Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – Raph Etuma admitted as he walked onto the mat for the first time at the state wrestling tournament the moment seemed big.

Really big.

“When I first stepped out there everything felt bigger,” Etuma said. “He looked like a giant.”

As big as the moment was it wasn’t too big for Etuma.

Etuma scored 11 consecutive points to break open a tight match on his way to a 14-3 major decision over West Des Moines Dowling sophomore Kade Krause (15-17) in a Class 3A 215-pound second-round match on Wednesday morning at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“The atmosphere is crazy but once I got that first takedown I knew it wasn’t different than any other tournament,” Etuma said. “I just had to wrestle my match.”

Etuma scored the opening takedown 12 seconds into the match but led just 3-2 midway through the second period after a pair of escapes by Krause.

That’s went Etuma went to work.

He scored a takedown with 46 seconds remaining in the second period.

He outscored Krause 8-1 in the third with an escape, a takedown and a four-point nearfall.

“We talked to him about not treating it any different, it’s the same sized mat the opponents are basically the same just go out there and have fun, wrestle and compete,” City High coach Cory Connell said. “He just needs to let it fly.”

Eighth-ranked Etuma (33-11) will face fourth-ranked Jean Ngoma (36-0) of Cedar Rapids Xavier in a 215-pound quarterfinal on Thursday morning in a session that begins at 9 a.m.

“Ever since I started wrestling I always wanted to go to state and now it’s real,” Etuma said. “It feels good to be here and actually feeling good about the competition. I think I’ve gained a better trust in what my coach is telling me and I have more trust in what I can do.”

Senior Kendall Kurtz will join Etuma in the 3A quarterfinals on Thursday.

Fourth-ranked Kurtz won a 19-2 tech. fall over Liberty High sophomore Benjamin Rosen in the 120-pound second round on Wednesday.

Kurtz (37-5), who finished eighth at 113 pounds last season, will face eighth-ranked Avery Van Zelder (31-8) of Dallas Center-Grimes in the 120-pound quarterfinals.

“He’s wrestling the best he’s ever wrestled in his life at the best time right now,” Connell said of Kurtz “He has the confidence to let it fly because he’s wrestling the best he’s ever wrestled in his life.”

City High senior Mason Tilley (30-13) went 1-1 on Wednesday at 175 pounds.

Tilley defeated David Theisen of Western Dubuque 12-7 in the opening round and fell to top-seeded Jacob Helgeson (31-1) of Johnston in the second round.

Class 3A State Tournament

At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Southeast Polk 72.5; 2. Indianola 46; 3. Waukee Northwest 42; 4. Johnston 41.5; 5. Waverly-Shell Rock 39; 6. West Des Moines Dowling 37.5; 7. Ankeny Centennial 32.5; 8. Bettendorf 32; 9. Carlisle 30; 9. Fort Dodge 30; 14. West High 25; 27. Clear Creek Amana 13; 30. City High 12.5; 33. Liberty High 9.5

Individual Results

Opening Round (area athletes)

106 – Braydon Tranmer (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln) major dec. Cole Kasparek (Clear Creek Amana) 10-0

106 – Kent Montgomery (Newton) dec. Connor McGonegle (Liberty High) 12-6

120 – Karson Pulver (Pleasant Valley) dec. Jose Mendiata (Clear Creek Amana) 10-9

120 – Benjamin Rosen (Liberty High) tech. fall Max Panosh (Cedar Rapids Kennedy) 17-2

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

126 – Elijah Hyet (Dubuque Hempstead) tech. fall Chase Williams (City High) 18-2

132 – Jack Foster (Cedar Rapids Xavier) dec. Rex Edmonds (Liberty High) 3-1

138 – Collin Frost (Davenport Central) tech. fall Jay Halverson (Clear Creek Amana) 17-2

138 – Isaiah Madison (Johnston) pinned Donovan Gipson (City High) 1:35

150 – Trace Robertson (Clear Creek Amana) pinned Trent Eckard (Boone) 2:48

150 – Wyatt Heying (Spencer) dec. Laith Alawneh (City High) 7-2

157 – Rylee Brown (Fort Dodge) pinned Ben Haughey (Clear Creek Amana) 1:41

165 – Marek McNamara (Cedar Rapids Xavier) pinned Aidan Schrock (Clear Creek Amana) 2:41

165 – AJ Pontier (Indianola) major dec. Marshall Sheldon (City High) 12-1

175 – Jesse Egli (Fort Dodge) tech. fall Clayton Isham (Clear Creek Amana) 17-1

175 – Mason Tilley (City High) dec. David Theisen (Western Dubuque) 12-7

190 – Victor Esparza (Norwalk) major dec. Dylan Schrock (Clear Creek Amana) 14-4

190 – Brayton Gipple (Bondurant-Farrar) pinned Blaine Heick (City High) 2:49

285 – Randale Kelly (West High) dec. Jaxen Hoag (LeMars) 3-1

Second Round  

113 – Alexander Pierce (West High) pinned Elliott Gnewuch (Cedar Rapids Xavier) 1:03

120 – Kendall Kurtz (City High) tech. fall Benjamin Rosen (Liberty High) 19-2

120 – Matthew Tran (West High) major dec. Sylvester Kotoe (Waterloo West) 17-5

132 – Cale Nash (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Hayden Hutt (Waukee Northwest) 5-1

138 – Cole Krutzfeldt (West High) pinned Camron Bennett (Des Moines East) 3:26

144 – Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) major dec. Trenton Byers (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln) 16-4

150 – Justin Avila (West High) pinned Cole Hemmingsen (Dallas Center-Grimes) 2:36

150 – Parker Casey (Johnston) pinned Trace Robertson (Clear Creek Amana) 2:48

175 – Jacob Helgeson (Johnston) tech. fall Mason Tilley (City High) 16-1

175 – Landon Bell (Liberty High) pinned Mekyver Hagarty (Waverly-Shell Rock) 2:41

215 – Raphael Etuma (City High) major dec. Kade Krause (West Des Moines Dowling) 14-3

285 – Nick Darling (Johnston) dec. Kane Willey (City High) 7-3

285 – Brady Hagan (West Des Moines Dowling) pinned Randale Kelly (West High) 1:10

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