North Mahaska coach Ryan Groom’s matside service dog, Teddy, has been a ‘godsend’

DES MOINES — Teddy has been in North Mahaska head coach Ryan Groom’s corner for three and a half years.

He’s his constant companion on the mat and in the classroom. Teddy is calm and comforting in the face of the storm. In other words, the perfect service dog.

“I’m a teacher, so I know as much as he helps me, he can help all of the rest of the kids, too,” said Groom, who qualifies for a service dog because of panic disorder. “It makes a huge difference in our school.”

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Teddy, a Goldendoodle, has also enjoyed his third trip to the Class 1A state wrestling tournament. Groom’s sons, Aydan and Ryan, qualified for state, along with teammate Chance Angle. Ryan is a junior 144-pounder who placed fifth at 132 last season. Aydan, a 132-pound freshman, is here for the first time.

“You kind of go through your highest of highs and the lowest of lows, right?” said the Warhawks’ head coach. “But as a coach, you always teach your kids, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta stay right in the middle, right in the middle, right in the middle.’ So not only am I handling myself as a coach, I’m trying to handle myself as a dad, and trying to handle myself as a husband and everything else. It’s fun, but man, I’ve probably got six or seven canker sores in my mouth thinking about it right now.”

Both brothers reached the quarterfinals before falling to the consolation bracket. They responded by winning their two wrestle backs on Friday to ensure they’d earn medals and finish no worse than sixth.

“It’s been a rewarding process watching them really grow,” Coach Groom said before Friday’s matches. “And I tell all of our kids, I’m not saying you won’t make a million dollars wrestling, but the likelihood of (that happening) is gonna be pretty low. So if you guys aren’t learning to be good human beings, and aren’t learning how to deal with stress, and how to deal with conflict, and how to deal with the highs and lows of wrestling that will hopefully transfer over to your whole life, then I’m not really being a coach.”

Groom’s daughter, Libby, also wrestled, and a younger son, Eli, qualified for the state AAU tournament. So dad has been a busy coach for quite a while — and he’s dealt with panic disorder for as long as he can remember. He’s also a former wrestler and hopes to help destigmatize the disorder while helping to educate those around him, both young and old.

“When you get older and you have kids and you’ve got more responsibility, things start to pile up and then you kind of recognize it,” said Groom, who’s in his seventh year as North Mahaska’s head coach. “And you’re a guy, you’re a wrestler, you’re supposed to be tough and whatnot, but when you finally recognize those things and put the pride to the side and allow yourself to start healing — and an opportunity like this, that not only can service you, but help service other kids that are having some of the same disorders, it’s pretty awesome.”

Teddy is happy to serve, and he’s fully part of the family.

“I tell you what, he has been a godsend,” Coach Groom said. “And he’s another child to take care of, too.”

Schwabs go for gold

Don Bosco’s Hendrix and Hayden Schwab advanced to the finals of the Class 1A state boys’ wrestling tournament Friday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena.

Hendrix, a freshman seeded No. 4, pinned Lisbon’s No. 9 Cael Stricker in 1:44 of the 113-pound semifinals. He improved to 42-1.

No. 2 Hayden, a sophomore, followed with a 46-second fall over Alburnett’s Owen Hendriksen at 120, improving to 44-1. He will face Wilton’s top-ranked Liam Adlfinger (39-2) for the championship. Adlfinger edged Hayden, 9-8, for the 106 title last year.

The Schwab brothers are the sons of University of Northern Iowa head coach Doug Schwab, a former state champion from Osage and NCAA titlist for Iowa under Dan Gable. Adding to the special finals night, Doug will join Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands and Iowa State head coach Kevin Dresser as leaders of the hallowed Grand March.

The Gazette’s K.J. Pilcher contributed to this article.

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