West High Senior Garvin Completes Career With Third Consecutive Class 3A State Title
Ryan Murken
Your Prep Sports
DES MOINES – Hunter Garvin has accumulated enough pins in his prep wrestling career nobody would blame the West High senior if he has forgotten a few.
Garvin won’t be forgetting career pin number 100 any time soon.
Top-ranked Garvin pinned second-ranked Carter Martinson (34-3) of Southeast Polk in 3:36 on Saturday in the Class 3A 152-pound title match at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines to collect his 100th career pin and third consecutive stat title.
“I had no idea about a pin, I was just hoping for a takedown,” Garvin said. “Then I was confused why I didn’t get a takedown and I hear (coach) Nate (Moore) yelling ‘he’s pinned’ and I in my head I’m like ‘is he? I don’t know.”
The pin came on a wild scramble late in the second period of a scoreless match that ended with Garvin landing face up on Martinson.
As Garvin worked for a takedown and a two-point lead he ended up with a pin and a third straight state title.
“I had no idea I got the pin,” Garvin said. “I knew I needed to attack and I wasn’t getting the angle so I pushed pulled and popped into a double. I get into that position a lot in practice and so I felt very comfortable there.”
The win capped an incredible career for Garvin (48-0) who established himself as one of the best wrestlers in the state and in the storied history of the West High program.
Garvin is the third three-time champion in West High history and joins Nick Moore and West High head coach Nate Moore as the Trojans’ only four-time state finalists.
“It just takes a lifetime of doing the right things and going to practice and working hard,” Moore said. “It’s so cliched but the way he lives his life that’s what happens.”
Garvin has been as dominant as any wrestler in the state the past several seasons.
He closes his career on a 78-match winning streak and posted three pins and a major decision in four state-tournament matches.
A Stanford recruit, Garvin closes his career with a sparkling 136-7 record.
“I felt I wrestled great,” Garvin said. “After I got the first-period jitters out in my matches I felt good all week.”
Garvin and Martinson were scoreless midway through the first quarter.
A rare occurrence for the aggressive Garvin.
“That’s my own fault, I shouldn’t have let it be that tight,” Garvin said. “I should have gotten to my offense way quicker.”
Late in the second-period Garvin went for a shot, the rest as the West High senior said – is history.
“I just pushed, pulled and went for a double and got it and I’m am really comfortable there so I just held it and then I don’t hear a two but I hear my coach yell he’s pinned. I heart the whistle and that was it.”
The win by Garvin gave West High a champion for the sixth time in the past seven seasons and a 1-1 mark in the finals on Saturday.
Senior Robert Avila (14-2) dropped a 6-5 tiebreaker decision to fifth-ranked Ryder Downey (41-2) of Indianola in the 145-pound title match.
Avila was attempting to become the 32nd four-time state champion in state history after winning three Class 1A titles at Lisbon.
“He’s been a leader and unfortunately he probably is going to remember that match for a long, long time but the sun is going to rise tomorrow and that match doesn’t define him because his story is not over,” Moore said of Avila. “It’s going to hurt for a little bit but his story is not over.”
Class 3A State Wrestling Tournament
At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines
Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Southeast Polk 160; 2. Waukee Northwest 157; 3. Waverly-Shell Rock 147; 4. West High 93; 5. Bettendorf 90; 9. City High 64.5
Championship matches (Area wrestlers)
145 – Ryder Downey (Indianola) dec. Robert Avila (West High) 6-5
152 – Hunter Garvin (West High) pinned Carter Martinson Southeast Polk 3:36
Consolation semifinals
138 – Grant O’Dell (West High) dec. Lucas Bruhl (Ankeny Centennial) 3-2
170 – Justin Avila (West High) pinned Sam Zindel (Johnston) 3:05
Seventh-place match
160 – Kael Scranton (West High) major dec. Cole Rutter (Spencer) 8-0
Third-place match
160 – Jacob Helgeson (Johnston) dec. Grant O’Dell (West High) 7-4
170 – Kasey Ross (Urbandale) pinned Justin Avila (West High) 2:42
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