Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

CEDAR RAPIDS – The list of four-time Mississippi Valley Conference champions is a relatively short and extremely impressive.

No program has put more names on that list than West High.

A covid-cancelled MVC meet in 2021 kept the Trojans from adding another wrestler to that esteemed list on Saturday instead senior standout Hunter Garvin had to settle for finishing his career unbeaten in MVC meets.

Garvin continued a spectacular senior season and his MVC meet dominance earning the Outstanding Wrestler award voted on by conference coaches after pinning his way to the third conference title of his career at the 2022 MVC meet at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

“If you look at all the four-timers a lot of them are from West High and that is super cool, so to have that opportunity to be a four-timer taken away really, really stung but it’s not the end of the world,” Garvin said. “It’s really cool, it would be epic for that to happen but it’s not the end of the world.”

Garvin won the MVC title at 120 pounds in 2019 and added a title at 132 as a sophomore in 2020.

On Saturday he joined former teammate Graham Gambrall, who also missed out on an opportunity to win a fourth MVC title last season, as the most recent three-time conference champions from West High.

“Graham Gambrall was a senior last year and he missed a chance at four too and we talked about how that hurt but I’m not going try cry about it,” Garvin said. “You keep moving forward and the big thing that matters is at the end of the year. You can get as many wins or as many losses what matters is that final Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”

Garvin knows a thing or two about finishing a season off strong.

Already a two-time state champion Garvin is seeking a third straight state title and second consecutive unbeaten season to end his prep career.

He was dominant on Saturday posting back-to-back first-period pins before pinning fourth-ranked Dylan Whitt of Cedar Falls in the 152-pound title match in a rematch of last year’s 138-pound state final.

“I got a takedown and I was going for a turn my coaches just kept telling me to be patient and it would come,” Garvin said. “I trusted them and kept that high pace and eventually it came.”

Garvin improved to 40-0 on the season with the win and joined senior teammate Grant O’Dell as MVC champions helping the Trojans to a runner-up team finish with 173.5 points.

Linn-Mar had five finalists and crowned four champs while winning its first ever MVC team title with 233 points.

Sixth-ranked O’Dell (35-5) posted a 19-3 tech fall over City High sophomore Jake Mitchell in the 138-pound title match.

“I’d say mostly just in conditioning and mentality I think I’ve progressed quite a bit,” O’Dell said. “Last year I took some big leaps and bounds forward and I’m trying to do the same thing this year.”

O’Dell went 4-0 with two tech falls, a major decision and a first-period pin to became a two-time MVC champion.

He won the 106-pound title in 2020.

“Mentally I am way ahead from where I was,” O’Dell said. “I feel prepared for what is going to come next.”

West High got a runner-up finish from Braden Doyle (22-16) who fell to top-ranked Blake Gioimo of Cedar Rapids Prairie in the 113-pound final.

Kyler Scranton (22-13) was third for West High at 132 pounds, Justin Avila (23-9) was third at 170 pounds and Brett Pelfrey (19-7) was third at 285 pounds.

Liberty High finished ninth with 92.5 points and was led by Elijah Terwilleger (27-6) who finished third at 160 pounds and Vinny Lima (25-10) who was third at 182.

Mississippi Valley Conference Meet

At Cedar Rapids Jefferson 

Team scores – 1. Linn-Mar 233; 2. West High 173.5; 3. Cedar Rapids Prairie 167.5; 4. Dubuque Hempstead 148.5; 5. City High 135; 6. Western Dubuque 132; 7. Cedar Falls 131.5; 8. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 115.5; 9. Liberty High 92.5; 10. Cedar Rapids Washington 81; 11. Cedar Rapids Xavier 77; 12. Waterloo East 69; 13. Waterloo West 60; 14. Dubuque Senior 38.5; 15. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 33; 16. Dubuque Wahlert 25.5

Championship matches; area placewinners

106 – 1. Mitchell Pins (DH) major dec. Evan Simpson (CF) 9-0; 8. Kendall Kurtz (ICH)

113 – 1. Blake Gioimo (CRP) pinned Braden Doyle (ICW) 2:55

120 – 1. Cale Seaton (ICH) tech. fall Alex Bumba (CRP) 23-8; 5. Gabe Frausto (ICL); 7. Sterling Warren (ICW)

126 – 1. Kael Kurtz (ICH) dec. Brayden Parke (L-M) 5-3

132 – 1. Kane Naaktgeboren (L-M) pinned Nick Foreman (CRW) 1:15; 3. Kyler Scranton (ICW); 7. Austin Franklin (ICL)

138 – 1. Grant O’Dell (ICW) tech. fall Jake Mitchell (ICH) 19-3

145 – 1. Grant Kress (L-M) pinned Cooper Paxton (WW) 2:51; 7. Nathan King (ICW)

152 – 1. Hunter Garvin (ICW) pinned Dylan Whitt (CF) 2:44; 6. Gavin Benton (ICL); 7. Ariel Collins (ICH)

160 – 1. Christian Stanek (CRX) dec. Josiah Schaetzle (DH) 9-4; 3. Elijah Terwilleger (ICL); 4. Kael Scranton (ICW)

170 – 1. Tate Naaktgeboren (L-M) pinned Eli Sallis (WE) 3:13; 3. Justin Avila (ICW)

182 – 1. Greyson Gardner (WD) dec. Alex Koch (CRK) 10-5; 3. Vinny Lima (ICL); 5. Nick Marker (ICH); 7. Drake Davis (ICW)

195 – 1. Colin Flannagan (CRK) dec. Evan Surface (WD) 2-0; 5. Ethan Armstrong (ICL)

220 – 1. Ben Kueter (ICH) tech. fall Joseph Lewis (DH) 21-5

285 – 1. Luke Gaffney (L-M) major dec. Tate Sykora-Matthess (CRW) 13-2; 3. Brett Pelfrey (ICW)

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