State trips cap strong seasons for Tigers’ Gusman, Zarate

Izic Zarate and Dayton Gusman didn’t leave the Casey’s Center in Des Moines with medals around their necks, but the Red Oak wrestlers left with something just as telling – proof they belonged.
After grinding through strong regular seasons to earn their state berths, the duo closed their winter on Iowa’s biggest stage, capping campaigns defined by consistency, resilience and the kind of work that sets a foundation for what comes next.
“This tournament can be difficult to gauge success because when you qualify for it you are default one of the 24 best boys in your weight class in the state of Iowa,” said Red Oak coach Tiegen Podliska. “Based on seeds, we weren’t supposed to win a match. I was proud of our competitiveness going in as the underdog in every matchup.”
Zarate (113 pounds) went 1-2 while Gusman (150) dropped both his matches at the Iowa State Wrestling Championships.
Zarate dropped his opening round match to Clarion-Goldfield-Dows’ Estuardo Lopez by technical fall, 17-1. The sophomore came back to pin Josh Gray of Sergeant Bluff-Luton in the consolation bracket for his first state victory.
“Izic competed well at the beginning of his first match and got a little overwhelmed,” Podliska said. “He did a great job wrestling a very controlled match in his second; it was similar to his district semifinal. About halfway through the third period he put his kid on his back, and once again similar to his semifinal win from districts we instructed him to just stay in the position and take the win, he did eventually end up getting the fall.”
Zarate’s run at state came to an end by first period fall to Sioux Center’s Bryce Oosternink on Friday.
“He got to the kids legs in his final match but held on a little too long before giving up the takedown, the kid got a little high riding legs and we thought we were in decent position until he locked up a spladle,” Podliska said. “Izic was close to popping his head out but ultimately didn’t and ended up giving up the fall. That position is kind of like quicksand the harder you fight it the tighter it gets.”
Gusman, the Tiger senior, dropped his matches to Atlantic’s Josh Harter by technical fall 16-1 and Algona’s Barrett Morgan by major decision, 16-7.
“Dayton had a district final rematch in the first round, which went similarly, we got beat in a couple positions early and had to try to battle back,” Podliska said. “He led the majority of his second match but late in the match gave up a takedown to his back, normally we would’ve bailed on fighting the takedown earlier but that isn’t really an option when you’re up two with 45 seconds left in the state tournament.”
Zarate closes his season with a record of 20-16 and Gusman finishes 32-14.
Overall, Podliska said he was proud of his two state qualifiers’ effort.
“Izic is a sophomore so this experience will serve him well in the future, if he can mirror the growth from last season to this season the sky is the limit.,” the coach said. “Dayton will go down as a state qualifier with just under 100 career wins, but his legacy will be in the person he is, the leader he has become and that impact will be a lot greater than the potential accolades he wished to accomplish.”
Decorah and Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont shared the team title in Class 2A with both tallying 131 points. Alburnett was third with 114 points. Red Oak finished with four points to place 66th in the team standings.