City High Freshman Kueter Headed to Class 3A State Title Match
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – Ben Kueter wanted a dog fight in the Class 3A state semifinals on Friday night.
The City High freshman got exactly what he was looking for from unbeaten and top-ranked Johnston junior Caleb Helgeson.
Now Kueter gets a shot at a state title.
Kueter (23-0) fended off a Helgeson takedown attempt in the final 30 seconds then secured a spot in the 160-pound state finals with a late takedown of his own in a 6-3 win over Helgeson (33-1) at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.
“I was excited for it, I wanted a dog fight and he brought it,” Kueter said. “I wish I would have gotten to my offense a little more but his style of wrestling kind of stopped me from doing it but I need to find ways to get to that, I just didn’t make those adjustments during the match. It was good, it was a fight and I liked it.”
Kueter will attempt to cap an unbeaten freshman season on Saturday when he faces fellow Mississippi Valley Conference freshman Tate Naaktgeboren (36-2) on Linn-Mar in the 160-pound title match.
Second-ranked Kueter defeated No. 4 Naaktgeboren 5-3 at the Mississippi Valley Conference meet earlier this month.
Another win over his fellow frosh finalist on Saturday would make Kueter the first City High freshman champ since Kyle Anson in 2002.
“I’ve been coming to this tournament since third grade,” Kueter said. “Now I’m finally wrestling on Saturday night and it’s going to be awesome.”
Kueter expected a fight from Helgeson in Friday’s semifinal and got everything he expected from start to finish.
Kueter took a 4-2 lead with a takedown with 30 seconds left in the third period.
He never let Helgeson pull even but it wasn’t without some late drama.
Helgeson got in on deep shot on the edge of the mat with 30 seconds left. Kueter fended off the initial attack, countered and nearly scored his own takedown as the wrestled tumbled out of bounds in front of the City High coaches.
“I was just screaming at him ‘move your feet’,” City High coach Cory Connell said. “When he’s moving his feet he’s unstoppable and he kept moving his feet and that’s when he’s best.”
Helgeson mounted one last attack quickly following the restart but Kueter countered with the match-clinching takedown with four seconds left.
“In my head I was thinking there is no way this kid is finishing on me,” Kueter said. “I really worked on this season the last period and in my head there was no way I was getting taken down.”
A broken leg in football caused Kueter to miss more than a month to start the season, leading to a state start to his career.
The injury hasn’t hindered the progress for Kueter this season who won back-to-back matches over top-six ranked wrestlers on Friday to reach his first state final.
“He’s gotten so much better this year it’s unreal,” Connell said. “This season he has gotten remarkably better. Now it’s just about managing nerves and making sure you are going out there and competing at a high level.”
Class 3A State Meet
At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines
Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Waverly-Shell Rock 147; 2. Fort Dodge 104; 3. Southeast Polk 97; 4. Linn-Mar 86; 5. West High 80.5; 6. Ankeny 64; 6. Bettendorf 64; 8. Cedar Rapids Prairie 51; 9. Johnston 47.5; 10. Norwalk 43
Semifinal Round (Area Wrestlers Only)
160 – Ben Kueter (City High) dec. Caleb Helgeson (Johnston) 6-3
Third Round Consolation (Solon Wrestlers Only)
113 – Ethan Wood-Finley (City High) pinned Lane Cowell (Fort Dodge) 1:24
Saturday’s Championship Matches
160 – Ben Kueter (23-0) Fr., City High vs. No. 4 Tate Naaktgeboren (36-2) Fr., Linn-Mar
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