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Nelson Brands and Francis Duggan each came into the state tournament top-ranked and the unquestioned favorite at their respective weight class.

The West High senior duo gave a quick reminder at the Class 3A state meet on Thursday of why they hold those distinctions.

Emphasis on the word quick.

It took Duggan just 39 seconds to pin Linn-Mar’s Isaiah Garman in his Iowa state tournament debut and Brands needed just 3:42 to record an opening round tech fall as West High sent three wrestlers to the 3A quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Senior 285 pounder Guy Snow joins Duggan and Brands in the quarterfinals as West High finished the opening day ninth in the team standings with 16.5 points.

Top-ranked Fort Dodge leads the 3A team race with 31.5 followed by Waukee with 27 and West Des Moines Valley with 25.5.

The top-ranked 220-pounder in 3A, Duggan (12-2) wasted little time moving on with his first-period pin of Garman.

Duggan will take on Denison-Schleswig senior Jaden Heiden (31-6) in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Brands was equally impressive rolling up a 22-7 second-period tech fall of Brett Mower of Glenwood at 160 pounds.

The 13th consecutive state tournament win for Brands without a defeat sets up a one versus two quarterfinal matchup.

Top-ranked Brands will face No. 2 Zane Mulder (40-1) of Dallas Center-Grimes on Friday.

Brands handed Mulder his only loss of the season with a 9-3 decision in the finals of the Ed Winger tournament last month.

Snow advanced to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Jorge Sandoval at 285 pounds and will take on No. 8 Cole Ernst (32-7) of North Scott.

Fifth-ranked Graham Gambrall, Eighth-ranked Will Hoeft and Ashton Stumpf all rebounded from opening round losses to win consolation matches and advance to day two.

Gambrall fell to fourth-ranked Caleb Corbin 2-1 in a tiebreaker in his 132-pound opener but earned a first-period pin of Cesar Salazar from Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson to keep his season alive.  

Class 3A State Meet

Team scores (Top 10; Area Teams) – 1. Fort Dodge 31.5; 2. Waukee 27; 3. West Des Moines Valley 25.5; 4. Southeast Polk 22; 5. Johnston 20.5; 6. City High 20; 7. Cedar Rapids Prairie 19.5; 8. Dubuque Hempstead 19; 9. West High 16.5; 10. Ankeny Centennial 15.5

Opening Round (Area Athletes Only)

113 – No. 2 Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny) tech. fall Hans von Rabenau (West High) 16-0

126 – No. 7 Colby Schriever (Mason City) tech. fall Keaton Speicher (West High) 19-4

132 – No. 4 Caleb Corbin (West Des Moines Valley) dec. No. 5 Graham Gambrall (West High) 2-1 TB-1

160 – No. 1 Nelson Brands (West High) tech. fall Brett Mower (Glenwood) 22-7

170 – Kent Kragenbrink (Dubuque Hempstead) dec. Ashton Stumpf (West High) 4-3

182 – No. 10 Derek Horak (Cedar Rapids Prairie) major dec. No. 8 Will Hoeft (West High) 8-0

195 – No. 8 Reece Bowling (Indianola) pinned Enutifia Gamia (West High) 2:37

220 – No. 1 Francis Duggan (West High) pinned Isaiah Garman (Linn-Mar) :39

285 – Guy Snow (West High) dec. Jorge Sandoval (Storm Lake) 2-0

First Round Consolation

113 – No. 9 Noah Blubaugh (Ankeny Centennial) tech. fall Hans von Rabenau (West High) 19-3

126 – Jared Cordes (Western Dubuque) pinned Keaton Speicher (West High) 2:37

132 – No. 5 Graham Gambrall (West High) pinned Cesar Salazar (Council Bluffs Thomas Jefferson) :41

170 – Ashton Stumpf (West High) dec. Arthur Sumie (Des Moines North-Hoover) 8-6

182 – No. 8 Will Hoeft (West High) pinned Aaron Ungs (Storm Lake) 1:54

195 – Kenny Lampman (Glenwood) dec. Enutifia Gamia (West High) 15-9

Friday’s Quarterfinal Matchups

160 – No. 1 Nelson Brands (52-1), Sr., West High vs. No. 2 Zane Mulder (40-1), Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes)

220 – Francis Duggan (12-2), Sr., West High vs. Jaden Heiden (31-6), Sr., Denison-Schleswig

285 – Guy Snow (44-15), Sr., West High vs. No. 8 Cole Ernst (32-7), Sr., North Scott