Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

DES MOINES – The best wrestling is still ahead for City High senior and Coe College recruit Kendall Kurtz.

The best wrestling of Kurtz’ high school career came this weekend at the Class 3A state tournament.

Kurtz capped a strong senior season with a third-place finish at 120-pound on Saturday morning at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

“I definitely my best this year and I think I wrestled my best this weekend,” Kurtz said. “That’s a good feeling.”

A three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist, Kurtz secured the highest state-tournament finish of his career with a pair of wins on Saturday morning.

Fourth-ranked Kurtz (40-6) pinned seventh-ranked Mitchell Pins of Dubuque Hempstead in a 120-pound consolation semifinal.

Fourth then won an 8-0 major decision over third-ranked Mat Prine of Southeast Polk in the third-place match.

“I was just having fun and taking pressure off and it felt good to win,” Kurtz said. “After I won that first match it led into the next match that I was already loose for.”

The two wins on Saturday capped a 4-1 performance for Kurtz at the state meet with the lone loss coming to state runner-up Cale Vandermark of Ankeny Centennial in Friday’s semifinals.

Kurtz regrouped and made sure he ended his career on a high note.

“At the time losing that match is hard but that night I cleared by head and the next morning was a new day,” Kurtz said. “I used that loss as motivation for my next match.”

City High junior Raph Etuma joined Kurtz on the medal stand on Saturday placing sixth at 215 pounds in his first appearance at the state meet.

Etuma (35-14) dropped a 14-5 major decision to third-ranked Kolby Gibbons of Johnston in the consolation semifinals and lost an 8-7 decision to No. 5 Carson Slorah of Indianola in the fifth-place match.

Liberty High junior Landon Bell (25-6) earned his first career state medal, finishing fifth at 175 pounds.

Bell fell to third-ranked Noah Nolan of Carlisle 10-3 in a consolation semifinal and defeated No. 12 Logan Bruxvoort of Pella 10-4 in the fifth-place match.

Class 3A State Tournament

At Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines

Team scores (Top 10; area teams) – 1. Southeast Polk 255.5; 2. Bettendorf 142.5; 3. Indianola 127.5; 4. Carlisle 126; 5. Johnston 114; 6. Waukee Northwest 105; 7. Ankeny Centennial 101; 8. West Des Moines Dowling 100.5; 9. Waverly-Shell Rock 91.5; 10. West High 84.5; 28. City High 34; 28. Clear Creek Amana 34; 35. Liberty High 18.5;

Individual Results

Championship Round (area athletes)

113 – Nico DeSalvo (Southeast Polk) dec. Alexander Pierce (West High) 4-1

150 – Justin Avila (West High) dec. Jabari Hinson (Ames) 9-7

Consolation semifinals (area athletes)

120 – Kendall Kurtz (City High) pinned Mitchell Pins (Dubuque Hempstead) 1:54

120 – Mat Prine (Southeast Polk) dec. Matthew Tran (West High) 1-0

138 – Cody Trevino (Bettendorf) dec. Cole Krutzfeldt (West High) 6-2

144 – Ryan Young (Indianola) dec. Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) 9-3

175 – Noah Noland (Carlisle) dec. Landon Bell (Liberty High) 10-3

215 – Kolby Gibbons (Johnston) major dec. Raphael Etuma (City High) 14-5

Third-place match (area athletes)

120 – Kendall Kurtz (City High) major dec. Mat Prine (Southeast Polk) 8-0

Fifth-place match (area athletes)

120 – Mitchell Pins (Dubuque Hempstead) dec. Matthew Tran (West High) 4-0

138 – Cole Krutzfeldt (West High) dec. Collin Frost (Davenport Central) 13-7

144 – Nolan Howell (Clear Creek Amana) dec. Sevastian Soto (Carlisle) 14-11

175 – Landon Bell (Liberty High) dec. Logan Bruxvoort (Pella) 10-4

215 – Carson Slorah (Indianola) dec. Raph Etuma (City High) 8-7

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