Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – There is no easy way on to the medal stand at the state wrestling tournament.

Regina senior Will Aitchison learned that lesson in the most painful way possible the past two seasons.

“When you come to this tournament it’s brutal,” Aitchison said. “There are no free lunches here.”

Aitchison came up one win shy of a state medal in each of his first two state appearances.

On Friday Aitchison finally found a way on the state medal stand on Friday and he did so in one of the toughest ways imaginable.

Aitchison (32-5) won three consecutive consolation matches following a second-round loss on Wednesday, securing his first state medal with a 4-1 decision over fifth-ranked Hayden Helgeson of Lake Mills (46-9) in a 157-pound consolation match at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“It means so much, the past two years I’ve been in the same spot and I haven’t been able to get it done,” Aitchison said. “This year I relied more on my training and I was able to finally reach that level and get it done.”

Aitchison went 2-2 at 145 pounds as a sophomore in his first trip to state in 2023 dropping an 8-5 decision in the match that would have secured a medal.

Last season Aitchison again came up one win short of a spot on the podium going 3-2 at 175 pounds.

This year Aitchison wouldn’t be denied.

After a loss to No. 11 Jake Hiland of Bellevue in his first match on Wednesday Aitchison won three consecutive consolation matches, the final two coming over top-10 opponents.

Aitchison defeated seventh-ranked Dawson Becker of Alburnett before his 4-1 win over Helgeson in sudden victory that locked up a medal.

“The key is to just not thinking about losing,” Aitchison said. “I am not visualizing myself being done wrestling, being back at the hotel and being able to eat more food. I’m visualizing myself getting it done and getting on that podium and if keep your sights on that instead of letting them wander you’ll get it done.”

Tied 1-1 after three periods Aitchison secured the win with a takedown on the edge of the mat in the final seconds of the overtime period.

“I felt like I was really able to drive him down the whole match, heavy on the head, heavy on the head,” Aitchison said. “If I hadn’t been able to do that I wouldn’t have been able to do that and get that last shot off.”

Aitchison lost to Hiland 10-4 in a fifth-round consolation match and will face Chase England of Lenox in the seventh-place match on Saturday in a session that begins at 9 a.m.

West Branch sophomore Ethan Humphrey (21-3) fell to fourth-ranked Ian Maize (37-3) of WACO in the 106-pound semifinals on Friday.

Humphrey, who was eighth at 106 pounds last season as a freshman, will wrestle South Central Calhoun freshman Karson Wuebker in the consolation semifinals on Saturday morning.

West Branch junior 165-pounder Cooper Gates bounced back from a quarterfinal loss to top-ranked Kyler Knaack of Don Bosco on Thursday with a consolation win to secure a second state medal.

Gates, who finished eighth at 152 pounds two seasons ago, secured a medal with a first-period pin of Mason Hoyt of Iowa Valley in his first consolation match on Friday.

Kyle Kuboushek (45-3) of South Winneshiek won a 7-2 decision over Gates in a fourth-round consolation match.

Gates (37-6) will wrestle fifth-ranked Alex Tiedemann of Northwood-Kensett in the seventh-place match on Saturday.

Class 3A State Tournament

At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Don Bosco 187; 2. Alburnett 127.5; 3. Wilton 103; 4. Woodbury Central 76; 5. Osage 75.5; 6. Lake Mills 68; 7. Nodaway Valley 62; 8. Riverside 61.5; 9. Denver 61; 10. Hinton 59; 10. Jesup 59; 17. West Branch 46.5; 80. Regina 5.5

Individual Results

Semifinal Round (area athletes)

106 – Ian Maize (WACO) dec. Ethan Humphrey (West Branch) 7-2

Fourth Round Consolation (area athletes)

144 – Kaden Lange (Jesup) dec. Cash Hatfield (West Branch) 2-1

150 – Dawson Beyer (Sibley-Ocheyedan) pinned Keaton Gates (West Branch) 4:53

157 – Will Aitchison (Regina) dec. Hayden Helgeson (Lake Mills) 4-1 SV-1

165 – Cooper Gates (West Branch) pinned Mason Hoyt (Iowa Valley) :29

Fifth Round Consolation (area athletes)

157 – Jake Hiland (Bellevue) dec. Will Aitchison (Regina) 10-4

165 – Kyle Kuboushek (South Winneshiek) Cooper Gates (West Branch) 7-2

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