Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

BETTENDORF – In his first two seasons of prep wrestling Vincenzo Lima has experienced the highs and lows of the sport.

From qualifying for the state meet as a freshman to narrowly missing a spot at state a year ago Lima has seen the ups and downs that accompany postseason wrestling.

On Saturday at the Class 3A, District 1 meet at Bettendorf High School Lima had all the highs and lows of a season wrapped into a few hours.

Lima bounced back from a semifinal loss with a pair of consolation wins to secure a spot at the state meet for the second time in his career with a third-place finish at 195 pounds.

“There were a lot of hard times leading up to this season and a lot of ups and downs and struggles and I just kept going through it and climbing the mountain,” Lima said. “Even today, I had a guy pinned and did something stupid and got rolled to my back and stuck. Stuff happens but you just have to wrestle.”

The third-place finish from Lima was part of the best district performance in program history for the Lightning.

Liberty High matched its all-time number of state qualifiers on Saturday pushing four wrestlers through to the 3A state meet scheduled for February 15-18 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

Tien Pham, Landon Bell and Gavin Benton all finished third on Saturday and will join Lima in Des Moines.

“We got as many qualifiers today as we have ever have and as many wins as we ever have and that’s a great foundation,” first-year Liberty High head coach Fred Lima said. “I’ve got them drinking the kool aid as they say and now we have the real work to do.”

A state qualifier at 195 pounds two seasons ago as a freshman, Vincenzo Lima made the cut to 182 last season and narrowly missed a return to state.

On Saturday appeared poised to secure a spot at state early, taking an 8-3 lead on Bettendorf junior Ronan Numkena in the second period.

That’s when Lima went from high to low in a matter of seconds.

Numkena reversed Lima to his back for a pin sending the tenth-ranked Liberty High junior into the consolation bracket where he was a loss away from missing state for a second year in a row.

“I thought about what I did wrong but I knew I had to move forward,” Lima said. “There is no back mirror, you can’t worry about the past you can only learn from it. You can’t be stuck on that or it’s going to hold you back as a wrestler and that’s something that I learned today.”

Lima responded with a pin of City High freshman Raphael Etuma in 2:37 and scored five takedowns in an 11-2 major decision of Burlington senior Moise Cordero to secure his spot at state.

Fred Lima, Vincenzo’s father and coach was proud of the way he handled the swings that came on Saturday.

“I was upset and I wanted this title for him because I think he was good enough to win it, I gave him the business a little bit after that match and he came back and got third,” Fred Lima said. “He works his tail off. He lives right, he eats right and he’s only wrestled four years now and he’s getting better every day. He’s got a big heart in there.”

Junior Gavin Benton (3-2) followed a similar path to his first state meet.

Benton lost his opener 9-3 to City High senior Nick Marker at 170 but won his next two matches 8-2 over Ashton Urmie of Davenport West and Marker in the third-place match to earn a trip to state.

It was the first action of the season for Benton who sustained a knee injury during football season that required surgery.

“That was the one I was most nervous about,” Fred Lima said. “His parents trusted me, his doctors said he was o.k. and I prayed about it every night. To me that was my favorite moment of the entire day Gavin Benton getting third.”

Pham (21-7), a junior, won back-to-back consolation matches to finish third at 132 pounds and freshman Landon Bell (20-13) did the same at 152.

Class 3A, District 1

At Bettendorf High School

Team scores – 1. Bettendorf 284.5; 2. City High 164; 3. Fort Madison 159; 4. Liberty High 74.5; 4. Dubuque Senior 74.5; 6. Burlington 60; 7. Davenport North 52; 8. Davenport West 35.5

Championship matches; state qualifiers

106 – 1. Jayden Luna (BET) dec. Braxton Hutchinson (BUR) 7-4; 3. Kendall Kurtz (ICH)

113 – 1. Jake Knight (BET) pinned Asthon Sneath (DN) :46; 2. Chris Davis (ICH); 3. Sneath (DN)

120 – 1. Timothy Koester (BET) pinned Mason Besler (DS) 3:39; 3. Noah Swigart (FM)

126 – 1. Cody Trevino (BET) medical forfeit Cale Seaton (ICH); 2. Logan Pennock (FM); 3. Seaton (ICH)

132 – 1. Jayce Luna (BET) dec. Kael Kurtz (ICH) 3-2; 3. Tien Pham (ICL)

138 – 1. Lincoln Jipp (BET) pinned Jake Mitchell (ICH) 4:38; 3. Tucker Avis (DW)

145 – 1. Tycho Carmichael (BET) pinned Nolan Riddle (FM) 2:43; 3. Zach Fern (ICH)

152 – 1. Elijah Mendoza (BET) pinned Aidan Pennock (FM); 3. Landon Bell (ICL)

160 – 1. Jorden Roberts (BET) dec. Ryan Ott (ICH); 2. Beau Healey (DS); 3. Ott (ICH)

170 – 1. Teague Smith (FM) dec. Armon Williams (BET) 6-5; 3. Gavin Benton (ICL)

182 – 1. Gabe Arnold (ICH) pinned Cooper Agosta (BET) 4:27; 3. Salomon Cordero (BUR)

195 – 1. Isaac Thacher (FM) pinned Ronan Numkena (BET) 1:08; 3. Vincenzo Lima (ICL)

220 – 1. Ben Kueter (ICH) medical forfeit Daniel Sokolik (FM); 3. Zander Glazebrook (BET)

285 – 1. Cohen Pfohl (DS) pinned Aiden Lee (BET) 3:18; 3. Jeremiah Henderson (DN)

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