Sequels are usually never better than the original, but Cale Seaton’s second-consecutive state finals win made a strong case against that.
“It’s two, two’s always better than one, so it feels awesome, “Seaton said.
On Saturday, Seaton (34-1), an Iowa City High senior, walked up to the mat for his final high school wrestling match. There was no bigger stage to do it on than the Iowa boys state wrestling tournament at Wells Fargo Arena.
Seaton’s first taste of state title glory came in 2023, when he walked into the state tournament with a slew of injuries, including a dislocated knee, a torn MCL, a partially torn ACL, a ruptured patella and a torn meniscus. He gutted it out to win his first state wrestling title at 126 pounds.
Fast-forward to Saturday, the 132-pounder was faced with another form of adversity against a familiar foe: Bettendorf’s Jayce Luna.
A week prior, Seaton suffered an 8-6 decision loss to Luna in the Class 3A district meet– his first and only loss of the season. Seaton’s familiarity with adversity proved to be the difference-maker in the rematch on Saturday.