Messenger photo by Britt Kudla: Koy Davidson of Fort Dodge points to family members in the crowd after his Class 3A semifinal win on Friday in Des Moines.

DES MOINES — With the clock winding down here on Friday, Fort Dodge junior Koy Davidson trusted his skills and relied on his composure.

The Dodger dug deep in the final 10 seconds of a 1-1 tie, scoring a dramatic five-point move that vaulted him into the 138-pound state championship match.

Davidson will be joined by FDSH brothers Damarion Ross (175) and Dreshaun Ross (215) in the finals. Senior Dru Ayala (120) suffered a loss in his semifinal match.

Pushing three wrestlers into the finals vaulted the Dodgers back into trophy contention. Southeast Polk (185.5 points) has already clinched another Class 3A title, followed by Bettendorf (132) and Fort Dodge (98). Waukee Northwest is fourth with 94 points.

“It’s going to be hard (to bring home a trophy),” said FDSH head coach Bobby Thompson. “I don’t know if we have enough on the back side. With three in the finals, we have a chance.

“That’s just the Iowa state wrestling tournament for you. It’s unforgiving.”

In his semifinal match against a familiar opponent in third-seed Kael Kurtz (26-4) of Iowa City High, Davidson fought through what he called “being lazy” in the first two periods.

“There is just one more step,” Davidson said. “I got lackadaisical.

“I just kept my composure and rolled through since I had the elbow to put him on his back.”

Davidson (41-2) scored first with an escape in the second. Kurtz tied it with an escape in third period (1:51).

Then as the clock ticked away, Davidson fought through a deep leg from Kurtz and rolled through with the elbow and put him to his back.

“That was pure guts from Koy,” Thompson said. “What he did against a high-quality opponent was unreal. He dug down deep and got the win in what has been undoubtedly the deepest weight class in the state.”

Davidson, 107-16 in his career, reached the finals as a freshman in 2022 and placed fourth last winter for the Dodgers.

“It’s great to be back in the finals,” Davidson said. “I just had to keep my composure at the end of that match and had to believe in myself.

“It helped me come out with a win. Now it’s just time to get the job done.”

Davidson will meet another familiar opponent in Friday’s championship round, facing off with top-seed senior Carter Freeman (37-1) of Waukee Northwest. Freeman edged fourth-seeded Cody Trevino (39-8) of Bettendorf in his semifinal, 6-5.

“Now we have a guy who is one of the top wrestlers in the state,” Thompson said. “They are work out partners at Sebolt (Academy) and know each other very well.

“Koy is going to be ready.”

The two have split two matches this season, with Davidson winning 2-1 in the Council Bluffs Classic final and Freeman winning 3-2 in the Ed Winger championship showdown.

Freeman, a Northern Iowa wrestling recruit, is 143-5 in his career and a three-time state champion.

Ayala (41-4), a two-time silver medalist and also a fifth-place finisher, fought hard against a familiar foe.

Standing in front of Ayala in the 120-pound semifinal Bettendorf standout Jake Knight (34-1). The rivals met in last year’s 113-pound finals, where Knight picked up a 6-4 win and the state title.

During the regular season, Knight earned a 5-3 victory at the Ed Winger championship.

Ayala was unable to get his offense moving on Friday, as Knight came away with a 12-6 victory.

The future Hawkeye, who is 151-17 in his high school career, still has a chance at the third-place medal for the Dodgers.

“That was a very tough weight class, with three nationally-ranked wrestlers (in Knight, Southeast Polk’s Carter Pearson and Ayala),” Thompson said. “I feel for Dru. Even with the disappointment I know he’s feeling, he’s still a four-time place winner and has etched his name into Fort Dodge wrestling history.”

Ayala will be one of four Dodgers to place fifth or better four times at the state tournament, joining brother Drake Ayala, Brody Teske and Triston Lara.

He is one of just seven FDSH wrestlers to eclipse the 150-win plateau. Teske, Cayd Lara, Drake Ayala, Triston Lara, Sam Cook and Dru Bennett are the others.

Ayala will now face fifth-seeded Malik DeBow (33-3) of Linn-Mar in the consolation semifinals. In the other semifinal is fourth-seeded Cody Vandermark (34-5) of Ankeny Centennial and 15th-seed Evan Simpson (42-7) of Cedar Falls.

The medal round will begin at 9 a.m. inside Wells Fargo Arena. Finals start at 5:15 p.m. with the grand march.