Soo Line: Fogt and Ites: Committed Athletes From a Young Age, Wrestling With Success

By Soo Greiman

Thursday, Feb. 19: The mats are down in Casey’s Arena, which means the Iowa High  School State Wrestling Championships are underway. The best high school wrestlers from  schools large and small across Iowa have descended upon the arena for the 101st year of the  state championships.  

Hudson High School sent two talented athletes — Mason Fogt at 120 pounds and  Carter Ites at 215 — to compete. Competition began Thursday morning with weigh-ins and  runs through Saturday. Mason, 17, a senior, and Carter, a junior who is also 17, shared their  excitement about qualifying for state and spoke easily about the years of commitment they  have given to the sport.  

Fogt the Wrestler  

“I liked what we got to do at school yesterday,” Mason reflected. “When we walked  through the halls and students stood outside their rooms clapping and cheering for Carter and  me. I remember doing the same thing years ago for other Hudson wrestlers, Tate Entriken and  Karter Krapfl. They were our role models.”  

Since the age of 4, Mason began club wrestling and has wanted to be involved in the  sport, learning and participating as much as possible.  

“I’ve never had to look for inspiration,” he said. “It comes from my family. My parents,  brothers and stepbrothers are the ones who inspire me to be successful.”  He proudly named those supporters: his dad, Ben Fogt, and stepmother, Reekah; his  mom, Ann Foulk, and stepfather, Brad Foulk; brothers Rylan Fogt, Levi Foulk and Jaxton Fogt;  stepbrother Elliott Coster; and grandfathers Mike and Jim.  

“They are always supporting me, too,” he added.  

Although Mason also enjoyed playing football, wrestling is his sport.  

“There is nothing like wrestling. It’s more mental than physical. You get in difficult  positions and the only thing you can do is rely on yourself and what you’ve learned to get  through it. You’ve got to know how to use your mind.”  

His goal entering the state tournament was simple: “To place at state.”  

He credits Hudson’s wrestling coaching staff and his workout partner, Gavin Fish, for  helping him steadily improve.  

When asked what advice he would give younger wrestlers, Mason said, “Stick with the  sport. Never give up. Keep trying to make yourself better.”  

After graduation, Mason plans to attend the University of Iowa and major in  engineering. Even though he’ll soon hang up his wrestling shoes competitively, he hopes to  stay connected to the sport as a wrestling manager for the Hawkeyes.  

“That’s how I figure I can stay a part of the sport I love.”  

Update on Mason:  

At the state championships, Mason wrestled five matches, winning three and losing two  — finishing just one win shy of the medal podium. Coach Wayne Haskovec noted Mason  entered as the No. 20 seed and knocked off the No. 19, No. 13 and No. 12 seeds. During his  high school career, Mason compiled a 129-42 record, including a 35-8 mark in his senior  season.  

Ites: “I Love Being a Hudson Wrestler”  

“I liked what we got to do at school yesterday,” Mason reflected. “When we walked  through the halls and students stood outside their rooms clapping and cheering for Carter and  me. I remember doing the same thing years ago for other Hudson wrestlers, Tate Entriken and  Karter Krapfl. They were our role models.” 

Carter Ites traces his love of wrestling back to first grade when he participated in an  AAU club called Immortal-Waterloo.  

“We were hyped about it,” he recalled. “Everybody there wanted to wrestle as much as  we could. It was such a fun and learning experience.”  

The son of Josh and Ann Ites also played football at Hudson, but wrestling holds a  special place.  

“I love being out on the mat hearing my dad yelling for me. It gets me going. I can  definitely always hear him.”  

Like Mason, Carter looked up to former Hudson standouts such as Ethan Fulcher, Tate  Entriken and Karter Krapfl.  

He agrees wrestling is as much mental as it is physical.  

“You have to be in good shape, of course. But when you’re out there and getting tired,  that’s when your brain tells you to quit. You have to override that and mentally tell yourself to  keep going and work at it.”  

His advice to younger wrestlers mirrors that mindset: “Trying hard in wrestling will give  you results. Don’t give up. Ever. Keep growing and learning, and you’ll see it makes a  difference.”  

In the classroom, Carter enjoys Industrial Shop Tech and is considering studying turf  management at Hawkeye Community College after graduating from Hudson High School.  His goal at state was clear: “I’m going to work as hard as I can to get on the podium.”  Update on Carter:  

Like Mason, Carter wrestled five matches at state, winning three and losing two. One of those  losses came in the “blood round,” just short of placing on the podium. Coach Haskovec noted  Carter entered as the No. 16 seed and defeated the No. 8 seed in the third round of  consolation.