Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Austin Gould spent three weeks in the former Soviet Union this past June as a member of a U.S. wrestling team organized by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

He came home a better wrestler with a broader view of the world.

The U.S. team competed in the Ukraine, Chechnya and other countries in the region and wrestled in a tournament near the Black Sea. "We actually stayed in old Soviet hotels," Gould said.

The trip cost $3,500 per person, but it provided memories and an experience of a lifetime. "It was worth it," he said. "It was a great experience. It was awesome."

Gould was a part-time wrestler for Prairie last year as a sophomore, splitting time between the varsity and junior varsity. He's a regular now and collected a key victory at 182 pounds Saturday at the Five Seasons Tournament at Kennedy High School.

Gould defeated Linn-Mar sophomore Andrew Holladay, 14-5, for a major decision and four team points as the sixth-ranked Hawks nipped the fifth-ranked Lions, 32-28, in the quarterfinals.

There were many key bouts in that meet, including the one by Gould.

"He's kind of waited his turn the last couple of years," said Prairie Coach Blake Williams. "He's been behind some state qualifiers. He's pretty confident in himself, which is good."

Gould said he developed self-confidence on the trip last summer. The U.S. team trained during the week in addition to competing in events. He learned how to wrestle against different international styles.

"Over there they sit back and wait for you to make mistakes," he said. "They make you tighten up and think about what you're doing.

"It made me think about what I'm doing more. I'm more conscious of my movements."

Gould learned about the FCA trip from Linn-Mar wrestler Joel Northrup, who also made the journey. Gould said there were approximately 10 wrestlers on the team from various parts of the United States.

"He got some good experience," Williams said. "Any kind of experience like that is definitely beneficial, not just wrestling-wise."

Trey Blaha (126), Peyton Wagner (152) and Cameron Rathje (170) picked up pins for the Hawks against Linn-Mar. Gould and Chris Walters (120) had major decisions, and all those extra teams points turned out to be critical as the teams split 14 bouts, 7-7.

Prairie freshman Josh Wenger upset second-ranked Alijah Jeffery at 113 pounds, 7-6, to give the Hawks three points and help steer the outcome in Prairie's favor.

Neither team was at full strength in the meet. Mitch Wantock and Mark Atwater did not wrestle for Linn-Mar, while 2011 state champion Zach Witte and Casey Becker did not wrestle for Prairie, all due to injuries and ailments.

Nonetheless, it was a tight match between the two best wrestling teams in the Metro.

"The next time we see them the lineups will be a little different on both sides, probably," said Williams. "It was a good dual. It's fun to wrestle in duals like that."

Matthew Wempen (106) posted Linn-Mar's only pin against Prairie. Northrup (132), Ross Lembeck (145), John Conner (160) and Ryley Stancel (195) scored major decisions for the Lions.

The meet featured a battle of premier 220-pound wrestlers with fifth-ranked A.J. Garcia of Linn-Mar nipping third-ranked Andrew Netolicky of Prairie, 4-2, in four overtimes. Both wrestlers were warned for stalling in a match that featured lots of pawing.

Prairie won the dubious privilege of wrestling top-ranked Bettendorf in the semifinals and got squashed by the Bulldogs, 55-7. "We told the kids last night in practice, we want to see where we're at," Williams said before facing Bettendorf. "It's a good measuring stick."

Bettendorf whipped second-ranked Iowa City West, 34-21, for the title. Waverly-Shell Rock trimmed Prairie, 31-28, for third place.

West Delaware nudged Linn-Mar for fifth place, 37-33.

FIVE SEASONS TOURNAMENT

Round 1
Bettendorf def. Waterloo East, 74-6.
Urbandale def. Kennedy, 51-18.
Prairie def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 55-22.
Linn-Mar def. Charles City, 50-18.
West Delaware def. Washington, 65-3.
Waverly-Shell Rock def. Iowa City High, 61-15
Alburnett def. Mason City, 36-34.
Iowa City West def. West Delaware JV, 68-9.

Round 2
Mason City def. West Delaware JV, 74-6.
Iowa City West def. Alburnett, 49-18.
Washington def. Iowa City High, 43-33.
Waverly-Shell Rock def. West Delaware, 29-28.
Bettendorf def. Urbandale, 59-18.
Prairie def. Linn-Mar, 32-28.
Kennedy def. Waterloo East, 60-20.
Charles City def. Des Moines Roosevelt, 40-31.

Round 3
West Delaware JV def. Iowa City High, 46-27.
Mason City def. Washington, 51-12.
West Delaware def. Alburnett, 45-24.
Iowa City West def. Waverly-Shell Rock 37-25.
Bettendorf def. Prairie, 55-7.
Linn-Mar def. Urbandale, 51-22.
Des Moines Roosevelt def. Waterloo East, 66-16.
Charles City def. Kennedy, 42-28.

Final Round
1st - Bettendorf def. Iowa City West, 34-21.
3rd - Waverly-Shell Rock def. Prairie, 31-28.
5th - West Delaware def. Linn-Mar, 37-33.
7th - Alburnett def. Urbandale, 39-39 (criteria)
9th - Mason City def. Charles City, 52-16.
11th - Des Moines Roosevelt def. Washington, 43-34.
13th - Kennedy def. West Delaware JV, 51-21.
15th - Iowa City High def. Waterloo East, 72-6.