![Linn-Mar senior Mark Atwater (right) lifts Michael Licht of Fort Dodge off the mat during their 182-pound bout Thursday in the first round of the Class 3A state wrestling tournament at Des Moines. Atwater pinned Licht in the third period and advanced to Friday's quarterfinals. The Lions are in second place, seven points behind Bettendorf. (Photo by Ken Gilchrist)](/images/resized/images/photos/linn-mar/wrestling/2_200_176.jpg)
Linn-Mar wrestlers start strong at state
DES MOINES - Linn-Mar Coach Doug Streicher cracked a quick smile after all nine of his wrestlers advanced on the first day of the Class 3A state tournament Thursday.
Then he did an about-face and quickly retreated behind a cautious exterior.
"One match at a time," he said warily at noisy Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. "There's a lot of wrestling yet to do. We're not where we want to be yet."
Bettendorf set the pace on Day 1 of the tournament with 34 points and advanced 10 wrestlers, but Linn-Mar was nipping at the Bulldogs in second place. Linn-Mar collected 27 points and advanced eight men to the quarterfinals.
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