxsen Vestal, Nico DeSalvo, Christopher Lawson, Nash Hanson, Justis Jesuroga and Logan Trenary all added wins for Southeast Polk. 

Southeast Polk and Ankeny are not scheduled to be together again for the remainder of the regular season. However, they are both ranked highly in the Iowa High School Athletic Association dual team rankings, which could lead to a rematch in Coralville at state duals if both qualify. 

The Rams are currently No. 1 in the rankings while the Hawks sit fourth.

* Complete Iowa high school dual team rankings from the Iowa High School Athletic Association