DES MOINES — State wrestling is a land of contrasts, of highs and lows. The peaks and valleys were present Friday afternoon in Class 2A, where two semifinalists tasted defeat and two consolation bracketers who needed wins to medal got the job done.

Friday was a big day for South Tama County senior Rudy Papakee, the No. 7 seed at 220 pounds. Having made it to the state tournament twice before and didn’t have a win to his name at Wells Fargo Arena. By picking up his second win of the tournament in the fourth consolation round, Papakee would lock himself into a medal for the first time in his career.

His opponent was No. 22 seed Ashtin Willms of Clarion-Goldfield-Dows. Papakee was taken down in the first period and trailed, but quickly he turned the match around and was in control for much of the final two periods. With a final two-pointer in the third period he gave himself a 10-5 lead and held onto it until the final whistle, clinching at worst an eighth-place finish with the victory.

“I’m very proud of myself, I worked hard for this,” Papakee said.

Papakee’s next match was a daunting one against No. 3 seed Jaxon Cherry of Webster City. After hanging on for a minute and keeping the score knotted at 0-0, one quick move from Cherry ended the match with a pin.

After the 1-1 day pushed his season record to 26-4, Papakee said he was thrilled to have put himself in the medal matches even if he lost against Cherry.

“This year I just came in hungry, I just wanted it,” Papakee said. “It just feels great, it’s very satisfying. It makes you feel good, that’s what it does.

“[Cherry]’s strong, he’s strong as hell. I was just doing what I could do, and then he got a hold of me and I couldn’t get away.”

Saturday morning, he will match up against No. 9 seed Mason Koehler of Glenwood for seventh place.

West Marshall sophomore Shane Hanford, the No. 9 seed at 120 pounds, was also in the ‘blood round’ on Friday with a medal on the line. After losing a tough bout with No. 1 seed Carson Doolittle of Webster City on Thursday, he now had to beat No. 5 seed TJ Davis of Burlington Notre Dame to ensure a podium spot in his first appearance at state.

Trailing for the first five minutes of the match and losing 6-4, he needed a big move to advance and he needed it fast.

When he found the three-point move he was looking for, Hanford said it was a huge relief when the final whistle blew.

“I had to fight all six minutes, I was losing and I had to look for something big at the end,” Hanford said. “I got it.

“It was all joy. I felt like I was gonna lose for a second, then I said, ‘Not going to let that happen.'”

His next match, the consolation quarterfinals against No. 12 seed Christian Ahrens of Creston, was similarly tight. Only one point was scored in the first two periods — an escape by Ahrens.

Early in the final two minutes, Hanford executed a reversal to pick up two points and a slim lead. From there he was able to maintain and hold onto the tight edge despite a tense final 20 seconds. The worst Hanford can finish on Saturday is sixth, and he improved to 24-2 on the season. His consolation semifinal will be against No. 6 seed Gavin Jensen of WIlliamsburg.

South Tama had two semifinals Friday in Amare Chavez — the No. 3 seed at 126 pounds — and Gavin Bridgewater, the No. 1 seed at 195 pounds.

Chavez was up first against No. 2 seed Derrick Bass of Assumption Davenport. In a close-fought, low-scoring affair, Chavez was in the mix from the first whistle until time ran out in the third period, trying to find a move that would tie or give him the lead. On multiple occasions he was close to completing an escape for an all-important point and nearly got a reverse, but Bass was able to scramble well and see out the final seconds.

It was just the sixth loss of the year for Chavez, who is now 39-6 and will wrestle Saturday morning in the consolation semifinals. His opponent will be the No. 1 seed Kaiden Dietzenbach of Burlington Notre Dame. The winner will go into the consolation finals and the loser will be in the fifth-place match.

Bridgewater was hoping to repeat his run to the state finals from 2022, when he was not a favorite at 220 pounds and surprised many with a ruthless run in which he did not allow a single point until his loss in the finals.

Now at 195 and the No. 1 seed, Bridgewater found himself up against No. 4 seed Gabriel Christensen of Ballard. The South Tama junior was on top early on with a 3-0 lead, but as the match went on, Christensen seemed to have more energy in the tank and upped his aggressiveness. Three points, including a takedown, late in the third period were enough to put the Ballard senior over the top and shock Bridgewater with only his second-ever state tournament loss. Bridgewater is now 37-2 this season.

He’ll have a chance to bounce back in the consolation semifinals against No. 6 seed Will Ward of West Delaware for a spot in the third-place match.

Wrestling begins at 9 a.m. Saturday as the medal matches take place.