Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – By virtue of his 106-pound title last season Alexander Pierce returned to the Class 3A state wrestling tournament this week as a defending champion.

Pierce wasn’t defending in the semifinal round on Friday the West High sophomore was too busy attacking.

Top-ranked Pierce scored a takedown in each of the final two periods in a 5-2 win over fourth-ranked Cale Vandermark (35-6) of Ankeny Centennial in a 113-pound semifinal at Wells Fargo Arena.

“I didn’t feel like I was defending anything, I felt like I had to go out and attack,” Pierce said. “Last match I didn’t get a takedown so this one I got two.”

Pierce didn’t record a takedown in a 4-0 win over Vandermark in the district title match on Saturday.

After a scoreless opening period in Friday’s semifinal Pierce (35-1) went on the offensive.

After a quick escape Pierce scored takedowns 21 seconds into the second period to take a 3-0 lead and added a second takedown 11 seconds into the third period.

“I wanted to keep good position and look to score and that’s what I did,” Pierce said. “I felt in control the whole match.”

The win was the 32^nd straight for Pierce who is unbeaten this season against in-state competition.

Top-ranked Pierce will face second-ranked Tyler Harper of Norwalk (39-0) in the 113-pound state title match on Saturday at 5:50 p.m. in a rematch of last season’s 106-pound title match won by Pierce.

“I got nothing to lose, I’m going to go out there and give it all I got,” Pierce said. “If I come up short it is what it is but that’s how I’m looking.”

Pierce continued a dominant run through the 113-pound bracket on Friday with his second win over Vandermark in six days.

In three state-tournament wins Pierce has yet to allow a point not from an escape.

“He’s just calm and he’s so well-rounded,” West High coach Nate Moore said. “He’s hard to score on, he can score from any position. He’s dangerous and he’s still defensive.”

After becoming just the third freshman state champion in program history last season Pierce will go for a second straight title on Saturday.

Pierce defeated Harper 10-7 in the state title match last season.

That was the last loss for Harper who advanced to the 113-pound title match with a first-period pin of seventh-ranked Isaac Wignall of Ankeny in the semifinals.

“I’ve been a little harder on myself this year, better cardio, better on my diet and a better mindset,” Pierce said. “I tried to find more ways to score and getting better at what I’m not good at.”

The semifinal win for Pierce was the highlight of a strong day for West High.

Kyler Scranton and Justin Avila each won a pair of consolation bracket matches to secure state medals.

Scranton (37-6) has won four consolation matches in a row after a second-round loss in sudden victory in the 175-pound bracket.

Seventh-ranked Scranton won a 13-6 decision over Johnston’s Braden Blackorby before defeating Ronan Thomas of Cedar Rapids Xavier 5-0.

Avila won back-to-back 5-1 decisions over Owen Walker of West Des Moines Valley and Jake Pontier of Indianola.

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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