Second-ranked Lisbon rolls to 11th State Duals berth

LISBON - Lisbon Coach Brad Smith didn't leave his matside chair very often Tuesday night.

The Lions made sure he didn't have to, because they were in complete control.

Second-ranked Lisbon rolled to its 11th State Duals appearance, winning the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 1A regional dual at home. The Lions dropped No. 21 Wilton, 59-18, in the final. They will face seventh-ranked Wapsie Valley (21-4) in a State Duals quarterfinal Feb. 15 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

'There wasn't much pressure,” the Hall of Fame Lisbon coach said. 'The guys wrestled hard. We just outmatched them all the way up and down. We had a good night.”

Lisbon (22-4) won 23 of 28 matches over two duals, including 15 by pin. The Lions tallied 10 bonus-point wins against the Beavers (16-8) with only three matches lasting the entire six-minute regulation.

'We took advantage of weights that could have been close matches and scored bonus points,” Lisbon 170-pounder Bryce Werderman said. 'This will be my third time to State Duals. … This is great as a team.”

The Lions jumped to a commanding lead, winning the first matches by fall for a 30-0 mark and essentially punching their ticket to the state meet before dropping a match in the final. Lisbon was able to dictate the action in almost every match.

'I think it was dominating,” said senior 138-pounder Chase McLaughlin, who had two pins. 'We took it right to them. We knew what we had to do and just did it.”

Lisbon was a heavy favorite to qualify. The Lions have tunnel vision, focusing on the immediate move, match and dual, according to Smith.

Logan O'Connor (220) pinned Calib Lilly in 35 seconds to open the final. Heavyweight Cody Howard, Cobe Siebrecht (106), Cael Happel (113), Ryne Mohrfeld (120), McLaughlin, 160-pounder Kaden Kilburg and Werderman all had pins in the final.

'Everyone was doing their job,” Happel said. 'Everyone keeps the train rolling from the start to the finish.”

The Lions advanced to the final with a 63-6 victory over Midland (10-18). Werderman highlighted the dual with a 10-second fall. Cody Howard logged Lisbon's first victory of the night, scoring a first-period fall. He avenged three previous pins to the same opponent. Howard finished with a 45-second pin against Wilton.

'Good for him,” Smith said. 'He turned it around and that was a great win for him.”

Lisbon will make its third straight trip to the State Duals. The Lions have made six finals appearance, placing second last year. They can contend for their first Duals title since 1991 and fourth overall.

Attention turns to Saturday, trying to advance as many of their 11 district qualifiers to state.

'We're getting ready for districts, now,” Smith said. 'We'll be ready to roll for that one, too.”

Wilton advanced to the final with a 44-30 victory over Mediapolis.

State Duals

Wednesday, Feb. 15

Wells Fargo Arena, Des Moines

Class 1A

Quarerfinals

All duals at 9 a.m.

Don Bosco vs. Interstate-35

Lake Mills vs. Logan-Magnolia

Lisbon vs. Wapsie Valley

Sibley-Ocheyedan vs. Missouri Valley

Class 2A

Quarterfinals

All duals at 9 a.m.

New Hampton vs. Denver-Tripoli

Creston/O-M vs. Davenport Assumption

Solon vs. Sergeant Bluff-Luton

Atlantic/CAM vs. Washington

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