HUXLEY – Cole Nokes won plenty of matches in a Webster City wrestling singlet prior to this season and yet the senior 126-pounder entered preseason practice knowing there was so much more to accomplish.

He wants to win a conference title just as bad as anyone else. A berth in the state tournament, yep, he wants that, too.

But he knew none of it would be handed to him.

He’s not looking for freebies anyway.

The new and improved Nokes showed up and lit a spark under his team last night, as he kicked off a double-dual by upsetting fourth-ranked Tate Battani of Ballard, 12-10 in sudden victory, to set in motion a dominant night for the Lynx.

WCHS (4-0) disposed of Ballard, 41-28, and then took care of Carlisle, 46-24, to stay perfect in duals. The Lynx won nine of 14 matches in both confrontations and cranked out nine falls on the night.

Eight grapplers – Drake Doolittle (113), Nokes, Luke Rohmiller (138), Carter Rholl (145), Zane Williams (152), Ryan Ferrari (160), top-ranked (Class 2A) Gavin Dinsdale (220) and fourth-ranked Cooper Lawson (285) – went 2-0 and they combined to pile up 30 bonus points.

But it was Nokes’ opener that set the stage for it all.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever beaten a ranked opponent, so that felt really good,” Nokes, who took Battani down six times, said after he closed his night by pinning Carlisle’s Hunter Oppedal in 1:59. “Being a senior, it’s just go time, and I knew we needed the points to win that dual because Ballard is a good team.”

Tied at 8 late in the third period, Nokes was called for locked hands and then gave Battani an intentional escape to fall behind 10-8. But he hit a double-leg takedown just before time expired and then hit another takedown early in the one-minute extra period to finish off the upset.

“We don’t really pay attention to rankings, but we knew (Battani) was a quality win. So that’s huge for Cole,” WCHS coach Chad Hisler said. “I think it lit a spark into the whole team.”

Luke Rohmiller, up a weight class to fill in for the injured Gage Sadler, came through late as well two bouts after Nokes. Trailing the stronger Jarrett Miller 4-3 with less than 20 seconds remaining, Rohmiller hit a whip-over for five points to earn the 8-4 win.

“Luke went up and just kept battling,” Hisler said. “He didn’t give up and fought right to the end.”

Zane Williams had a notable win as well, as he turned Ballard’s Rachel Watters repeatedly en route to a 18-3 technical fall. Watters won a girls’ junior national title over the summer.

WCHS and Ballard were tied at 22 with five matches to go before the Lynx rattled off four consecutive wins to finish it off. Lawson stuck Colin Anderson in 1:18 and Doolittle showed Tim Lang the lights in 1:45.

Just a freshman, Doolittle put on a takedown clinic before ending both of his matches early. In just 4:43 of mat time, he accrued 17 takedowns against Lang and Carlisle’s Lucas Olson. The only points he allowed were on intentional releases.

“Like I said last week, it’s just fun to watch him,” Hisler said of Doolittle. “He’s always looking to score and he pushes the pace and makes them wrestle his style.”

Lawson was equally impressive, showing off a quickness and athleticism not usually seen in 260-pound kids. He also picked up a pin against Carlisle.

“He’s very athletic and he’s got a lot of skills,” Hisler said. “If he keeps working he can do some big things.”

It’s now on to Saturday’s Dick Kennedy Memorial Duals, which WCHS will host beginning at 10 a.m. The Lynx will be joined by Clear Lake, Ankeny and Southeast Polk.