Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – City High won four of five second-round matches as the Class 3A state wrestling tournament.

The Kurtz family was responsible for pair of those wins going a perfect 2-for-2 in the second round on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Junior Kendall Kurtz won back-to-back matches to earn his first ever quarterfinal appearance at 113 pounds and senior 138-pounder Kael Kurtz returned to the 3A quarters for the fourth year in a row on a strong opening day for the Little Hawks.

“I’ve been here before so now I know what it feels like and I’m not as nervous,” Kurtz said. “I’m here having fun instead of worrying about the outcome.”

Top-ranked seniors Cale Seaton and Kael Voinovich each secured spots in the quarterfinals with second-round wins on Wednesday as City High racked up 25 team points.

Kendall Kurtz (30-10) was the opening-day standout for the Little Hawks.

After using a third-period escape to earn a 1-0 win over Garrett Evans of Bettendorf in the opening-round Kurtz posted a second-period pin of eighth-ranked Aiden Serrano of Carlisle.

“I’ve seen a lot of improvement in him mentally,” Kael Kurtz said of his younger brother. “His first two years he was undersized and this year he’s improved and he is wrestling his best at the perfect time of the year.”

A qualifier last season, Kendall Kurtz fell into an early deficit when Serrano scored a takedown less than 50 seconds into the match.

Last season an early deficit could have spelled disaster for Kurtz.

On Wednesday it didn’t deter the City High junior in the slightest.

“A lot of things would have went through my head and it probably wouldn’t have been a good match for the rest of it,” Kurtz said. “This year I just had to load my base, work to feet and I got a reversal out of it.”

Kurtz evened the match at 2-2 with a reversal just 15 seconds later, added a second-period takedown and a third-period reversal before pinning Serrano in 4:36.

Kurtz will face seventh-ranked Isaac Wignall (18-6) of Ankeny in the quarterfinals after Wignall won a 14-1 major decision over fifth-ranked Ashton Grace of Ottumwa in the second round.

“Definitely this year I’m understanding I’m never really out of a match whether I’m down three take downs or one take down I just have to keep my head in it and wrestle through the matches,” Kendall Kurtz said. “Throughout this season I have been more consistent where last season I was more of an up and down wrestler.”

Not long after Kendall Kurtz locked up his spot in the 113-pound quarterfinals Kael Kurtz earned a fourth trip to the 3A quarters.

Third-ranked Kael Kurtz won a 5-2 decision over Zeb Fitzgerald of West Des Moines Dowling in the second round.

A three-time medalist, Kael Kurtz (25-3) will face sixth-ranked Wil Oberbroeckling (27-8) of Southeast Polk in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

“In past years I think I got lost in who I was wrestling,” Kael Kurtz said. “This year I am just going to go out there and compete no matter who steps across the mat.”

Top-ranked Cale Seaton (31-1) posted a 22-7 tech fall of Carson Crigger of Waukee in the second round at 132 pounds.

Seaton will fifth-ranked John King of Waukee Northwest (31-10) in the quarterfinals.

Top-ranked Kael Voinovich (38-1) advanced to the quarterfinals with a pin of No. 12 Dominic Tigner of Norwalk in 3:06.

Voinovich will face fifth-ranked Isaac Bruhl (20-1) of Ankeny Centennial in the quarterfinals.

Class 3A State Meet

Team scores (Top 20; area teams) – 1. Southeast Polk 58; 2. Ankeny Centennial 48.5; 3. Bettendorf 47.5; 4. Fort Dodge 37; 5. Bondurant-Farrar 35.5; 5. Indianola 35.5; 7. Johnston 33; 8. Linn-Mar 32; 9. Ankeny 31.5; 9. Dubuque Hempstead 31.5; 11. Waverly-Shell Rock 31; 12. Waukee Northwest 29.5; 13. Carlisle 29; 14. Ames 27; 15. City High 25; 16. West High 21; 17. Pella 10; 17. Cedar Rapids Prairie 17; 17. Waukee 20; 20. Fort Madison 18; 27. Clear Creek Amana 12

Opening round (area athletes)  

106 – Elijah Hyet (Dubuque Hempstead) tech. fall Elder Mendieta (Clear Creek Amana) 18-3

106 – Charles Barnhouse (West High) dec. Lucas Reeder (Pleasant Valley) 10-4

113 – Caleb Arroyo (Urbandale) dec. Jose Mendieta (Clear Creek Amana) 7-2

113 – Kendall Kurtz (City High) dec. Garrett Evans (Bettendorf) 1-0

120 – Matthew Tran (West High) dec. Stoney Wood (Indianola) 14-7

120 – Cale Nash (Clear Creek Amana) pinned Kaiden Rogers (Newton) 1:34

120 – Ajay Braddock (Boone) pinned Chris Davis (City High) 1:26

126 – Danny Cleveland (Sioux City East) pinned Edgar Mhoon-Lopez (City High) 1:23

126 – Rylan Hilton (Indianola) tech. fall Malachi Clement (Clear Creek Amana) 15-0

138 – Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) pinned Jaxon Brewer (Council Bluffs Lewis Central) 1:43

138 – Campbell Janis (West High) dec. Tate Turner (Norwalk) 9-6

144 – Braden Doyle (West High) major dec. Rylee Brown (Fort Dodge) 11-3

144 – Adam Cook (Cedar Rapids Xavier) dec. Ryker Jones (Clear Creek Amana) 3-2

144 – Jake Mitchell (City High) tech. fall Will McDermott (North Scott) 17-2

150 – Jack Stevens (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Brady Jennings (Clinton) 8-7

157 – Nolan Riddle (Fort Madison) pinned Trace Robertson (Clear Creek Amana) 4:21

157 – Daniel Zeoh (Des Moines East) dec. Landon Bell (Liberty High) 5-3

175 – Gavin Benton (Liberty High) tech. fall Mason Tilley (City High) 18-3

190 – Wyatt Young (Cedar Rapids Washington) pinned Ethan Williams (Clear Creek Amana) 3:18

215 – Carson Nash (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Colin Woods (Cedar Rapids Jefferson) 4-3

285 – Cory Arnett (Fort Madison) pinned Vinnie Keller (Clear Creek Amana) 4:30

285 – Carlos Andrade (Council Bluffs Lewis Central) major dec. Ashton Honore (West High) 11-3

Second round (area athletes) 

106 – Dylan Munson (Cedar Rapids Prairie) injury default Charles Barnhouse (West High) 4:21

113 – Alexander Pierce (West High) pinned Kyler Simons (West Des Moines Dowling) :41

113 – Kendall Kurtz (City High) dec. Aiden Serrano (Carlisle) 5-2

120 – Cody Vandemark (Ankeny Centennial) major dec. Matthew Tran (West High) 14-6

120 – Reid Foster (Bondurant-Farrar) pinned Cale Nash (Clear Creek Amana) 5:09

132 – Cale Seaton (City High) tech. fall Carson Crigger (Waukee) 22-7

138 – Kael Kurtz (City High) dec. Zeb Fitzgerald (West Des Moines Dowling) 5-2

138 – Jabari Hinson (Ames) pinned Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) 3:47

138 – Cody Trevino (Bettendorf) pinned Campbell Janis (West High) 2:47

144 – Maximus Dhabolt (Ankeny Centennial) pinned Braden Doyle (West High) 1:11

144 – JahKari Clark (West Des Moines Valley) major dec. Jake Mitchell (City High) 11-3

150 – Justin Avila (West High) pinned Jack Stevens (Clear Creek Amana) 1:37

157 – Kael Voinovich (City High) pinned Dominic Tigner (Norwalk) 3:06

175 – Asa Hemsted (Carlisle) pinned Gavin Benton (Liberty High) 1:56

175 – Nic VanArkel (West Des Moines Valley) dec. Kyler Scranton (West High) 3-1 SV-1

215 – Vincenzo Lima (Liberty High) dec. Carson Nash (Clear Creek Amana) 11-8

Did you enjoy this subscription free article? Help keep Your Prep Sports free by donating.