As the wrestling season comes to an end, three Saints wrestled their way to the Wells Fargo Arena. Senior Patrick Chambers (145), junior Ryan Cook (182) and freshman Christian Stanek (132) all placed second at Districts on Saturday, February 9 at Waverly Shell-Rock and punched their ticket to state in Des Moines.

Cook and Stanek made their state debut. “Qualifying for state was one of the best feelings I have ever felt,” Cook said. “It was cool to see that all of my hard work has paid off.”

Cook is seeded as number 12, entered state with a 15-25 record, and wrestled his first round on Thursday, February 14 against junior Will Hoeft from Iowa City West.

“I have heard that the atmosphere of the Wells Fargo Arena is one of the coolest things to experience as a wrestler,” Cook said. “I could not have accomplished this without my parents, coaches pushing me, and JP (Segura, senior) making me better everyday at practice.”

Stanek is seeded as number 10, entered state with a 33-9 record and wrestled his first round on Thursday, February 14 against junior Duncan Delzell from Burlington.

“It is awesome to qualify as a freshman, and it feels really good to accomplish one of my goals,” Stanek said. “My goal for state is to make it on the podium, and I am looking forward to making a name for myself on the next level.”

Chambers returns to state, as he also qualified his sophomore year. Chambers is seeded as number 11, entered state with a 22-11 record and wrestled his first round on Thursday, February 14 against junior Nick Bonanno from Indianola.

“To qualify as a senior is exciting because my journey is not over, and I have a chance to do something I love for one last time,” Chambers said. “The state tournament is the best place to test your wrestling abilities, and I look forward to the competition.”

Chambers will end his 15 year wrestling career with his dad, Coach Ryan Chambers, right beside him.

“All the hours I have put in are for this point in my career. The past 15 years of wrestling have led me to this point, so I am going to do the best I can,” Patrick said. “I am going to leave it all on the mat.”

Xavier wrestling has always been a part of Patrick’s life.

“I am going to miss the whole Xavier community. The atmosphere, the fans, and my teammates are amazing,” Patrick said. “This is something I will miss forever and once I leave, it will always be a missing part of my heart.”