Lions prepping to peak for postseason

Linn-Mar Coach Doug Streicher has produced some good teams with elite talent.

But, this year's team received a major endorsement from the straight-forward, no-nonsense skipper, who called them the most balanced team he has had in his 14 years leading the Lions.

"No doubt about it," Streicher said. "The next best team was 2002 when (Linn-Mar four-time state champion) Jay (Borschel) was a freshman."

That team was the most accomplished in Linn-Mar history, placing third at both the traditional state and state duals tournament. The Lions are positioned to have as much success as the No. 5 seed in the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A State Duals tournament Wednesday, beginning at 11 a.m. at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. They also have nine qualifiers, including eight ranked wrestlers, to the IHSAA 3A traditional tournament Thursday at 9 a.m. also at Wells Fargo Arena.

A mix of aggressive and physical upperclassmen with a solid group of talented younger wrestlers graced both rosters.

"There are a lot of similarities," Streicher said. "This team might be a little more balanced."

Actions speak louder than words and the Lions have had a deafening roar with their wins. All eight state qualifiers have 24 or more wins, including four with more than 40 led by fifth-ranked 145-pound sophomore Ross Lembeck (45-2). Matt Wempen (106), Alijah Jeffery (113) and junior Joel Northrup (132) have also surpassed 40 wins. Eighth-ranked sophomore Damon Griffin (120), Trevor Berry (126) and 220-pounder A.J. Garcia, ranked eighth at heavyweight, have more than 35. Mitch Wantock and Mark Atwater, state qualifiers ranked at 170 and 182, respectively, have less than 30, but missed significant time due to injury at the start of the season.

"You look up and down our lineup and quite a few kids have almost 30 or 40 wins, and we wrestle a fairly tough schedule," Streicher said. "If you win that many matches, you're doing something right."

Things seem to be going right and at the right time for the Lions. Linn-Mar has wrestled its best as the postseason has approached, finishing a close second at the Mississippi Valley Conference tournament with three champions and six finalists, pounding Pleasant Valley in a regional dual to reach the State Duals for the second straight year and third time in school history, and winning a district title with eight champions. Their nine qualifiers is tied for fifth with Cedar Rapids Prairie and Iowa City West. Southeast Polk and Bettendorf lead the way with 12.

"We try to put a practice and training schedule together," Streicher said about preparing to wrestle best in the postseason. "It's about peaking at the right time no matter what the sport you're in. It's a delicate thing where you want to keep working  hard and want to be able to give them their breaks and make sure they are fresh.

"Hopefully, the kids feel fresh mentally and physically coming down the stretch."

As much as training plays a factor, the sting of last season could be just as big of an influence. The Lions stumbled a bit at last year's traditional state tournament. Streicher said his team wasn't relaxed and offensive, losing at least two first-round matches, 1-0.

"They've got to be ready," Streicher said. "You have to learn from your mistakes, whether it's the team or individual. ... Any kind of experience you can have at this level is good."

It is likely already a better experience for Northrup, who wrestled with a tough decision and a nationally-publicized controversy after the 2011 pairings were released. Northrup, citing religious beliefs, forfeited his 112-pound first-round match against Cedar Falls' Cassy Herkelman, the first female state qualifier in state history.

Rumors began to circulate at the beginning of that week, forcing Northrup and the Lions to deal with the attention. This year has allowed competing to take the forefront.

"There's more focus on wrestling," Streicher said. "Last year was one of those things it happened, we dealt with it the best we could and things happened the way they happened and we moved on.

"Any time you can take a distraction off the table, no matter when or why it's there, it's a good thing."

The Lions (29-5) face No. 4 West Des Moines Valley (24-1) in a State Duals quarterfinal. The field is full of talented and deep teams.

"Most any other year I don't think there are many teams that could stay with us, but this year there are multiple teams that can and will be hard for us to beat," Streicher said. "It's one of those years that 3A is stacked team-wise as well as individuals."

The potential there is for a top-five finish. A lot of things have to come together, but the talent pool make it almost impossible to predict how the team race concludes.

"We've got to have nine guys score and we've got to have multiple guys in the semifinals and finals," Streicher said. "That's probably what it's going to take for a team to get top five."