COUNCIL BLUFFS — Mariaha Benedict moved closer to 100 career wins here Friday for the Fort Dodge girls wrestling team at the Council Bluffs Classic.

After receiving a bye in round one of pool matches, Benedict picked up back-to-back technical falls by matching scores of 21-6. Both bouts ended within the first period.

In the opening round of action in the 135-pound championship bracket, Benedict scored a fall in nine seconds over Waverly-Shell Rock’s Ella Foster to move to 25-1 on the season.

Benedict will be going for 100th career match in the quarterfinals.

“Mariaha is looking to get that 100th win,” said Fort Dodge head coach Jon Koenig. “She wants to leave with a bracket and a gold medal, which she can do, but she can’t get ahead of herself.”

Joining Benedict in the quarterfinals on Saturday will be Makayla Liska, who finished her day 3-0 with three falls at 155.

Liska, a freshman, pinned her first two opponents in 50 and 52 seconds before sticking Lola Voss from Millard West in 1:23 to move to 20-8.

“Makayla is doing well, coming off of an illness,” Koenig said. “She’s not back to 100 percent, but she is wrestling well. I’m proud of what she is doing.”

Benedict, a junior, will face Edie Collins from Raccoon River-Northwest in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Collins is a sophomore with a record of 20-3. Liska gets top-seed Anyia Roberts from Grand Island, Neb., a senior who is 37-2.

Naomi Zaharia, Jessenia Elias and Addie Mikesell will all be in action in consolation rounds.

“Some of the girls might not have done well or got a lot of wins, but (today) they’ll be in the same bracket of other girls that did the same thing,” Koenig said. “Jessenia got her hand raised for the first time for winning a match, and I think the bug bit her. That’s what I love seeing, getting your first one makes everything worth it and all the bad stuff go away.”

Saturday’s action will begin at 9:30 a.m.