Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

Wrestling season officially got underway earlier this week with the first day of competition around the state.

Your Prep Sports area teams open their seasons this week with every wrestler seeking to earn a spot at the State Wrestling Meet scheduled for February 18-21 at the Casey’s Center in Des Moines.

Before the action gets underway for area teams and wrestlers Your Prep Sports takes a look at some of the top are wrestlers to watch this season.

Alexander Pierce

Senior, West High

One of the top wrestlers in the state Pierce will be looking to put an exclamation point on a stellar career with a strong senior season.

A three-time state finalist with a career 124-7 record, Pierce won the Class 3A 106-pound title as a freshman and has finished runner-up at 113 pounds each of the past two seasons.

Pierce was 47-3 last season at 113 pounds winning Mississippi Valley Conference and district titles before a runner-up finish at the 3A state meet.

Cooper Gates

Senior, West Branch

A three-time state qualifier Gates is looking to add another medal while continuing to climb the podium at the state meet in his final prep season.

Gates is a two-time state medalist placing eighth as a freshman at 152 pounds and adding a seventh-place finish at the 1A state meet at 165 pounds last season.

Last season Gates won River Valley Conference and district titles and finished with a 38-6 record to push his career mark to 105-17.

Lucas Feuerbach

Junior, Solon

Feuerbach followed up a standout debut season with a breakthrough sophomore campaign in which he established himself as one of the top wrestlers in Class 2A.

After going 41-12 and advancing to the state meet as a freshman Feuerbach went 46-4 last season and finished runner-up at the Class 2A state meet at 215 pounds.

Feuerbach won WAMAC Conference and 2A district titles along the way and enters his junior season with an 87-16 career record.

Landon Bell

Senior, Liberty High

Last season was a breakthrough for Bell who earned his first career state medal in his third consecutive state meet appearance.

After qualifying for the state meet at 152 pounds as a freshman and 157 pounds as a sophomore Bell finished fifth at the 3A state meet at 175 pounds last season going 4-2 at the state meet.

Bell won the Mississippi Valley Conference title and finished runner-up at the Class 3A district meet before his fifth-place performance at the state meet.

Bell has won at least 20 matches for each of the past three seasons and has 74 career victories after going 25-6 last season.

Ethan Humphrey

Junior, West Branch

Already a two-time state medalist Humphrey is looking to continue to move up the medal stand at the state meet after emerging as one of the top young wrestlers in 1A last season.

Humprey followed up a stellar freshman season that ended with an eighth-place finish at the state meet by placing third at the Class 1A state meet last season at 106 pounds.

Humphrey finished 23-3 last season with River Valley Conference and Class 1A district titles and owns a 55-8 career record.

Matthew Tran

Junior, West High

A two-time state qualifier Tran is coming off the best season of his career last year that concluded with his first state medal.

After winning 29 matches and advancing to the state meet as a freshman Tran went 43-15 and finished sixth at the Class 3A state meet at 120 pounds last season.

Tran finished runner-up at the Mississippi Valley Conference meet and won a 3A district title before going 3-3 at the state meet en route to his first career state medal.

Raphael Etuma

Senior, City High

One of the biggest breakthrough performers of last season Etuma will look to build on a stellar junior season that ended with a medal at the Class 3A state meet.

Etuma capped a brilliant junior season with a 3-3 performance and sixth-place finish in his first ever appearance at the Class 3A state meet.

Etuma finished 35-14 last season at 215 pounds.

Kane Willey

Senior, City High

Another City High wrestler that finished the season strong Willey won Mississippi Valley Conference and Class 3A District titles on his way to earning his first trip to the Class 3A state tournament.

Willey finished 25-7 in his first season at 285 pounds advancing to the 3A state meet.

Porter Shetler

Junior, Regina

A wrestler primed for a strong season, Shetler is coming off a breakthrough sophomore campaign in which she advanced to the 1A state tournament for the first time.

Shetler posted a 32-15 record last season at 215 pounds, won a River Valley Conference title and finished runner-up at the 1A district meet to earn a spot at 1A state meet.

Cole Kasparek

Sophomore, Clear Creek Amana

Kasparek will look to take a big step forward following a strong debut season that included a trip to the Class 3A state meet.

Last season Kasparek went 42-15 and advanced to the Class 3A state tournament at 106 pounds.

Kasparek finished third at the Class 3A district meet before going 1-2 in his state meet debut.

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