Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Class 3A District 6

When: Saturday, Noon

Where: West High

Teams: City High, West High, Liberty High, Clear Creek Amana, Marion, Cedar Rapids Jefferson, Cedar Rapids Kennedy, Cedar Rapids Washington

Ranked Teams: No. 4 West High

What to Watch

West High raised some eyebrows earlier this month when it won its first Mississippi Valley Conference title in seven seasons.

If the Trojans are to keep turning heads next week in Des Moines they will need another strong showing on home turf on Saturday.

Fourth-ranked West High has five ranked wrestlers all five of which are returning state medalists currently ranked in the top five at their respective weight.

Top-ranked 132-pound sophomore Hunter Garvin (27-3) headlines the West High ranked wrestlers after a runner-up finish a year ago.

Senior Will Hoeft (17-1) is ranked second at 182 while junior Ashton Barker (23-5) and sophomore Grant O’Dell (23-6) are both ranked fourth at 170 and 106 pounds respectively.

Junior Graham Gambrall (30-5) is ranked fifth at 145 pounds.

City High has a trio of ranked wrestlers in seniors Ethan Wood-Finley and Garrett Bormann and freshman Ben Kueter (18-0).

Bormann (26-10) is seeking a first state meet appearance while Wood-Finley (22-2) is a two-time state medalist seeking a return to the state meet.

Wood-Finley enters ranked sixth at 113 pounds but hasn’t competed since January 18 when he finished runner-up at J-Hawk Invite.

Clear Creek Amana has a pair of wrestlers hoping to earn repeat trips to the state meet in senior 126-pounder Sam Stevens and sophomore 132 pounder Kael Scranton.

Who to Watch

Kueter has quickly become appointment viewing as one of the most exciting young wrestlers in the state.

The 160-pound Kueter has won 18 consecutive matches to open his prep career with 11 of those victories coming via fall.

Kueter got a late start to the season after a broken leg sustained during the football season but wasted little time established himself as a legit state title contender.

He put himself solidly in the state championship conversation with a 5-3 win over fourth-ranked Linn-Mar freshman Tate Naaktgeboren in the finals of the Mississippi Valley Conference meet.  

Weight Class to Watch

Three weight classes feature a pair of ranked wrestlers and all could feature rematches from the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament.

At 145 pounds Gambrall is seeking a third consecutive state meet appearance after earning state medals each of the past two seasons.

The junior enters ranked fifth and could face a rematch with tenth-ranked Cedar Rapids Kennedy senior Dylan Falck.

Gamrabll defeated Falck 7-3 in the MVC 145-pound final earlier this month, after downing 152-pound No. 10 Reece Caven of City High 17-8 in semifinals.

Ranked Wrestlers

106:     No. 4 Grant O’Dell (West High) Soph.

113:     No. 6 Ethan Wood-Finley (City High) Sr.

120:     No. 6 Garrett Bormann (City High) Sr.

132:     No. 1 Hunter Garvin (West High) Soph.

145:     No. 5 Graham Gambrall (West High) Jr.

            No. 10 Dylan Falck (CR Kennedy) Sr.         

152:     No. 10 Reece Caven (City High) Sr.

160:     No. 2 Ben Kueter (City High) Fr.

170:     No. 4 Ashton Barker (West High) Jr.

182:     No. 2 Will Hoeft (West High) Sr.

            No. 9 Jay Oostendorp (CR Kennedy) Sr.

220:     No. 10 Gavin Bascom (CR Kennedy) Jr.

285:     No. 2 Josh Vis (CR Kennedy) Sr.

            No. 6 Dawson Sweet (CR Jefferson) Sr.

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