Gannon Callahan had to be patient. 

 It was a year-long wait for the Golden Hawk senior, who was finally back in the district tournament with a chance to qualify for state wrestling. 

 “Patience was the key of the day,” Mid-Prairie coach Justin Garvey explained. “Don’t force bad positions, score points when they are available, and stay calm.”

 A second-period pin in the opening match put Callahan into the final. But a 9-0 loss to Solon’s top-ranked Gage Marty sent Callahan into a match for second with Columbus sophomore Russel Coil. 

 “Gannon ended up having to wrestle back for the second place finish against a familiar opponent, and this is where the patience came in,” Garvey said. “This was now for a trip to the state so we had to stay in good position, be stingy and not force anything. Gannon did a great job staying composed and scoring when he needed to.”

 His patience paid off as he scored the only takedown of the match late in the third period to secure the 3-0 victory. 

“He was very tired in the third period,” said Callahan, a first-time state qualifier. “ So was I, but I felt like I had the upper hand there and wanted to try to score some points. One point for a match is not very much, so I’m glad I got that last takedown.”

 Callahan’s first match in the 285-pound bracket was also scoreless after one period, but after his escape in the second, he took West Liberty’s Quintyn Rocha to his back and got the pin. 

“That was one of the goals, to try to get to the state tournament,” Callahn said. “And that’s what we did. It feels really good, especially since it’s my last year.”

Despite the achievement, Callahan wasn’t really in the mood to celebrate after Saturday’s victory. He had mixed feelings after qualifying without his teammates Cael Garvey and Kaden Meader, who finished third and fourth in their respective brackets. 

 “It hasn’t really hit me yet,” he said about qualifying. “It just sucks for my other teammates who didn’t make it. I’m just thinking about that right now.”

Meader lost his opening match to third-ranked Drake Collins of West Liberty, and also dropped a rematch with Benton Community senior Koley Kelley for third. 

Cael opened his day with a pin of Solon junior Braydon Hoffman after taking a 9-0 lead in the first period. He started the third period of the 195-pound final in the top position with a 2-0 lead, but suffered a tough 5-4 loss to Williamsburg senior Jack Geels after giving up a reversal and three nearfall points with 16 seconds left.

Cael had a 4-2 lead early in the third period of his wrestleback with West Liberty’s Jahsiah Galvan, but the match went to overtime and Cael’s career ended in heartbreak with an 8-6 loss.  

He finished his career with a record of 141-40 and 101 pins. Wrestling with a brace on his left leg, he was 37-4 as a senior, a season that seemed unlikely in the fall. 

“With the knee injury this year, the doctors said he probably wouldn’t be able to compete,” Justin Garvey said. “Cael is the first wrestler in my 14 years at Mid Prairie that did not miss a single practice in four years — over 180 practices.

“He never missed a workout, even on the days when he was in pain and his knee was swollen. He would practice, then ice, then practice. He never asked for time off, he just carried on training the best he could. He gave me and this team everything he had every day.

“I guess that’s why Saturday was so hard, when a kid does everything they are supposed to do and they still come up short.”

The highlights of Cael’s career on the mat came last year in Wells Fargo Arena, where he pinned Anamosa senior Nathan Keating to secure a state tournament medal, and won an 11-9 decision over the eventual fifth-place finisher Matthew Wirtz in his first match at state. 

The things he did off the mat will be remembered as well, and left a lasting impact on wrestlers like Madison Kelly, who said that Cael’s encouragement was vital during her first season.

“At first it was hard,” she said about joining the team. “I had people asking me at the beginning of the season, ‘when are you going to quit, why are you doing this?’ And then I had people like Cael Garvey telling me that I can make it through.”

He’s going to be missed next year for more than the big numbers he put on the scoreboard during duals, and the podium finishes on Saturdays. 

“Cael has been the spark plug of this team for the past four years,” Justin said. “He’s the guy that hits the big move that gets the crowd into a meet, the guy in the room that brings the team together with his sense of humor and infectious smile, and he’s also the guy that pushed everyone to work harder and push themselves farther.”

He’ll be in Des Moines on Thursday to push Callahan (23-3), who opens the tournament against eighth-ranked Charles City senior Chase Crooks (8-2). The first round of the 2A session begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 17.