DES MOINES — It was a day of redemption, but not the kind West Marshall wanted.

The Trojans’ group of four state qualifiers was cut in half and defending champion Urijah Courter’s dreams of repeating were dashed in an unfavorable Friday on the floor of the Casey’s Center at the IHSAA State Wrestling Championships.

In a rematch of last year’s Class 2A 113-pound title match, Simon Bettis of Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont turned the tables on Courter for an 11-5 decision over the West Marshall junior. Courter’s 10-7 triumph in last year’s championship match was followed up with a 6-5 victory in the finals of the Mount Vernon Invite earlier this winter, but Bettis flipped the script in Friday’s 120-pound state semifinal.

Bettis scored the first takedown and never trailed, withstanding Courter’s full arsenal of offense in an attempt to make a comeback.

Instead of wrestling in Saturday night’s state finals, Courter will battle Atlee Dewitt of Alburnett (53-5) in the consolation semifinals. Courter, ranked No. 1 by IAwrestle can finish anywhere from third to sixth, and West Marshall head coach Stephen Adams has confidence in how his wrestler will bounce back.

“I’ve never seen him not go all-in on a match, and I don’t believe that tonight’s loss will change how he attacks things tomorrow,” Adams said. “The kid loves to wrestle. He wrestles 24-7 and doesn’t matter what time of the year, you give him a match, he’ll go all-out.”

Courter placed third at 106 as a freshman at Nevada after a semifinal defeat, so the scenario isn’t unfamiliar to him. It just wasn’t the path the Trojans thought he would take.

“He’s given everything into every match, and sometimes they don’t turn out the way they want,” Adams said, “but that doesn’t change one thing about who he is.”

Courter got through the quarterfinals for the third year in a row with a heart-stopping triumph earlier Friday, outscoring Tyson Dewall of Spirit Lake Park, 14-8.

After a scoreless first period, Courter captured a 5-1 lead going into the third, but a frenetic final frame saw a back-and-forth scramble that put both wrestlers on the brink of the consolations.

Dewall chose the bottom position and was granted free release by Courter, who was then taken down for a 5-all tie. Courter worked for a reversal, only to find himself stuck in a dangerous position as Dewall maintained a headlock.

Courter fought off his back before turning the tables, running out the clock with back points for the major decision.

Next up was fellow junior Jon Gonzalez, whose day of redemption began in the consolation third round at 126 pounds. He breezed through a 16-3 victory over Central DeWitt’s Cale Johnson. One of Gonzalez’s three regular-season losses this season came at 132 pounds against Eli Edfors of Central DeWitt, and he took that out on Johnson (11-3).

Needing one more win to assure himself of a third-straight state medal, Gonzalez redeemed his district finals loss to Ryan Rose of Burlington-Notre Dame by beating him 7-4 in their fourth-round consolation clash.

The loss eliminated Rose (39-8) while sending Gonzalez into Friday night’s consolation quarterfinals.

It was there that Gonzalez, rated ninth, ran into his chance for redemption against Independence freshman Adam Carey. Carey, ranked No. 2, defeated Gonzalez in Thursday’s second round, 17-6, and returned another major decision in the rematch, 18-8.

Carey (53-4) is the only wrestler Gonzalez (42-6) has lost to at state, making the Trojan junior’s greatest challenge the unfortunate alignment of the bracket.

“Jon has been here three times, he’s on the podium every time,” Adams said. “He’s an excellent kid, excellent talent. It’s unfortunate how the bracket breaks down sometimes that right now he’s sitting where he is and he’s only lost to one kid.

“Now he’s going to wrestle for seventh even if you’re definitely more capable than that, which we believe he is.”

Gonzalez, who was sixth last year at 120 and fourth at 113 two seasons ago, will face Judah Gurwell of Winterset (23-6) in Saturday’s seventh-place match.

The Trojans lost half of their four-man contingent in the first wave of action Friday, as both senior Kinnick Geers (150) and junior Ben Buck (144) were eliminated by first-period pins.

Geers, seeded 18th, got knocked out by 10th-ranked Keaton Gates of West Branch (40-10) by way of a fall in 1:18.

Geers (33-14) finished his prep tour with three trips to state, a 3-6 record in Des Moines, and a 121-57 career mark.

Buck (33-17) made it to the second day but could prolong his maiden state voyage no further. The Trojan junior scored the opening takedown less than 30 seconds into the match with Humboldt’s Caleb Vinsand, but he couldn’t hold him down and Vinsand (31-22) turned his first takedown into a pin at the 57-second mark.

“Our two guys that fell off the bracket this morning, it’s sad, but at the same time both had great seasons,” said Adams. “Both are happy with what the season has been and happy to be here, happy to have a win (at state).”

Saturday’s placewinner session for Courter and Gonzalez will begin at 9 a.m.