Lions post exciting victory to return to State Duals

MARION - The last 10 days have been far from ordinary for the Linn-Mar wrestling program, so why should its regional dual appearance be any different.The Lions had their backs against the wall, staring down the conclusion of their season, when they came clawing back their most exciting win of the season.Linn-Mar scored bonus points in its last four matchups, capped by Dan Radig's major decision at 125 to force a tie and then edged No. 7 North Scott, 30-29, on criteria in the Class 3A regional dual Tuesday night at Linn-Mar. The 11th-ranked Lions won on H criteria - more first match points scored - to claim the school's second State Duals berth and first since the Lions placed third in 2002.After coaches and officials huddled around the scorer's table to check the criteria results, Linn-Mar assistant Jason Haag stood tall and pumped his arm, signalling the team had won with a 16-10 advantage in the decisive criteria, which sent the Lions' fans into a frenzy."It's big," Radig said. "Getting back to State Duals means a lot for this year."Radig's smaller shoulders were large enough to carry the Lions' hopes in the final match. Linn-Mar trailed 29-25 when Radig posted a 14-6 major decision over North Scott's Kohl Nylin at 125, forcing the deadlock. Radig knew it all could be on the line when he stepped on the mat after seeing the starting weight. He was looking for a pin or technical fall, but the major was enough."It's the biggest match I've ever wrestled," Radig said. "I went out there knowing I had to get five or six (team) points."It turned out it was all that we needed and we got it. That's what counts."Radig wasn't the only one to come through in the clutch. The Lions faced a 29-9 deficit with four matches remaining. Not only did they need wins, but they needed to tally as many points as possible. Freshman Alijah Jeffery, who is coming off a third-place finish at the state meet, stepped up with a fall at 103, sticking Connor Allchin in 1:43.Joel Northrup, who was at the center of a national controversy for defaulting to the state's first female state qualifier last week, followed with his own first-period fall, decking Sheldon Phipps in 1:50 at 112. It closed the Lnacers lead to 29-21.Trevor Berry was the man, setting up Radig's key win. Berry also needed bonus points and contributed with a 13-2 major decision over Austen Albers. Berry was third at the district meet on Feb. 12, but the team competition extended his season. He had a chance to make his mark, as did the others who didn't reach Des Moines."It's a little redemption," Berry said. "I wasn't happy with the way the season ended. Coach (Doug Streicher) talked about it before the meet. This was a chance to do something that Linn-Mar has only done once and to redeem ourselves. We definitely did that (Tuesday night)."The Lions fell into a deep hole, losing seven of the first 10 bouts, including three straight from 189 to heavyweight. Streicher had to tinker with his lineup, because sixth-ranked Mark Atwater was still nursing an injury from the district meet. He put Ryley Stancil against No. 8 Bryce Sellers at 189, dropped Dustin Smith to 215 against state runner-up Ben Nagle and moved 215-pound state qualifier A.J. Garcia to heavyweight. When North Scott's Jake Arthur caught Garcia with a throw to break a 1-1 and got a fall in 5:46, things seemed bleak for the Lions."We moved guys around at the top to maximize our opportunities to win," Streicher said. "That didn't work out the way I planned."189 and 215 were basically wins for us because we didn't give up bonus points against two of their better kids."Streicher knew a win was possible, but they needed a titanic effort from the remaining wrestlers. The meet was slipping away but he wasn't ready to let go."I wasn't feeling good about it, but I wasn't giving up," Streicher said. "I knew we had a chance but it wasn't looking like I thought."Radig and Berry haven't been thrown into that position before, but they rose to the occasion Tuesday night."There's a lot of pressure there and both of those guys responded," Streicher said. "Good for them, good for the team and it happened to work out."Ross Lembeck (135), Andrew Holladay (160) and Mitch Wantock (171) all added wins for the Lions (28-6). The victory was also Streicher's 200th career dual win, adding to the momentous occasion."It's a big deal," Berry said. "Especially on Streicher's 200th win."Linn-Mar advances to the Class 3A State Duals Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids.

AT LINN-MAR

Linn-Mar 30, North Scott 29*

(Individual takedowns in parentheses)

130 pounds - Adam Perrin (NS) pinned Jeremy Severin, 2:59 (2,0);

135 - Ross Lembeck (LM) dec. Keenan Feldpausch, 11-6 (5,0);

140 - Nate Ramey (NS) dec. Josh Pederson, 9-7 (2,1);

145 - Mitch Bowman (NS) major dec. Tanner Regenwether, 11-2 (4,0);

152 - Austin Fleetwood (NS) major dec. Dakota Digmann, 13-1 (1,0);

160 - Andrew Holladay (LM) dec. Cameron Christoff, 7-5 (1,1);

171 - Mitch Wantock (LM) dec. Cegan Long, 5-4 (2,0);

189 - Bryce Sellers (NS) dec. Ryley Stancil, 8-3 (2,0);

215 - Ben Nagle (NS) dec. Dustin Smith, 8-3 (3,0);

Hwt. - Jake Arthur (NS) pinned A.J. Garcia, 5:46 (1-0);

103 - Alijah Jeffery (LM) pinned Connor Allchin, 1:43 (1,0);

112 - Joel Northrup (LM) pinned Sheldon Phipps, 1:50 (1,0);

119 - Trevor Berry (LM) major dec. Austen Albers, 13-2 (1,1);

125 - Dan Radig (LM) major dec. Kohl Nylin, 14-6 (5,1).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Takedowns - NS 18, LM 17. Reversals - NS 7, LM 2. Escapes - NS 18, LM 15. Nearfall points - NS 15, LM 16. Penalty points (awarded) - NS 1, LM 4. Total match points - NS 84, LM 73.* - Linn-Mar receives point for criteria H tiebreaker, most first match points (16-10).