Iowa boys’ state wrestling 3A quarterfinals: Liberty's Vincenzo Lima leaps for joy after emotional win

DES MOINES — Vincenzo Lima’s youth wrestling coach took the wheel in Belgrade, Mont., and headed east before veering south. Snow, ice and high winds lurked around several corners of Alan Fried’s 20-hour journey to watch Lima wrestle for Iowa City Liberty in Thursday’s Class 3A boys’ state wrestling tournament quarterfinals at Wells Fargo Arena, but the 1994 142-pound NCAA champion for Oklahoma State was undeterred.

And what a match Fried saw.

Lima, the No. 4 seed at 215 pounds, scored a reversal with 32 seconds left to outlast third-seeded Griffin Schultz of Linn-Mar, 5-4 — and after the triumph he climbed into the stands to celebrate with friends and family.

Then he met Fried in the tunnel for a heartfelt bear hug, knowing fully that he’d finally wear a state tournament medal to cap his senior season.

“Just all the hard work over the years with my dad and all my coaches, and my family believing in me, and taking some hard losses where I came (so) close to placing, and coming in this year and getting up on the podium, and punching my ticket to the semifinals feels really good,” an emotional Lima said. “It feels like a lot of the hard work is paying off, but I’m not done yet. We’ve got the rest of the tournament to finish.”

Things seemed bleak for Lima when Schultz deftly secured a takedown with 51 seconds left, but the reversal came 19 seconds later and Lima hung on as Fried watched excitedly.

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Photos: Class 3A boys’ state wrestling quarterfinals

“I just think he took some time to gather himself up and he realized that it’s either now or never,” said Fried, a three-time NCAA finalist whose two losses in the finals came at the hands of Iowa head wrestling coach Tom Brands. “If I’m going to place in high school it’s either now or never, so he hit that quick switch that I don’t think the other guy was expecting either — and boom, there (were) the two points.”

Lima knew Fried would be watching his match online, but didn’t know he’d make what turned out to be a white-knuckle drive from Montana.

“In the middle of warmups, I looked to my right and I saw (him) there,” said Lima, who fell one win short of placing at state last season. “I did a somersault and jumped and hugged him. It was a great moment.”

But a greater moment came six minutes later — for both Lima and Fried.

“Anything’s possible,” Lima said. “Anyone can be beaten at any time, so I’ll just go out there and do my best. Let it fly. Have fun.”

More Gazette-area 3A state wrestling semifinalists

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Several Gazette-area 3A wrestlers enjoyed wins in the quarterfinals.

Cedar Rapids Prairie junior Dylan Munson won by fall to advance to the semifinals for the first time.

Iowa City High’s Cale Seaton (132), Kael Kurtz (138) and Kael Voinovich (157) all advanced to the semifinals.

So did Linn-Mar’s top-seeded 157-pounder, Grant Kress, who will face Voinovich on Friday. Kress’ Lions teammate, Kane Naaktgeboren, the No. 1 seed at 144, pinned his way to the semifinals, as well, and will seek to improve upon last season’s runner-up finish.

“I feel like I’m in a good spot to get it done this year,” Naaktgeboren said.

Iowa City West’s top-seeded 113-pounder Alexander Pierce feels similarly positioned to win his second consecutive state title. He claimed the 106 title as a freshman last season and won his quarterfinal match, 5-2.

“It’s fun,” Pierce said. “Why wouldn’t you want to come here and win? This is what I live for.”

Class 3A state wrestling Top 10 team scores after Thursday

1. Southeast Polk, 116 1/2

2. Bettendorf, 99

3. Ankeny Centennial, 77 1/2

4. Indianola, 65 1/2

5. Fort Dodge, 63

6. Bondurant-Farrar, 57 1/2

t-7. Carlisle, 57

t-7. Waverly-Shell Rock, 57

9. Linn-Mar, 53

10. Dubuque Hempstead, 52 1/2

Thursday’s Class 3A Iowa high school boys’ state wrestling quarterfinal results

106 pounds

Dylan Munson (Cedar Rapids Prairie) pinned Kellen McKenna (Western Dubuque), 1:56

Nico DeSalvo (Southeast Polk) dec. Jack Wallukait (West Des Moines Dowling), 5-3

Weston Porter (Council Bluffs Lewis Central) dec. Benjamin Walsh (Ankeny), 3-2 TB-1

Carew Christensen (Waukee Northwest) dec. Braxton Hutchinson (Burlington), 4-2

113

Alexander Pierce (Iowa City West) dec. Mat Prine (Southeast Polk), 5-2

Cale Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial) dec. Mac Crosson (Indianola), 2-1

Isaac Wignall (Ankeny) dec. Kendall Kurtz (Iowa City High), 12-6

Tyler Harper (Norwalk) dec. Landon Gottschalk (Dubuque Hempstead), 13-6

120

Carter Pearson (Southeast Polk) pinned Ajay Braddock (Boone), 0:30

Cody Vandermark (Ankeny Centennial) dec. Mitchell Pins (Dubuque Hempstead), 3-0

Dru Ayala (Fort Dodge) major dec. Reid Foster (Bondurant-Farrar), 16-3

Jake Knight (Bettendorf) tech. fall Jaymeson VanderVelde (Council Bluffs Lincoln), 23-8

126

Koufax Christensen (Waukee Northwest) pinned Carter Siebel (Pleasant Valley), 3:39

Ryker Graff (Waverly-Shell Rock) dec. Truman Folkers (Ankeny), 2-1 TB-1

Maximus Riggins (Southeast Polk) major dec. Nate Fish (Linn-Mar), 14-2

Timothy Koester (Bettendorf) pinned Evan Bratten (Dubuque Hempstead), 1:59

132

Jayce Luna (Bettendorf) dec. Kane Butrick (Fort Dodge), 7-4

Ryan Rider (Carlisle) dec. Perez Perez (Ankeny), 1-0

Connor Fiser (Bondurant-Farrar) dec. Tyler Lee (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 5-3

Cale Seaton (Iowa City High) pinned John King (Waukee Northwest), 3:31

138

Carter Freeman (Waukee Northwest) tech. fall Tyler Brennan (Ankeny Centennial), 19-4

Cody Trevino (Bettendorf) dec. Jabari Hinson (Ames), 11-4

Kael Kurtz (Iowa City High) dec. Wil Oberbroeckling (Southeast Polk), 6-1

Koy Davidson (Fort Dodge) dec. Zane Behrends (Waverly-Shell Rock), 11-4

144

Kane Naaktgeboren (Linn-Mar) pinned Alex Bumba (Cedar Rapids Prairie), 1:01

Ben Hansen (Ankeny) pinned Joe Hirsch (Western Dubuque), 5:00

Maximus Dhabolt (Ankeny Centennial) pinned Elijah Blewitt (Indianola), 5:05

JahKari Clark (West Des Moines Valley) major dec. Mason Lucas (Carlisle), 13-5

150

Bas Diaz (Waverly-Shell Rock) dec. Caden Leonard (Johnston), 3-1

Lucas Bruhl (Ankeny Centennial) major dec. Braylon Griffiths (Ottumwa), 9-0

Logan Trenary (Southeast Polk) dec. Justin Avila (Iowa City West), 15-9

Nolan Fellers (Bondurant-Farrar) major dec. Jake Pontier (Indianola), 10-2

157

Grant Kress (Linn-Mar) dec. Nolan Riddle (Fort Madison), 4-1

Kael Voinovich (Iowa City High) major dec. Isaac Bruhl (Ankeny Centennial), 19-7

Jaxon Miller (Carlisle) dec. Jack Lewis (Bondurant-Farrar), 7-5

Abe Bushong (Southeast Polk) dec. Xayvion Anderson (Marshalltown), 8-2

165

Jacob Helgeson (Johnston) tech. fall Ari Ehlts (Ankeny Centennial), 17-0

Ethan Bibler (Waverly-Shell Rock) dec. Colin Falck (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 4-2

Gabe Carver (Urbandale) dec. Jordan Rial (Bondurant-Farrar), 3-2

Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf) pinned Wesley Anderson (Waukee), 4:17

175

Maximus Magayna (Waterloo East) pinned Nic VanArkel (West Des Moines Valley), 4:18

Asa Hemsted (Carlisle) dec. Braden Blackorby (Johnston), 8-7

Dax Clatt (Indianola) dec. Jackson Winkey (Ames), 9-3

Damarion Ross (Fort Dodge) dec. Braxten Westendorf (Waverly-Shell Rock), 5-3 SV-1

190

Brent Slade (Southeast Polk) tech. fall Kolby Gibbons (Johnston), 21-6

Cain Tigges (Urbandale) dec. Abe Parker (Waukee Northwest), 3-1 SV-1

Brayden Koester (Bettendorf) dec. Jackson Van Kley (Pella), 6-2

Danarii Mickel (Ames) dec. Isaac Thacher (Fort Madison), 2-1

215

Dreshaun Ross (Fort Dodge) pinned Jean Ngoma (Cedar Rapids Xavier), 2:58

Vincenzo Lima (Iowa City Liberty) dec. Griffin Schultz (Linn-Mar), 5-4

Andrew Price (West Des Moines Valley) dec. Evan Franke (Muscatine), 3-1

Holden Hansen (Southeast Polk) pinned Mitchell Grider (Ankeny Centennial), 3:04

285

Caden Wetherell (Waverly-Shell Rock) dec. Nick Darling (Johnston), 3-0

Drew Campbell (Cedar Falls) dec. Luke Fierke (Fort Dodge), 4-3

Daniel Herrera (Ames) pinned Jamal Neeway (Waukee Northwest), 1:30

Cooper Martinson (Southeast Polk) pinned Dawson Rheingans (North Scott), 0:35

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