Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Drake Ayala of Fort Dodge placed fourth at the UWW Cadet national tournament on Sunday in Akron, Ohio.

AKRON, Ohio — Drake Ayala didn’t let his victory over the country’s top-ranked 113-pounder go to his head at the 2019 UWW Cadet freestyle national tournament on Saturday.

The Fort Dodge sophomore also won’t allow a loss less than 24 hours later go to his heart.

Ayala reached Sunday morning’s semifinal round and secured All-American status for a third time here by knocking off FloWrestling’s No. 1 wrestler at 113 pounds, Joey Cruz of Clovis North High School in Fresno, Calif., 9-6 in the 51kg quarterfinals. Ayala trailed 6-0 before catching Cruz from behind with a furious rally.

The Dodger state champion was edged by Jordan Williams of Tulsa, Okla., with a spot in the championships on the line, 6-4. Cruz then bounced back and topped Ayala by decision for third place.

“After I beat (Cruz in the first match), I was happy that I was one step closer to where I wanted to be. But it wasn’t like we sat and celebrated,” said Ayala, who went 43-0 for FDSH this past winter. “We moved on and I had to get some weight off while focusing on my next match.

“I felt like I wrestled pretty well (overall). I think the first day was better than the second for me. I wouldn’t do anything different, though, because I think everything happens for a reason. It’s time to move on and focus on what’s next.”

Ayala was fifth in the FloWrestling national rankings heading into this competition, which served as a qualifier for Team USA at the UWW Cadet World Championships in Bulgaria. Williams, who was ninth, lost in a three-match final to second-rated Richard Figueroa of Selma, Calif. — an Arizona State University recruit — for the 2019 Cadet World Team roster spot at 51kg (113).

Ayala kept things in perspective after the weekend, which also saw him earn a 10-0 win over Ryan Summerlin of Alabama and an 11-0 victory against Kade Moore of Texas to set up the Cruz bout in the quarterfinals.

“I learned this isn’t the end of the world, and I know what I need to do to get where I want to be,” said Ayala, who was making the 11-plus hour drive back to Fort Dodge with his father, Sam, late Sunday night.

Ayala, a former Fargo national champ, placed eighth here last June and fifth two years ago.

FDSH graduates Sam Cook and Triston Lara both competed in the U23 bracket in Akron, with Cook going 3-2 at 97kg and Lara 2-2 at 70kg. Cook is a junior-to-be at the University of Iowa. Lara recently finished his redshirt freshman season at the University of Northern Iowa. Both were two-time Dodger state gold medalists.