Xayvion Anderson and Johan Gomez captured district titles at 165 and 190 pounds, respectively; Nicholas Wise was the runner-up at 138 pounds and Colby Cross placed third at 126 pounds.

“This is amazing,” said Anderson, now a back-to-back district champion. “These guys are all my best friends, and I wouldn’t want to spend state there with anyone else.”

Anderson, Gomez and Wise were all in the final IAwrestle rankings coming into the tournament, so if there was a surprise of the Bobcat bunch, it would be Cross, a sophomore coming into the tournament with a 13-14 record.

Norwalk’s Aiden Moret pinned Colby Cross in Cross’ first match of the day, but Cross bounced back with two pins in the consolation bracket to get to the third-place match with Brent Becerra of Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Marshalltown’s Colby Cross, right, gets a hug from his father and head coach Luke Cross after qualifying for state at Saturday’s Class 3A district boys wrestling meet at the Roundhouse.

Cross had been in this situation last year, losing the third-place match at last year’s district tournament to narrowly miss a state berth.

“I was pretty disappointed,” Cross said. “So I wrestled quite a bit in the offseason and trained to help myself wrestle better this year.”

Becerra scored the first takedown eight seconds into the match, but Cross escaped midway through the period and grabbed a takedown as time expired for a 4-3 lead after the first period.

Choosing bottom position in the second, he escaped again and grabbed another takedown, then racked up seven nearfall points for a commanding 15-4 lead after the second period. From there, one more takedown and four-point nearfall was enough for the tech fall and a state berth.

“I just kept fighting and I eventually wore him down,” Cross said. “This is pretty awesome, I’ve been working pretty hard for this.”

T-R PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER - Nick Wise’s corner calls for two points during his match against Luke Lindaman of Waterloo West during the 138-pound semifinals on Saturday at the Class 3A district wrestling meet at the Roundhouse. Wise eventually won the match by fall in 3 minutes, 17 seconds.

Marshalltown head coach Luke Cross has seen the work first-hand not just as coach but as Colby’s father.

“I don’t know if I’ve been more excited for a match in all my 20 years of coaching,” Luke said. “He’s made a lot of sacrifices — cut down to a weight class that he really doesn’t belong in because he’s so tall — but it paid off. … He’s really good in that top position using leverage with his height and catching that guy in a couple positions that he probably wasn’t used to.”

Cross will wrestle Ankeny Centennial’s Andrew Roland in a first-round match on Wednesday.

Anderson, entering the tournament rated third in 165 pounds, pinned his way to the finals where he met eighth-ranked AJ Pontier of Indianola.

After a scoreless first-period of hand-fighting, Anderson chose bottom position, escaping quickly and scoring a takedown 20 seconds later; Pontier’s escape still had Anderson up 4-1 after two periods. Pontier escaped from bottom in the third period but couldn’t land anything on Anderson as the senior booked his third state tournament appearance with a 4-2 decision in the finals.

“It feels really good to be a district champ, but this is really a stepping stone to a bigger picture of what I really want, to be a state champion,” Anderson said. “My finals match today just made me realize that I need to be more aggressive and attack the legs more, believe in my shots and get it done.”

Anderson received a first-round bye and will take on either Urbandale’s Oliver Gray or Waukee Northwest’s Bryce Williams in a second-round match on Wednesday.

Gomez, a senior, will be returning to state after last qualifying as a sophomore.

He survived a dangerous semifinal match with Indianola’s Tegen Anderson, who had previously tested Gomez’ mettle earlier this season at a Valley tournament.

Tegen Anderson scored the first takedown and had Gomez on his back for three swipes, but Gomez reversed and scored a couple back points of his own to trail only 7-4 after the first period.

Gomez escaped from bottom in the second and scored another takedown for an 8-7 lead, then rode out Anderson for the remainder of the second and all of the third period to get to the finals, but got up shaking his head afterwards.

“It was disappointing on my side,” Gomez said. “I just had to focus on moving more, using tie ups and winning each position.”

Luke Cross understood the disappointment but appreciated that Gomez was able to ride out the win.

“That’s what’s most impressive because that’s been his weakest position in all these years,” Cross added.

The final was much more in Gomez’ wheelhouse in that respect, finding easy ways to score takedowns and racking up points for an 18-9 major decision over Cedar Rapids Washington’s Wyatt Young. Gomez was also a district champion as a sophomore.

“My confidence was there, and I just kept moving,” Gomez said. “This is a good at-home feeling winning districts here and having the fans and supporters all cheering your name.”

Gomez earned a bye to the second round, and will take on either Waterloo East’s Gianni Speller or Norwalk’s Victor Esparza on Wednesday.

Saturday was a breakthrough for Wise, punching his first ticket to state after disappointing finishes as a freshman and sophomore.

Winning the mental game was the biggest battle on Saturday, Wise said.

“I’ve always been super nervous for this tournament,” Wise said. “Today, I just felt like I was going to win, I felt like I was a part of the best of the best, and I think that was the most important thing to learn.”

His semifinal match with Waterloo West’s Luke Lindaman was a pivotal moment in showcasing that mental growth.

“It’s no surprise that he made it to the finals, he fully expected that,” Luke Cross said, “but I know last year was still lingering in his mind and I just told him ‘It’s just another match, nothing more than that,’ I didn’t want him to think that this would be make or break for him, and he said, ‘I know.'”

Wise took care of business with a second-period pin of Lindaman to clinch his spot at state. In the finals, he was outmatched by top-ranked, undefeated Mac Crosson of Indianola, who won the district title with a 19-3 tech fall of Wise — but Wise received a forfeit in the match for true second against Ankeny’s Aiden Winkie to ensure his spot as a district runner-up in the 138-pound bracket.

“I know that I’m still not the best yet,” Wise said, reflecting on the finals. “I need to keep working, keep practicing to get ready for state.”

Wise received a first-round bye and will face either North Scott’s Will McDermott or Waukee Northwest’s Ben Gallagher in a second round matchup on Wednesday.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, redemption and heartbreak went hand-in-hand on Saturday.

Nicholas Million and Carson Wright lost their third-place matches to go to state at 106 and 150 pounds, respectively; 2024 state qualifier Lucas Bantz went 1-2 in the 132-pound bracket to miss out on a return trip to state in his senior season, and Kager Kremer also saw his senior season end with a 1-2 finish at 144 pounds. Dalton Zednichek, who was in early iterations of the IAwrestle rankings, also went 1-2 at 175 pounds. Million, Wright and Zednichek will all have chances at their own redemption stories next year.

“This tournament is always described as a rollercoaster of emotions, and it held true today,” Luke Cross said.

The state tournament kicks off on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Arena with the 3A session featuring the Marshalltown wrestlers beginning at 9 a.m.

“It’s going to be a good time,” Colby Cross said. “I’m excited to have this opportunity with all of them.”