Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Having a 33-match winning streak that dated back to last season end with a district final loss wasn’t what Cale Seaton wanted heading into the state tournament.

That district final loss may have been exactly what Seaton needed.

“I got my confidence knocked back down a little bit, I got my head flattened a little bit but that’s what I needed,” Seaton said of an 8-6 loss to Bettendorf senior Jayce Luna in last Saturday’s district title match. “I needed to be back on the hunt again, back hungry and chasing and that’s how I feel right now.”

Top-ranked Seaton used the district loss as a learning experience, a reset the City High senior called it and this week at the state tournament has returned to his normal dominance.

Seaton (33-1) returned to the state title match for the second straight season with a 7-2 win over fourth-ranked Connor Fiser of Bondurant-Farrar (33-4) on Friday in a Class 3A 132-pound semifinal at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“That was a reset button that got me focused back in,” Seaton said. “It was a little adversity and that was a good thing for me. That got my mind back right and I came back into this tournament hungry.”

Seaton reached the semifinals with a pin and a tech fall.

In Friday’s semifinal he scored a takedown in each period, the first takedowns Fiser had allowed in three state tournament matches.

“He’s the total package,” City High coach Cory Connell said. “He’s so strong, he’s so quick, he’s so technical, he’s so mentally tough. He’s the total package and everything you want.”

Last year’s 126-pound champion, Seaton will get a rematch with Luna (44-3) in the state title match on Saturday at 5:50 p.m.

Luna won a 3-2 decision over Ryan Rider of Carlisle in the semifinals.

“I’m feeling great, I’m wrestling at my best right now,” Seaton said. “I’m locked in I’m focused and I’m ready for that match right now.”

Seaton will be joined in the state title matches on Saturday night by top-ranked senior 157-pounder Kael Voinovich who won by injury default over second-ranked Grant Kress (32-2) of Linn-Mar in the semifinals.

Voinovich used a pair of first-period takedowns to take an early 4-1 lead before Kress was forced to default with 10 seconds remaining in the opening period.

The fifth seed in the 157-pound bracket, Voinovich (40-1) won matches by pin and a 19-7 major decision before the injury default in the semifinals.

“I think it was good for him to get the five seed, it gave him that edge,” Connell said. “He wants to wrestle in front of these people and he’s wrestling really well right now.”

The semifinal wins by Seaton and Voinovich highlight a third consecutive strong day for City High.

Third-ranked Kael Kurtz lost a 6-1 decision to second-ranked Koy Davidson of Fort Dodge in the 138-pound semifinals and is one of three Little Hawks that will wrestle in the consolation bracket on Saturday morning beginning at 9 a.m.

Kurtz (26-4) will face Jabari Hinson of Ames in a consolation semifinal.

“Two in the finals, three in the back and I’m so proud of those five kids,” Connell said. “Every single one of them is leaving it out on the mat.”

Kendall Kurtz and Jake Mitchell each won consolation matches to secure the first medals of their careers on Friday.

Mitchell won a 7-4 decision over Elijah Blewitt of Indianola in a 144-pound consolation match to secure his first state medal.

Mitchell (30-13) will wrestle Boone senior Ty Solverson in the seventh-place match on Saturday morning.

“I am so proud of Jake Mitchell,” Connell said. “He wasn’t ranked, we knew he was capable of placing it was just a matter of him going out there and doing it. I’m just so proud of him.”
Kendall Kurtz (31-12) locked up his first state medal with a 4-2 decision over Braxton Winkey of Ames on Friday.

Kurtz will wrestle Urbandale freshman Caleb Arroyo in the 113-pound seventh-place match on Saturday.

“We know it’s there he just has to pull it out of him,” Connell said of Kurtz. “Now he’s on the podium but we know he can go even higher.”

Class 3A State Meet

Team scores (Top 20; area teams) – 1. Southeast Polk 185.5; 2. Bettendorf 132; 3. Fort Dodge 98; 4. Waukee Northwest 94; 5. Waverly-Shell Rock 88; 6. Indianola 85.5; 7. Ankeny Centennial 84.5; 8. Carlisle 84; 9. Linn-Mar 80; 10. Ames 76; 10. City High 76; 12. Johnston 68.5; 13. Dubuque Hempstead 63.5; 14. Bondurant-Farrar 60.5; 15. West Des Moines Valley 57; 16. West High 55; 17. Ankeny 52.5; 18. Council Bluffs Lewis Central 50; 19. Cedar Rapids Prairie 45; 20. Urbandale 41; 26. Clear Creek Amana 28; 36. Liberty High 13.5

Semifinals (area athletes) 

113 – Alexander Pierce (West High) dec. Cale Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial) 5-2

132 – Cale Seaton (City High) dec. Connor Fiser (Bondurant-Farrar) 7-2

138 – Koy Davidson (Fort Dodge) dec. Kael Kurtz (City High) 6-1

157 – Kael Voinovich (City High) won by injury default Grant Kress (Linn-Mar) 1:50

215 – Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge) pinned Vincenzo Lima (Liberty High) 1:32

Fourth round consolation (area athletes) 

113 – Kendall Kurtz (City High) dec. Braxton Winkey (Ames) 4-2

120 – Cale Nash (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Jaymeson VanderVelde (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 5-2

138 – Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Tyler Brennan (Ankeny Centennial) 3-1

144 – Jake Mitchell (City High) dec. Elijah Blewitt (Indianola) 7-4

150 – Justin Avila (West High) dec. Owen Walker (West Des Moines Valley) 5-1

175 – Kyler Scranton (West High) dec. Braden Blackorby (Johnston) 13-6

215 – Jean Ngoma (Cedar Rapids Xavier) won in ultimate tie breaker over Carson Nash (Clear Creek Amana) 3-3

Fifth round consolation (area athletes) 

113 – Ashton Grace (Ottumwa) dec. Kendall Kurtz (City High) 6-2

120 – Evan Simpson (Cedar Falls) pinned Cale Nash (Clear Creek Amana) 5:22

138 – Jabari Hinson (Ames) dec. Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) 7-1

144 – Mason Lucas (Carlisle) dec. Jake Mitchell (City High) 10-5

150 – Justin Avila (West High) dec. Jake Pontier (Indianola) 5-1

175 – Kyler Scranton (West High) dec. Ronan Thomas (Cedar Rapids Xavier) 5-0

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