Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The wrestling career of Justin Avila has been quite a four-year journey.

That journey will end on the state’s biggest stage on Saturday night.

Avila secured his first ever trip to the state title match on Thursday with a second-period pin of ninth-ranked Mason Lucas of Carlisle in a Class 3A 150-pound semifinal at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“I feel good,” Avila said. “It was kind of stressful with all the nerves and everything but I finally started to calm and down and started to pick up the pace and wrestle my way. It feels good right now.”

Third-ranked Avila (48-3) will face Jabari Hinson (48-0) of Ames in the 150-pound state title match on Saturday in a session that begins at 5:15 p.m.

Avila joins 113-pound junior Alex Pierce as West High state finalists.

Pierce (47-2) advanced to the state finals for the third consecutive season with a medical forfeit victory over Cedar Rapids Prairie’s Dylan Munson.

Munson was injured and received a win by disqualification in a quarterfinal on Thursday.

“We both told each other we are winning state,” Avila said. “At the beginning of the season we told each other we are winning state and we are both a match away so it’s pretty awesome.”

Saturday’s title match will cap an incredible wrestling career for Avila who has racked up more than 150 wins in four seasons in a West High singlet.

A four-time state qualifier, the previous best finish for Avila came in his state meet debut in 2022 at 170 pounds.

Avila bumped up to 170 that season to find a spot in a talented West High lineup.

He missed the medal stand as a sophomore and was fifth at 150 pounds a year ago.

“My sophomore year was pretty brutal for me,” Avila said. “But it is what it is right? You can’t change the past and I’m just looking forward to the future.”

After the early state tournament success the past two seasons were tough for Avila but the senior says he learned from every setback.

“That has definitely caused me to appreciate what I have now,” Avila said. “It’s definitely something that has helped me.”

In his final state tournament Avila has been at his best.

He advanced to the finals with a second-period pin and a 4-0 win over seventh-ranked Elijah Blewitt in the quarterfinals.

Avila led 1-0 in Friday’s semifinal when he locked up Lucas (33-7) on the edge of the mat in the final seconds of the second period and got the pin.

“I knew my pace was higher than his,” Avila said. “I knew he was going to try to hang on to something, I felt him keep faking towards my leg so I knew it was eventually going to come and I got it.”

Avila will attempt to add the exclamation point to his career on Saturday against top-ranked Hinson.

“It’s going to take mental toughness and it’s going to take a whole six minutes of wrestling and possibly longer,” Avila said. “I have to be prepared for everything and don’t let up.”

Hinson advanced with a 2-1 semifinal win over fifth-ranked Parker Casey of Johnston

“It’s going to take mental toughness and it’s going to take a whole six minutes of wrestling and possibly longer,” Avila said. “I have to be prepared for everything and don’t let up.”

Second-ranked Pierce will be seeking a second state title when he faces top-ranked Nico DeSalvo (37-0).

Pierce won the 106-pound title as a freshman in 2023.

DeSalvo won the 106-pound title last season when Pierce finished runner-up at 113.

“It means a lot, we’ve both put in a lot of work this season,” Avila said of reaching the finals with Pierce. “He’s making his third appearance in the finals and that’s something I wasn’t able to do but it’s something I look up to. He’s younger than me but he’s still a person I look up to. His determination and his willingness to get better has helped me a lot this season.”

West High has four wrestlers alive into the final day of the four-day state meet and sits ninth in the 3A team standings with 78.5 points entering Saturday.

Senior 138-pounder Cole Krutzfeldt (43-5) and sophomore 120-pounder Matthew Tran (43-13) both advanced to consolation semifinals with a pair of wins on Friday.

City High senior Kendall Kurtz (38-6) fell to second-ranked Cale Vandermark (41-2) of Ankeny Centennial in a 120-pound semifinal on Friday.

Kurtz joins teammate Raph Etuma in consolation semifinals on Saturday.

Etuma won a pair of consolation matches on Friday to advance to the 215-pound consolation semifinals.

Liberty High junior 175-pounder Landon Bell (24-5) dropped a semifinal to top-seeded Jacob Helgesen (33-1) of Johnston on Friday and will wrestle in the consolation semifinals on Saturday.

Clear Creek Amana 144-pound senior Nolan Howell (45-9) advanced to the consolation semifinals with a pair of wins on Friday.

Class 3A State Tournament

At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Southeast Polk 221.5; 2. Bettendorf 115; 3. Indianola 104.5; 4. Carlisle 102; 5. Johnston 95; 6. West Des Moines Dowling 93.5; 7. Waukee Northwest 89; 8. Ankeny Centennial 88.5; 9. West High 78.5; 10. Waverly-Shell Rock 76.5; 28. Clear Creek Amana 32; 31. City High 24; 34. Liberty High 16.5

Individual Results

Semifinal Round (area athletes)

113 – Alexander Pierce (West High) won by medical forfeit Dylan Munson (Cedar Rapids Prairie)

120 – Cale Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial) tech. fall Kendall Kurtz (City High) 19-3

150 – Justin Avila (West High) pinned Mason Lucas (Carlisle) 4:00

175 – Jacob Helgeson (Johnston) dec. Landon Bell (Liberty High) 7-1

Fourth Round Consolation (area athletes)

120 – Matthew Tran (West High) major dec. Shandrel Thompson (Johnston) 16-7

132 – Calvin Rathjen (Ankeny) dec. Cale Nash (Clear Creek Amana) 8-5

138 – Cole Krutzfeldt (West High) major dec. Will McDermott (North Scott) 14-2

144 – Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Lincoln Hutt (Waukee Northwest) 16-3

215 – Raph Etuma (City High) tech. fall Harrison Tripp (Norwalk) 26-10

Fifth Round Consolation (area athletes)

120 – Matthew Tran (West High) dec. Sylvestor Kotoe (Waterloo West) 7-1

138 – Cole Krutzfeldt (West High) tech fall Nicholas Wise (Marshalltown) 18-3

144 – Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) pinned Trenton Byers (Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln) 5:21

215 – Raph Etuma (City High) dec. Camden Smith (Dubuque Hempstead) 11-5

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