Clemens Swaink listed three goals for the boys' wrestling season.

Win more matches. Wrestle better. Learn more moves.

After the first dual of the season, the 126-pound Lone Tree sophomore has already made significant progress on each.

"I was surprised how fast I pinned him," Swaink said after recording a fall in just 24 seconds against Jayden Pilcher of Van Buren County during the opening dual of a triangular meet Monday night at West Branch High School. "I think it was a single-leg (takedown), and then I moved to a double leg. ... Sometimes simple moves work."

Swaink is one of just two wrestlers – fellow sophomore Brody Magruder is the other – that wrestled for the Lions last season, which was highlighted by Lone Tree's midseason decision to break away from its wrestling partnership with Columbus Junction and Winfield-Mount Union to become a standalone program again.

"It makes us feel like a full team," Swaink said. "I'm glad that I am going to be a big part of it."

That "feeling" is an awfully good place to start as the Lions are no threat to fill all 13 weight classes. But they are getting there. After wrestling with just Magruder and Swaink last season, this year's roster now includes freshman Gabe Forbes, plus seniors Christian Baltazar and Caden Smith.

"One thing I was very pleased with was the willingness to be able to compete regardless of experience, age and weight and stuff like that," Lone Tree Coach Brent Nelson said. "We have been kind of bumping guys around weight-wise to be able to optimize their competitiveness."

The win has Swaink already a quarter of the way to matching last season's win total (four), which included two matches at a sectional meet in which he placed fifth.

"Great intensity," Nelson said. "He is always on point. Any time he sees an opportunity to be able to get a good move in as far as a takedown or even as a finishing move for a pin, he is always ready to catch that guy whenever he sees an opportunity. He is constantly assessing his opponents to be able to see where he can make those good moves.

In addition to Swaink, Smith – whose return to the sport of wrestling comes on the heels of a productive football season with Lone Tree – also posted a pin when he subdued Van Buren County freshman Cale Mellinger at 160 pounds in 1:29.

"It is one of those where it is a good feeling to see those guys where they take a little break from wrestling for a year or so and then come back at it," Nelson said. "Like with Caden, he has a lot of attention and knowledge and skill as far as wrestling. He just needs to sharpen it up a little bit. Today, he wasn't feeling 100 percent due to illness...but he was willing to compete."

The pins from Swaink and Smith provided Lone Tree with all 12 of its points in a 60-12 loss to Van Buren County. The Lions closed the triangular against host West Branch and wrestled just Swaink, Magruder and Baltazar in the 66-0 shutout.

"(I saw) the willingness to put themselves in a challenge and be willing to compete hard," Nelson said. "It is one of those things where since we began the season, I told them, 'I want athletes and competitors.' Right now is the first good litmus test to figure out where we are at as far as our progression and where we want to go and where we are at right now. I saw a lot of good fight."