Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Competing in front of a home crowd for the first time this season produced a wide-range of emotions for Taylor Cavanh.

The feeling that stuck out most for the Liberty High sophomore on Monday evening was nerves.

“I was really, really nervous to have an opportunity to wrestle at home because all the people I knew were going to be here,” Cavanh said. “I felt like I had a lot of pressure on me.”

It didn’t take long for the friends and family in the Liberty High crowd to turn the nerves and pressure into motivation for Cavanh.

Cavanh turned in a dominating performance on Monday pinning her way to the 100-pound title at the Liberty High Invitational in front of a large crowd at Liberty High School.

“With my coaches and my teammates in my corner that definitely helped ease my nerves,” Cavanh said. “Then seeing so many familiar faces actually ended up motivating me.”

The title by Cavanh highlighted four top-five finishes for Liberty High as the host Lightning finished eighth at the 14-team meet with 81 points.

Southeast Polk had six finalists and crowned four champions while winning the team title with 198 points.

Vinton-Shellsburg was runner-up with 158 points followed by Independence with 151 and Linn-Mar with 145.

City High finished ninth with 78 points and Clear Creek Amana was 14^th with 38.

“We’ve done well, we’ve given up some positions but we are learning,” Liberty High coach Derek Coorough said. “Half our team is brand new and the other half started last year. We will dissect some things but even the matches we lost we had some good positions we just didn’t capitalize.”

Cavanh was early nervous and impressive throughout her performance on Monday.

The sophomore posted back-to-back first-round pins to reach the 100-pound title match where she needed just 3:05 to pin Kylie Loffer of Iowa Valley.

“I was nervous but it was small pep talks from my coaches and just focusing on my mindset and wrestling tough and hard that helped me,” Cavanh said. “I don’t ever going into a match expecting to pin someone in the first period. I always expect to wrestle every match six minutes through and I think that helps me.”

The individual title was the first of the season and continued a breakthrough sophomore season for Cavanh who went 17-18 and advanced to the state tournament last season.

Cavanh improved to 14-2 on the season with her three wins by fall on Monday.

“She put a lot of time in during the offseason, she did a lot of camps, she wrestled freestyle so she is just getting better at mat awareness and her shot has really developed,” Coorough said. “She is getting more confident on top, she is getting a lot of pins. She has gotten a lot more pins this year than last year.”

Cavanh was runner-up at the City High Invitational to open the season and finished third at the Williamsburg Invite on December 4.

An offseason filled with wrestling produced a new perspective that has helped Cavanh flourish early in her sophomore season.

“It’s just my mindset and listening to my coaches,” Cavanh said. “My coaches have really helped me see the sport through a different perspective of just competing and not focusing on whether I win or lose. I want to learn something from every single match. If I lose I am going to learn how to beat that person next time and if I win I am going to look at what I can improve on. Every single match shows you where you can improve.”

Evelyn Eggleston added a third-place finish at 135 pounds for the Lightning.

Eggleston went 3-1 with three pins including a second-period pin of Sierra Pruessner of City High in the third-place match.

Elly Grimes was fourth for Liberty High at 235, Kensi Steele was fourth at 170, Reese Christoph was fifth at 190 and Olive Miller was sixth at 110 pounds.

“This school is only seven years old and this is only the second time there have been this many mats in the gym,” Coorough said. “It’s been awesome and we have a home dual on Thursday with City High, a double dual with City High and we are hoping to pack the gym.”

Sophomore Molly Carlson led City High with a third-place finish at 170 pounds while Shaona Emmanuel was third at 155 for the Little Hawks.

Pruessner finished fourth at 135 and Eliza Mitchell was fifth at 110 pounds for City High.

Marlie McBride placed fifth at 115 for Clear Creek Amana, Jordan Hunt was fifth at 170 pounds and Halle Bormann was sixth at 135 for the Clippers.

Liberty Invitational

At Liberty High School

Team scores – 1. Southeast Polk 198; 2. Vinton-Shellsburg 158; 3. Independence 151; 4. Linn-Mar 145; 5. Williamsburg 130; 6. Marion 121; 7. Iowa Valley 82; 8. Liberty High 81; 9. City High 78; 10. Pleasant Valley 71; 11. Central Community 65; 12. North Scott 63; 13. Cedar Falls 62; 14. Clear Creek Amana 38

Championship matches; area placewinners

100 – 1. Taylor Cavanh (ICL) pinned Kylie Loffer (IV) 3:05; 5. Cooper Hamilton (ICH)

105 – 1. Carissa Hersom (SEP) major dec. Mallory Palmer (L-M) 13-2; 6. Hazel Boerner (ICH)

110 – 1. Kate Seery (L-M) pinned Morgan Krall (IND) :49; 5. Eliza Mitchell (ICH); 6. Olive Miller (ICL)

115 – 1. Ellie Weets (V-S) dec. Caitlin Reiter (PV) 3-0; 5. Marlie McBride (CCA)

120 – 1. Abigail Meyrer (PV) dec. Bree Swenson (V-S) 4-0

125 – 1. Addie Nelson (SEP) major dec. Keston Spratt (WIL) 13-4

130 – 1. Brielle Parke (L-M) pinned Havana Griffith (IND) 1:36

135 – 1. Chloe Sanders (V-S) dec. Cece Scarff (SEP) 5-0; 3. Evelyn Eggleston (ICL); 4. Sierra Pruessner (ICH); 6. Halle Bormann (CCA)

140 – 1. Sadie Burke (V-S) pinned Valerie Altenhofen (WIL) :41; 6. Nina Peterson (ICH)

145 – 1. Phoenix Gryp (WIL) pinned Alexis Steele (SEP) 1:01; 8. Anai Naso (ICH)

155 – 1. Skylar Slade (SEP) pinned Madelyn Rose (NS) 2:00; 3. Shaona Emmanuel (ICH); 6. Olivia Hansen (CCA)

170 – 1. Izzy Strickert (IND) pinned Raelene Hawkins (IV) :49; 3. Molly Carlson (ICH); 4. Kensi Steele (ICL); 5. Jordan Hunt (CCA)

190 – 1. Bella Porcelli (SEP) pinned Ellie Fangman (IND) 1:22; 5. Reese Christoph (ICL)

235 – 1. Breanna Peach (IV) pinned Harper Griffin (MAR) :29; 4. Elly Grimes (ICL)

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