History in the making: King readies herself for state tournament

It has been a year of firsts all over the state of Iowa for girls high school wrestling. The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union sanctioned girls wrestling last year, and tomorrow marks their first official state tournament. Ogden sophomore Sydney King was able to qualify as the first Bulldog to go to the IGHSAU state tournament, a year of firsts all around.

“It’s a huge honor, she worked her tail off all year, she put in the work,” Coach Scott McCloud said. “She had a great season and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

“It’s exciting, a little bit nervous, but a good nervous. Like butterflies in your stomach,” King said of making it to state.

She added that it’s not the competition but the venue with how much bigger than it is compared to a high school gym.

King said of regionals that they weren’t sure what to do but they wanted to fight no matter what. Coach McCloud said his assistant coach, Austin McCloud, had a game plan for all the girls to have for their matches.

“We fell short on a couple of matches but overall I was pleased with the outcome,” he said.

King had to battle to get to state, including a tough consolation semifinal match against Colfax-Mingo’s Devan Chadwick where King was nearly beaten.

“I wrestled her before and she definitely got a lot better,” King said. “There were some moments in that match where I didn’t know what was going to happen. I stood my ground and do the basic stuff.”

Coach McCloud said he was caught up in the moment and Austin was the calm voice saying “they got this.” That calmed everyone down and King was able to get the pin. Coach McCloud was happy that Austin was the voice of reason.

In the third place match, King knew that her opponent, Brooklyn Nees from Gilbert, had been battling all day after losing to King early on.

“I knew I couldn’t underestimate her,” she said.

“I had all the faith in my girl,” McCloud said of the third place match. “I knew she had it.”

King found it hard to contain the emotions when she pinned Nees to punch her ticket to Coralville. She hugged Coach McCloud and felt the tears start to come down. She said it was super emotional, but also relieved she was done for the day and ended it on a good note.

“It was very humbling when she ran off the mat and gave me a big hug and was crying,” Coach McCloud said. “Not going to lie to you, I shed a little tear myself. You know, she’s the first state qualifier in Ogden history. That’s very special and she’s got her place in history. She’s a true Bulldog.”

King, however, feels being the first to qualify is overhyped. She said there will be more firsts and feels like she’s more leading the way and starting to dig for the program. Coach McCloud had a difference of opinion with his state qualifier.

He said he disagrees a little bit and it is on her. With Ogden’s tradition of wrestling, it’s the first sanctioned meet and she was part of it along with the current girls and the girls coming up. He added it’s a stepping stone and will help build everything up.

McCloud wants her to take it one match at a time tomorrow, and Austin McCloud has scouted her first round opponent and next opponents either way.

“I’m not going in there knowing any of the girls’ stuff and I’m not going to focus on any of that,” King said. “I’m going to focus on when I get on the mat. It's just that one thing in that moment. When it’s over I have something else to focus on. It’s just one step at a time.”

The IGHSAU girls state wrestling tournament starts tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. from the Xtream Arena in Coralville. King will go against West Liberty’s Silvia Garcia-Vasquez in the opening round. Check on our social media pages for updates on King’s journey at the state tournament.