Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – Liberty High came close to a big-time dual win on Thursday.

Very close.

In fact, you can’t get any closer than the Lightning came on Thursday.

Linn-Mar edged Liberty High 40-39 on criteria in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual meet on Thursday in North Liberty.

Both teams won seven matches and the scored was even at 39-39 after 14 matches.

It took several minutes at the scorers’ table to sort out a winner.

“We went down to criteria E on the sheet, it was that even,” Liberty High coach Derek Coorough said. “I told the girls afterwards, way to compete and battle up and won the lineup and make it close.”

Liberty High trailed 33-23 after 10 matches but got big wins from Eva Pentecost, Talor Cavanh and Mia Ungs down the stretch.

Pentecost earned a 15-3 major decision at 100 pounds to cut the lead to 33-27 and Cavanh followed with a second-period pin of Adriana Garcia at 105 pounds to even the score at 33-33.

“All you can do every match is wrestling 100 percent,” Cavanh said. “Win or lose when I step on the mat I am just looking to compete. I knew I needed that fall for us to win but no matter what I was just going to battle.”

Linn-Mar regained the lead via a first-period pin by Kate Seery at 110 pounds but Liberty High again got the pin it needed to tie the match.

Sophomore Mia Ungs needed 1:26 to pin Jersey Heiter at 115 pounds to square the dual at 39-39.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries and bumps and bruises along the road and I think that’s only made our team stronger,” Cavanh said. “We’ve seen so much improvement in our lineup.”

Harper Johnson and Callum Wu each won by pin for Liberty High on Thursday while Peyten Van Dyke added a win via tech fall at 155 pounds.

Liberty High dropped to 3-2 in Mississippi Valley Conference duals with the loss while Linn-Mar closes MVC action 6-0.

“I feel really good about it, going into conference in a week,” Coorough said. “We competed in every match tonight and I feel great.”

Linn-Mar 40, Liberty High 39

100 – Eva Pentecost (ICL) major dec. Brooke Walrath 15-3

105 – Taylor Cavanh (ICL) pinned Adriana Garcia 2:30

110 – Kate Seery (L-M) pinned Evalynn Karam 1:05

115 – Mia Ungs (ICL) pinned Jersey Heiter 1:26

120 – Ally Jelinek (L-M) pinned Naoni Davisson 1:36

125 – Chloe Adamson (L-M) dec. Elyse Caviel 6-1

130 – Harper Johnson (ICL) pinned Caroline Pohlman 2:00

135 – Brielle Parke (L-M) won by forfeit

140 – Kayel Roberts (L-M) won by forfeit

145 – Callum Wu (ICL) pinned Melena Garcia 4:58

155 – Peyten Van Dyke (ICL) tech. fall Katelyn Billings 17-1

170 – Aurora Lloyd (L-M) won by forfeit

190 – Divine Akili (L-M) pinned Emma Sanders 2:46

235 – Abigail Carr (ICL) won by forfeit

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