Union wrestler Coy Mehlert (right) reacts after defeating North Polk senior Charlie Boelman (left) for the Class 2A 113-pound state title on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, at the 2026 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Des Moines. Twenty-six years ago, Mehlert's dad and head coach, Bart Mehlert captured the Class 2A 140-pound mantle. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

DES MOINES – With his dad — Union Knights head wrestling coach and 2000 state medalist Bart Mehlert — both figuratively and literally in his corner Saturday night, Coy Mehlert made it a family tradition by winning gold at the 2026 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Des Moines.

“I’d like to thank my teammates and my coaches and my family. I mean, the amount of support I have is just more than anyone in here,” Coy said in the media scrum afterwards. “I had to go get it done.”

Twenty-six years ago at the 2000 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships, Coach Mehlert stood atop the podium himself, winning the Class 2A 140-pound mantle his senior year and in tandem with his teammate Trey Clark who also captured gold for the Knights that year at 189 pounds. The elder Mehlert went on to become a two-time All-American while wrestling for Wartburg College, winning the national championship in 2004 at 149 pounds. The newspaper reached out to Coach Mehlert for comment on Coy’s win but he was unable to respond in time for publication.

The younger Mehlert – seeded third heading into the tournament which began Wednesday, Feb. 18, and culminated Saturday, Feb. 21 – captured the Class 2A 113-pound title by defeating a familiar foe, North Polk senior Charlie Boelman who was seeded fourth. Their title bout began with quiet intensity from both sides before Boelman notched a takedown for three points in the final 30 seconds of the first period.

In the second, Boelman got a quick escape for an additional point before Coy scored four unanswered points of his own – a takedown near the end of the second period and an escape to open the third. The scrap was tied 4-4 heading into the first overtime.

PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

During the 60-second, sudden victory round, neither wrestler scored and the bout moved to second overtime consisting of two, 30-second tiebreaker rounds.

In the first tiebreaker, Coy made his move, almost catching Boelman on his back to earn three near-fall points. Heading into the second tiebreaker, Coy was up 7-4. After some handfighting, Coy’s pressure pushed the bout out-of-bounds for a restart with just 13 seconds remaining.

In the final moments, Coy managed to pin Boelman’s left arm against his side to ride out the match, capturing gold just like his dad.

When asked in the media scrum following the match what it was like to have his dad “in the corner,” the younger Mehlert replied, “Everything. He makes me work hard. He notices when I’m not working hard enough. Notices when I’m not doing enough. … He’s done it, so he knows what it takes to be on the top. And now that’s me. I still have one more year so I expect to be at the top next year.”

Coy also touched on the final bout itself.

Mehlert is congratulated by his dad and head coach, Bart Mehlert (right) following the championship bout at Casey’s Center Saturday evening. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

“I think it showed there that my endurance – how hard they push me in practice, I can go for a long time.”

With his 2A 113-pound title, Coy, a junior, is now a three-time state medalist after securing bronze last year at 106 pounds and fifth in 2024, also at 106 pounds.

Coy went 4-0 at the 2026 state tournament. After a bye in the first round, he notched a 16-1 technical fall win over No. 14 seed Estuardo Lopez of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows in the championship second round Thursday, followed by a 17-1 technical fall win over No. 11 seed Charlie Lindley of Anamosa in the quarterfinal round Friday. Also on Friday, he defeated No. 7 seed Riker DeWitt of Williamsburg by 12-1 major decision.

Asked how it felt to be crowned a state champion as ‘someone who’s been coming to this tournament since about the day you were born,’ Coy told the media, “So awesome. I came into this tournament knowing that I could beat anyone in my bracket. … I had to go make it happen. I had things not go my way this tournament and I just had to fight through. That (final) match, my adrenaline – I didn’t feel much pain. I was in the moment.”

Congratulations, Coy, on adding another state mantle to the Mehlert collection!

Lisa Mehlert (center, third from left) claps proudly as her son Coy Mehlert (foreground) goes to have his hand raised following the Class 2A 113-pound title bout at the 2026 IHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Des Moines. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Jones repeats fifth

Knights senior Kaydin “KJ” Jones also medaled on Saturday, earning a fifth-place podium placement at 138 pounds in Class 2A in a repeat of his 2025 performance when he also took fifth but at 126 pounds.

Jones was seeded fourth heading into the 2026 tournament. Following a first round bye, he defeated Hampton-Dumont-CAL’s Luke Showalter by 7-2 decision in the second round. In the quarterfinals, he won by 4-3 decision over fifth-seed Chase Franklin of Okoboji.

In the semifinal round, Jones fell by 11-0 major decision to the No. 1 seed, defending state champ Gavin Landers of Denver. Landers, a junior, would go on to win the Class 2A 138-pound title Saturday evening, marking his third straight 2A title and third straight perfect season.

On the backside, Jones lost by 9-0 major decision to No. 7 seed Caden Greiner of Washington in the consolation semifinal before pinning No. 9 seed Will Larson of Decorah in four minutes, 28 seconds for a fifth-place medal and his final appearance on the high school mats.

Coy Mehlert, right, has his hand raised by the official mere moments after defeating North Polk’s Charlie Boelman by 7-4 decision for the Class 2A 113 pounds state wrestling title on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Casey’ Center in Des Moines. Mehlert rode out Boelman in overtime for his first state mantle. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Union underclassmen Stratton Luke, Wesley Gaston, Evan McMahon, and Holden Craft also qualified for state this year but did not place. No. 16 seed Luke went 3-2 at 120 pounds; No. 22 seed Gaston went 0-2 at 126 pounds; No. 23 seed McMahon went 0-2 at 132 pounds; and No. 24 Craft went 0-2 at 190 pounds.

Coach Mehlert embraces his son Coy Mehlert after placing the gold medal around his neck during the podium ceremony for 113 pounds. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Class 2A 113-pound state wrestling champion Coy Melhert smiles while standing atop the podium on Saturday, Feb. 21, in Des Moines. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

Union’s Coy Mehlert, top, scores a takedown against North Polk senior Charlie Boelman during the Class 2A 113-pound state title match on Saturday, Feb. 21, at the IHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Des Moines. PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE

PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE