Lions roar in opening round

DES MOINES -- The Linn-Mar Lions weren't perfect, but boy, were they close.

Reversing the disappointing performance the opening day last year, Linn-Mar rolled in the first round of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A State wrestling tournament Thursday at Wells Fargo Arena. The Lions advanced eight to the quarterfinals and kept all nine qualifiers alive to hold second place in the team standings with 27 points and trailing Bettendorf by seven.

Matt Wempen ignited the Lions, scoring a 6-4 decision over Southeast Polk's Aaron Meyer at 106. The fourth-ranked freshman is well aware of Linn-Mar's rich tradition of top-performing lightweights, including Jay Borschel, Matt McDonough, Wes Shetterly, current 113-pounder Alijah Jeffery and 145-pounder Joel Northrup ...