Xavier Wrestling

Gerke takes 3rd at state wrestling

DES MOINES - Xavier High School senior Josh Gerke whipped Nick Graham of Johnston, 12-7, in the consolation match for third place at 145  pounds in the Class 3A state wrestling tournament Saturday.

Gerke was nipped 5-4 in the opening round Thursday, but he rebounded with five straight victories in the wrestle-backs to end the season  with a 43-4 record and a medal.

Gerke topped Trevor Anderson of Glenwood, 6-2, in his first match Saturday before beating Graham for third place.

Gerke placed fifth at the state tournament last year.

Xavier senior Alex Francois lost to Jacob Melton of Boone, 15-10, and finished eighth at 220 pounds. Francois ended the year with a 24-19 record.

Gerke beats Conway, aims for 3rd place

DES MOINES - Xavier senior Josh Gerke beat his nemesis at the state wrestling tournament Friday and will be aiming for third place when  the meet ends Saturday in Des Moines.

Gerke has lost three matches to Caleb Conway of Marion this season, but he trimmed Conway 5-3 in a consolation match Friday at 145 pounds and will finish ahead of Conway at the state tournament.

Gerke also defeated Drew Sams of Oskaloosa, 4-1, in a consolation match Friday at Wells Fargo Arena. If Gerke beats Trevor Anderson of Glenwood Saturday, he'll wrestle for third place. If he loses to Anderson, he'll wrestle for fifth place.

Gerke, a senior, placed fifth at the state meet last year and has compiled a 41-4 record this season, with three of those losses to Conway.

Xavier senior Alex Francois (24-18) split his two consolation matches  Friday at 220 pounds and will wrestle for seventh place Saturday. Francois beat Drake Leek of Norwalk, 13-3, and was pinned by Jacob Eggleston of Waverly-Shell Rock.

Gerke, Francois alive at state wrestling

DES MOINES - Xavier High School wrestlers Josh Gerke and Alex Francois  split their two matches at the Class 3A state tournament Thursday and  are alive in the wrestle-backs.

Gerke, who is ranked No. 4 in Class 3A at 145 pounds, was nipped by  second-ranked Grant Stotts of West Des Moines Valley, 5-4, in a tough  opening-round match for both grapplers.

Gerke defeated Dalton Woodyard of Waverly-Shell Rock, 7-4, in a  consolation match and will wrestle again Friday.

Francois was pinned in the first round at 220 pounds, but he rebounded  and pinned Gage Linahon of Newton in 3:42 in a consolation match to  stay alive in the tournament.

Patrick Chambers was pinned in both of his matches at 126 pounds.  Chambers finished his sophomore campaign with a 29-20 record for Xavier.

Gerke gets 100th pin, heads to state

Xavier senior Josh Gerke collected three pins at the Class 3A district  wrestling tournament Saturday and is headed to the state tournament  with 101 pins in his career.

Gerke, Patrick Chambers and Alex Francois all finished second in their  weight classes for the Saints and qualified for state as district  runners-up.

Gerke lost to Caleb Conway of Marion, 4-2 in overtime, in the  championship at 145 pounds. Gerke (38-3) has lost only three times all  season, and all three setbacks have been to Conway.

Gerke began the tournament with pins in 2:18 and 2:42 before being  nipped by Conway. Gerke got his third pin in the wrestle-back for  second place to make the state meet for the second straight year.

Gerke is only the third wrestler in Metro history to reach 100 pins.  Matt Wycoff recorded 124 pins for Marion from 1997-2000 and is the  all-time Metro leader. Alijah Jeffery had 105 pins for Linn-Mar from  2011-14.

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