—Photo by Isabelle Brodale St. Edmond’s Matthew Crimmins celebrates after winning a match at the state tournament.

DES MOINES — Matthew Crimmins didn’t let a loss in the quarterfinals here Friday at the state wrestling tournament keep him from fulfilling a goal.

Crimmins, a St. Edmond sophomore, secured two falls in the consolation rounds in Class 1A at 144 pounds to secure a spot on the podium Saturday night inside Casey’s Center.

After a 7-1 decision setback to Bryce Carroll of Cascade, Crimmins reeled off a pin in the second period vs. Westyn Price of North Linn and stuck Jase Jones from Sumner-Fredericksburg in the first.

Crimmins will compete on Saturday in the 9 a.m. session in the consolation semifinals against Jesup’s Kaden Lange. With a win, he will wrestle for third while a loss sends him to the fifth place match.

“It feels incredible,” Crimmins said. “I hope that it helps to continue to grow our program. Losing (in the quarters) slowed me down a little bit, but I knew I had to bite down on my teeth and go back to work on the backside because that’s just how this sport is.

“I just had to get back to myself and make this a game. It was a constant battle for the next point each and every match, and that’s what I did.”

Carroll sent Crimmins to a win-or-go-home bout with a 7-1 decision. In the consolation fourth round, Crimmins stuck Price in 3:44, following that up with a pin of Jones in just 92 seconds to improve to 38-7 on the season.

“Matthew did a great job rebounding from his loss in the quarters,” SEHS head coach Kaden McClintock said. “It’s very challenging winning matches coming off a loss down here, especially against quality opponents like he had against North Linn and Sumner-Fredericksburg.

“He kept his composure and wrestled tough. We are proud of him for getting those big wins and are excited to carry that into the tournament on Saturday.”

Crimmins qualified for state last year as a freshman, going 1-2. He is the first St. Edmond wrestler to reach the quarterfinals since 2016 when Cole Allison did, finishing eighth.

Peyton Sitzmann also earned a medal that season, finishing sixth.