Lisbon looks to return to State Duals

The first time Brad Smith led the Lisbon Lions to the State Dual tournament Ronald Reagan was in the White House, the New England Patriots were without a Super Bowl win and the inaugural event hadn't been held.

In his second stint with the program he helped elevate to one of the best, he has a chance to return the program to the State Duals for the first time since 2010.

The fifth-ranked Lions face Tipton in the Class 1A regional dual semifinal Tuesday night at Lisbon, starting at 6. The winner will wrestle the winner between No. 14 Maquoketa Valley and No. 15 Wilton for a spot in the 2015 State Dual tournament Feb. 18 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

'We're looking forward to it,” Smith said. 'It's been a few years since Lisbon has been in the state duals.”

The time without Smith has been longer. Smith guided Lisbon from 1979-91 and ended a brief retirement to come back, following 21 seasons at Iowa City High. Smith, who passed Dan Mashek for second on Iowa's all-time dual wins list with 521, led Lisbon to the first five State Dual finals, winning titles in 1987, 1988 and 1991.

The Lions (21-9) are looking for their ninth State Duals berth overall and first in Smith's three seasons back at Lisbon.

'This year, we have our best shot,” said Smith, who has 202 wins at Lisbon. 'It will be a good boost for our program. The kids coming out next year will see that, and we have a lot of kids coming back.”

Smith isn't making travel arrangements, yet. He realizes all four teams are competitive. Tipton (13-7) and Wilton (17-6) present some tough matchups for their first round opponents and Maquoketa Valley (32-8) has a win over third-ranked and previous No. 1 Alburnett.

'It's one of the toughest in the state, I think,” Smith said. 'There are no pushovers there.”

Lisbon has defeated Maquoketa Valley twice this season, but the margin of victory shrunk. The Lions won, 50-24, in the first meeting, but the second was just an eight-point difference.

'They are solid,” Smith said of Maquoketa Valley. 'Their upper weights are real strong.”

Smith said the Lions are wrestling well, winning a sectional championship Saturday, advancing 10 to the district meet this weekend at Wilton. They are focused on a regional dual title.

'We're working hard and I think we're peaking at the right time,” Smith said. 'We really wrestled well.

'Our kids are looking forward to it. I know they really want to win.”

The Lions have some hammers in their lineup, including two-time state champion Carter Happel (138), returning state champ Nick Williams (126) and state qualifier Jordan Woodward. Chase McLaughlin (120), 132-pounder Jack Butteris, Hunter Robinson (145), Bryce Werderman at 152 and Connor Woodward (160) all won sectional crowns.

McLaughlin has made strides for the Lions.

'He's got his head together right now,” Smith said. 'He's a huge 120-pounder. He's done a great job.”

Not only would a state duals appearance be a good achievement for the current team, it could set the cornerstone for another strong stretch. The Lions only have three senior starters.

'The future looks really good,” Smith said. 'It means a lot to me as a coach; being around these kids and seeing them improve throughout the season and the last couple years.”

In other area 1A regional dual sites, Alburnett hosts South Winneshiek. The winner faces the winner of No. 16 Sumner-Fredericksburg and MFL MarMac.

Fourth-ranked Independence hosts a 2A regional dual. The Mustangs take on Vinton-Shellsburg in the regional semifinal. The winner takes on the winner of No. 13 Mount Vernon and Grinnell.

Top-ranked Union faces ADM in a 2A regional dual at home that includes Webster City and Gilbert.

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