Xavier's Lembeck rolls to third-place finish

DES MOINES — Irony defined Clint Lembeck's experience.

The best thing that happened was his worst match of the week.

Lembeck lost his first-round match and stormed back to place third at the Iowa High School Athletic Association Class 3A state wrestling tournament Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena. He earned his second straight medal in his third state appearance.

The 8-6 setback to Bettendorf's second-ranked Paul Glynn, who reached the 132-pound final opened his eyes.

'I think that first-round loss was the best thing to happen,' Lembeck said. 'I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I was just trying to find myself with what shots I took and what to do on top.'

The fuse was lit and Lembeck erupted in consolation competition. He dominated five straight opponents, outscoring them by a combined, 62-5.

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Third-ranked Lembeck decided to prove a point, showing he was a championship caliber wrestler. He wrestled more aggressively and attacked with confidence.

'After that loss, I had nothing to lose,' said Lembeck, who was fourth last year. 'I wasn't in the finals so I might as well make a statement or something.'

He opened the streak with three straight technical falls, including a 15-0 win over Fort Dodge's 10th-ranked Cayd Lara. He beat Waverly-Shell Rock's No. 4 Nate Sands, 5-2, before a 7-1 win over sixth-ranked Spencer Nevills, of Pleasant Valley, for third.

'That's pretty impressive,' Xavier Coach Ryan Chambers said. 'It hurt on Thursday and he said it was a long way coming back. He knew the best he could do was third and once he got by those first-day nerves he marched right through.'

Lembeck plans to maintain the same approach for his senior season, making it his best, yet. Chambers said he can improve in various positions and Lembeck has the drive to do it.

'He is one of those kids where he is going to challenge himself more than anyone can challenge him,' Chambers said. 'This is a fantastic end to his junior year.'

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