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Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling: City High’s Cale Seaton avenges district loss in finals
Kael Voinovich joins Seaton as Little Hawks atop the podium; Linn-Mar senior Kane Naaktgeboren also claims gold
Feb. 17, 2024 9:58 pm, Updated: Feb. 17, 2024 10:19 pm
DES MOINES — Iowa City High’s Cale Seaton found victory in defeat.
The concept might seem strange, but a district loss was the perfect motivator to return to form. A state championship form.
Seaton avenged his lone setback of the season, scoring a third-period takedown to defeat Bettendorf’s Jayce Luna for the 132-pound title at the Class 3A boys’ state wrestling tournament Saturday night at Wells Fargo Arena.
“That loss was hard but it was good,” Seaton said. “It refocused me and got me back in check. It got me back to being the focused, detailed person I am.
“The difference was focusing and winning every position in the match. Not just wrestling to win but wrestling every single position and the details, the little details. That’s what got me over.”
Seaton added a second title to his four state medals, finishing third or better each year. He climbed the long list of Little Hawk state champions.
“You want to be on the list that is the smallest,” Seaton said. “It’s crazy to be up there. There are so many good guys on that two-time list. It’s crazy to be there.”
The experience is drastically different from his 126 crown last season. He suffered a knee injury that was surgically repaired two days after last year’s state meet. Seaton was out of wrestling for six months. And six months later he has another gold.
“It hasn’t been a year since I’ve had my knee completely done,” Seaton said. “It’s crazy how fast it came back. I picked up right where I left off.”
Seaton escaped in the second for a 1-0 lead. He automatically released Luna to start the third, tying the score so he could wrestle in the neutral position. The move resulted in a decisive takedown with 54 seconds left for a 3-2 decision.
“My best wrestling is on my feet,” Seaton said. “That’s where I wanted to be because that’s when I can run my gas tank and get these guys tired. That’s what I did. I wore him down. I got my one chance, took it and capitalized on it.”
Kael Voinovich gave the Little Hawks a second champion. Voinovich dominated his way to the 157-pound crown, throttling Carlisle’s Jaxon Miller, 12-3, in the final. He was greeted in a tunnel off the arena floor and celebrated with his City High teammates.
“When you have a family like that that backs you up it’s hard not to get fired up. Just blessed really to be part of such a great team and great people.”
Voinovich, whose brother, Victor, transferred from Oklahoma State to the University of Iowa this year, started his prep career in Ohio. He moved to Oklahoma and ascended the national rankings. Voinovich moved to City High this season, posting a 41-1 record and notching bonus-point wins in all four state bouts.
“I did the calculations on my phone and it was 96 days I was with City High,” said Voinovich, who signed to wrestle with the Hawkeyes. “It doesn’t make sense. It’s like I’ve been here my whole life. That’s just the type of people they are. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
City High matched Linn-Mar with five medalists. In addition to finalists Cale Seaton at 126 and Kael Voinovich at 157, Kael Kurtz (138) was fifth and Kendall Kurtz (113) and 144-pounder Jake Mitchell each placed eighth. The Little Hawks were 10th with 87 points.
“It’s bittersweet,” Voinovich said. “I’m glad I did it with Cale Seaton. There’s other guys I wanted to (win) with. I get to celebrate but after this interview I have to be there for the guys who didn’t achieve their dreams because that sucks. It sucks bad.”
Linn-Mar’s Kane Naaktgeboren reaches the top
Like Seaton, Kane Naaktgeboren (37-0) made his second straight finals appearance. He capped an undefeated season, beating West Des Moines Valley’s JahKari Clark, 9-2, in the 144 final.
Naaktgeboren helped lead Linn-Mar to a ninth-place finish, posting 90 points.
Griffin Schultz (215) placed fourth, while Malik DeBow (120) and Nate Fish (126) were fifth and eighth, respectively. Grant Kress, who was a state finalist last year, suffered an injury in Friday’s 157 semifinal and defaulted to sixth.
Naaktgeboren also became a four-time medalist, placing third as a sophomore and fifth as a freshman.
Iowa City West’s Alexander Pierce was looking for his second straight title. The sophomore 113-pounder was denied by Norwalk’s Tyler Harper.
Pierce nabbed the first takedown and led by two in the second period. Harper answered with a takedown and cinched up a cradle for five points. He controlled the rest of the match for a 10-4 win.
“Anytime you fight off your back, for over a minute, he was zapped,” West Coach Nate Moore said. “He had to bring it back together and refocus and that’s a lot easier said than done.”
Moore said he expects Pierce to bounce back and work to improve. He may need to take some time off, reflect on the tournament and season and work to reclaim his knack for scoring lots of points. The loss isn’t the end, by any means.
“It’s wrestling (and) that’s life,” Moore said. “You don’t always get what you want. Now, he’s got to come back and keep getting better.”
Pierce was one of three Trojan medalists. Junior Justin Avila finished fourth at 170 pounds as a freshman. He missed the awards stand last season but returned to the podium. Avila placed fifth at 150. Kyler Scranton also earned his second straight medal. He finished fourth, improving last year’s eighth-place honors.
“For me, our coaching staff and our team, we’re thankful we got to compete,” Moore said. “We’re extremely proud of all our guys for showing up here and competing.”
Southeast Polk claimed the team title with 221 1/2 points. Bettendorf was a distant second with 160, while Fort Dodge placed third with 119.
Cedar Rapids Prairie tied West with three medalists. Junior 106-pounder Dylan Munson was sixth. Tyler Lee (132) and Wyatt Vlasek (157) both placed seventh.
Cedar Rapids Xavier duo Ronan Thomas (175) and 215-pounder Jean Ngoma both placed seventh. It was the first medal for both.
Clear Creek Amana also placed two on the awards stand. Cale Nash (120) and 138-pounder Nolan Howell both placed seventh.
Cedar Rapids Kennedy’s Colin Falck earned his second straight medal with an eighth-place finish at 165. Iowa City Liberty’s Vincenzo Lima was fifth at 215.
Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling finals
106: Nico DeSalvo (Southeast Polk) major dec. Weston Porter (Council Bluffs Lewis Central), 13-0
113: Tyler Harper (Norwalk) dec. Alexander Pierce (Iowa City West), 10-4
120: Carter Pearson (Southeast Polk) dec. Jake Knight (Bettendorf), 1-0
126: Timothy Koester (Bettendorf) dec. Koufax Christensen (Waukee Northwest), 4-3
132: Cale Seaton (Iowa City High) dec. Jayce Luna (Bettendorf), 3-2
138: Koy Davidson (Fort Dodge) dec. Carter Freeman (Waukee Northwest), 6-1 SV-1
144: Kane Naaktgeboren (Linn-Mar) dec. JahKari Clark (West Des Moines Valley), 9-2
150: Bas Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock) dec. Logan Trenary (Southeast Polk), 5-3
157: Kael Voinovich (Iowa City High) major dec. Jaxon Miller (Carlisle), 12-3
165: Jacob Helgeson (Johnston) major dec. Gabe Carver (Urbandale), 12-3
175: Damarion Ross (Fort Dodge) dec. Asa Hemsted (Carlisle), 2-1
190: Brent Slade (Southeast Polk) dec. Danarii Mickel (Ames), 6-5
215: Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge) pinned Holden Hansen (Southeast Polk), 1:39
285: Daniel Herrera (Ames) major dec. Caden Wetherell (Waverly-Shell Rock), 18-6
Final Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling Top 10 team scores
1. Southeast Polk 221 1/2
2. Bettendorf 160
3. Fort Dodge 119
4. Ankeny Centennial 110 1/2
5. Waverly-Shell Rock 107
6. Waukee Northwest 105
7. Indianola 93 1/2
8. Carlisle 91
9. Linn-Mar 90
10. Iowa City High 87
Comments: kj.pilcher@thegazette.com
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