Mount Vernon's Tristan Wirfs dominant from start to finish

His athletic dominance flawlessly shifted from one season to the next, further cementing his status as one of Iowa’s finest.

He spent the fall as a mismatch nightmare in the trenches as national recognition continued to pour in. He shed pounds this winter in hopes of capturing a wrestling state championship, which he punctuated with a celebratory yell and flex on the mat. This spring, he was one of the nation's elites in the throws and won state championships in the shot put and discus.

But through it all, Tristan Wirfs remained the bubbly beast from Mount Vernon, a 6-foot-5 Adonis with an infectious smile and humble demeanor. 

The accolades piled up this school year for the Iowa-bound Wirfs, and here’s another: Following his dominance in football, wrestling, and track and field, Wirfs has been named the Des Moines Register’s All-Iowa Boys' High School Athlete of the Year for 2016-17.

He edged out Dike-New Hartford’s Trent Johnson and Iowa City West’s Oliver Martin in a star-studded finalists group. The winner was selected by the sports staffs of the Register and Iowa City Press-Citizen. 

“He just is a quintessential humble kid who is happy with the success that he has, but is also happy for the success that his teammates have,” Mount Vernon track and field coach Ryan Whitman said. “That’s sometimes kind of hard to find.

“Guys sometimes get wrapped up in their own success, but he hasn’t.”

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Wirfs entered the 2016 campaign already as an Iowa offensive lineman commit after pledging the previous December, but he knew was capable of more. He lived in the weight room over the summer and worked on his technique, determined to show his ability was much more than sheer size.

Wirfs did just that. 

Wirfs blended agility, versatility and mobility with a 320-pound frame, and the Mustangs hopped on for the ride. In helping Mount Vernon to a 9-3 football record and a Class 2A semifinal appearance, Wirfs paved the way for more than 3,000 rushing yards and 46 touchdowns, also inflicting damage on the defensive line and special teams.

In mid-November, a packed house gathered inside the school cafeteria as Wirfs was officially named a U.S. Army All-American. A similar crowd formed 2½ months later as he transitioned from Iowa commit to Hawkeye signee.

Wirfs saw his recruiting profile skyrocket in the fall, too, with him ranked as the nation's No. 126 recruit by 247Sports.com. 

“I knew coming into senior season that I couldn’t just rely on being big,” Wirfs said. “I wanted to be as technically sound as I could and just maximize that strength.”

That was just the beginning.

With wrestling right on football's heels, Wirfs had to swiftly trim substantial weight in preparation for meets. That required complete dietary dedication as he fluctuated between the high-280s and low-290s throughout the season, hoping it would pay off with his first wrestling state championship.

It did.

“Having to lose the weight helped him a lot in hindsight, just because he had to learn how to discipline himself,” Mustangs wrestling coach Vance Light said. “I don’t think he’s really had to be that disciplined before, as far as having to watch what he eats and everything.

“Going through that I think made him want to win a little bit more.”

Wirfs capped a 25-3 season with 2A’s heavyweight crown, knocking off Atlantic’s John McConkey 3-2 with an emphatic takedown. A quick flex and roars of jubilation immediately followed. Wirfs wore a proud grin as he sat perched atop the podium —a state champion.

Turns out, that designation wasn’t going anywhere.

With his wrestling career complete and football future firm, Wirfs transitioned into throwing season without many worries. The spring is usually a bit more relaxed — a time to recuperate from wrestling’s grueling schedule — but Wirfs came out firing.

He launched the state’s fifth-longest discus throw ever in mid-April, then ended the month with a Drake Relays sweep in both throwing events in a loaded field. Wirfs wowed crowds and further strengthened his prep legacy along the way, so much so that the state meet was basically a formality.

He cruised to Class 3A titles again, repeating in the shot put and discus. Those four triumphs — plus his wrestling crown and discus championship as a sophomore — brought Wirfs’ state title count to six in three seasons.

Not bad.

"Just kind of icing on the cake," Tristan’s mother Sarah said during his run of track dominance. "He’s had a great career."

Wirfs isn’t going anywhere either. His story continues down the road in Iowa City as he looks to become another piece in the Hawkeyes’ storied run of successful offensive linemen. The potential for greatness is abundantly clear.

He certainly showed that in Mustang maroon.

“Tristan's definitely one of the best athletes to go through Mount Vernon,” Whitman said. “I’m sure he’ll be talked about for quite some time.”

Dargan Southard covers preps, recruiting, Iowa and UNI athletics for the Iowa City Press-Citizen, The Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.