Leaning back on his arms as he sits on the mats inside the Webster City wrestling room, Rattenborg looks toward the ceiling and lets a long breath escape his lips. He’s ready to go back there.

“It bothers me a lot more than I want it to, I’ll admit that,” Rattenborg, a Webster City senior, says. “I was just shellshocked and I shed a few tears.”

In was the third trip to the Class 2A district tournament in as many years for Rattenborg, and his best chance to qualify for state following a 3-2 win over Clear Lake’s Conner Morey in the 132-pound semifinals. Facing Osage’s Averee Abben in the finals, Rattenborg tossed the Green Devil junior onto his back and thought he had the fall. It wasn’t called, but he still led 13-7 entering the final period.

And it wasn’t enough. Abben rallied for the win.

Chase Rattenborg points toward the sky in remembrance of his late father, Chad, following his win in the 132-pound Class 2A sectional finals in February. Rattenborg has a 98-41 career record. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

Shoved into a wrestleback for the final state berth, Rattenborg still controlled his own destiny. Once again, he started quickly with another toss that showed Okoboji’s Blake Abrahamson the lights. Abrahamson somehow avoided the fall, but trailed 10-3 after one period.

And, once again, it wasn’t enough. Abrahamson rallied too, and left Rattenborg on the outside looking in for the third consecutive season. But this one was particularly bitter considering he’d decked Abrahamson a week earlier at sectionals, and that sour taste in his mouth was exacerbated a week later when both Abben and Abrahamson reached the medal podium at state.

That could have been Rattenborg. It probably should have been Rattenborg. And he knows it.

“I pinned (Abrahamson) at sectionals and in the championship match I thought I had the Osage kid stuck too,” Rattenborg says. “So watching them at state, I was a little jealous. But wrestling is wrestling.”

“It was heartbreaking,” WCHS head wrestling coach Chad Hisler said of Rattenborg’s districts disappointment. “He could have won the whole thing and ended up not even going (to state). But that’s in the rearview mirror and he’s going to do everything he can to not let that happen this year.”

The sting was familiar. As a freshman in 2018, Rattenborg was upset in sudden-victory in the district semifinals and he was only able to climb back to third. A year later, in 2019, he reached the wrestleback round and came up short.

Is third place at districts simply his destiny? Rattenborg doesn’t buy into that theory, and as he gears up to begin his senior season on Thursday, he’s determined to leave the sport on his terms.

“After football season ended on a Friday, I started running on Saturday,” Rattenborg said when asked if he took any time off between seasons. “I’m definitely going into this year with more of a chip on my shoulder.”

Rattenborg isn’t the same kid he was 10 months ago either. During those months, his passion for baseball was renewed and it led to a first-team all-North Central Conference award as he helped WCHS win a league title in July. This fall, he took over as the spinback for the Lynx football team and helped lead the team to the Class 3A state quarterfinals as he earned all-district status.

It took work — a lot of work, actually — for him to achieve his goals. He logged more hours than he can count in the weight room, bulking up to close to 160 pounds in order to manage the physical wear and tear his body would take on the gridiron.

The dedication he showed, the improvements he made, they didn’t go unnoticed. For starters, all of his teammates noticed, which is why Rattenborg was the unquestioned leader on the football field. It’s a role he’s carried into the wrestling room too.

“All spring, summer and fall, I really thought he turned into a leader,” Hisler said. “It’s just a natural progression for him. This year he’s more mature, he’s more confident and he’s just smarter.”

With 98 career victories, Rattenborg is on the precipice of becoming just the 20th Lynx wrestler all-time to join the 100 wins club. Whenever it happens, he’ll celebrate, but it’s not even close to the top of his goal sheet for his final season on the mat.

He wants to win a conference title, something that has alluded him up to this point. And, most of all, he wants to compete at the state tournament.

“If you would have told me in the eighth grade that I would have 100 wins early in my senior year, I would have told you you were crazy because I was just this scrawny kid back then,” Rattenborg said. “So it will be special to get there. But everybody’s goal should be to win a state title. I’d like to place and that’s the main goal, but I just want to have that experience at state. Being down (at Wells Fargo Arena), being on the eight mats and having people looking down on me, I definitely want to experience that.”

Rattenborg doesn’t shy away from the fact that he’s a funky wrestler. He’s constantly looking for the big moves and if his aggression sometimes works against him, so be it. But he also knows he needs to wrestle smarter in certain situations, particularly when the postseason rolls around. Even though he’s a tireless worker, his gas tank isn’t bottomless, a fact that he’s ignored in the past and paid the price.

“I definitely got gassed at districts last year,” Rattenborg said. “Holding kids there in a headlock while they’re moving around, it takes a lot out of you. So I’ve got to pace myself more in matches.

“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been the kid running around and scrambling. Sometimes it benefits me and sometimes it doesn’t, but that’s just the way I wrestle. I definitely want to stay aggressive, but maybe in the earlier periods I try to wear (the opponents) out rather than wear myself out.”

Rattenborg looks at the rankings just like everyone else. He sees that Abben is currently No. 2 at 132 pounds, while he’s nowhere to be found in the top 10. He’s fine with that, for now.

But sleeping on Rattenborg this winter would be a mistake. He knows it, Hisler knows it, and if his opponents don’t, well, they’re about to find out.

“I just want to give it everything I have,” Rattenborg said.

THURSDAY

What: North Central Conference wrestling triangular.

Where: CGD High School, Clarion.

Time: 6 p.m.

Dual Order: Clear Lake vs. CGD; Webster City vs. Clear Lake; Webster City vs. CGD.

Lynx Lineup

106: Carson Doolittle, fr.

113: Cam Phetxoumphone, jr.

120: Brayden Henely, soph.

126: Reece Sadler, sr.

132: Chase Rattenborg, sr.

138: Austin Mason, soph.

145: Jordan Vankham, soph.

152: Evan Estlund, jr.

160: Cole Bingham, jr.

170: Skyler Scott, soph.

182: Jaxon Cherry, fr.

195: CJ Hisler, soph.

220: Trey Shannon, sr.

285: Landon Griffin, fr.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)

• Daily Newsletter
• Breaking News
• Obituaries

Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

• Yes
• No