Liberty's boys wrestling team shows signs of growth in dual against Cedar Falls
NORTH LIBERTY – Competing in their first dual of 2023, the Liberty boys wrestling team wanted to start the year on a positive note as they hosted the Cedar Falls.
While the roster is made up of several wrestlers with little experience who are still trying to find their bearings, Lightning coach Fred Lima said that getting his team to buy into the sport is much more important than their individual records.
"It is not about the wins and losses right now," Lima said. "We are trying to build something. So, it is just about getting them to buy in and focus on their attitude and effort. Those are the things that we can control and once we do, everything else will take care of itself."
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That effort was on full display Thursday night, despite the results, as Liberty fell to the Tigers 47-18.
However, the night proved to be a step in the right direction as the Lightning had three wrestlers end the night with fall victories.
The first came from junior 132-pound wrestler Tien Pham, who outlasted Cedar Fall's Brayden Wiles to earn the fall in 6:44. Pham said that he had some added motivation to get the job done tonight.
"My coaches kept pushing me to do better," Pham said. "Plus, my mom was in the stands, so I wanted to make her proud."
Their second fall victory came in the very next match when junior 138-pound Anyhlan Peoples earned it against Eric Malaise in 5:26.
Peoples said that he can see the progression he has made over just the past few months since the season began.
"I knew that I had to keep working my moves until I could make something work," Peoples said. "I was finally able to get it in the third period which was good."
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Their final win of the night came from junior 195-pound Vincenzo Lima, who got the quick pin over Ian Bohnenkamp in 58 seconds.
Vincenzo Lima said that the win gave him a big boost in confidence in his first match of the new year.
"I was itching to get back on the mat," Vincenzo Lima said. "Getting this win was definitely good for my confidence because I work on getting my head in the hole all the time and try to get on and get off as quickly as I can."
The team's positive attitude that Fred Lima was looking for showed at the end of the dual as the team was still laughing and joking with one another despite the final result.
As Fred Lima and his staff continue to work with the team on their technique and get them ready for postseason competition, he said that he believes following the advice of a wrestling legend will help him lead the team to where they eventually want to be.
"My old wrestling coach was Dan Gable and he would say that the first thing coaches had to do for their wrestlers was to keep them safe," Fred Lima said. "Then he said that after you got them to love it, you could get away with anything. I believe that is true."
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Liberty's boys 'wrestling team show growth in dual against Cedar Falls
