PELLA — Following a long Christmas break, the Central College wrestling team returned in emphatic fashion Saturday by blowing away the 14-team field at the Central Under Armour Invitational.

Scoring 139.0 points, the Dutch outpaced Briar Cliff University by 67.5 points.

"You always wonder how the first competition after break is going to go," coach Eric Van Kley said. "I thought we had put in a good week of training it showed today."

One of Central's individual crowns belonged to senior 174-pounder Zach Moss (Winterset), who used five wins to take his first title since he was a sophomore.

"Zach has been the heart and soul of our team," Van Kley said. "He's more than paid his dues and he's starting to reap the rewards of that hard work."

At 125 pounds, C.J. Pestano (junior, Torrance, Calif.) faced a dire situation in his semifinal match. He found himself down 8-1 in the first period but found a way to battle all the way back to advance to the final.

"He's got the heart of a champion," Van Kley said. "He never counted himself out and scored nine unanswered points. In the finals, he gave us a dominant effort."

Also winning individual titles for the Dutch were Cam Timok (sophomore, Glen Allen, Va./Hermitage HS) at 133 pounds, Ryan Vandall (senior, Phoeinix, Ariz./Moon Valley HS) and Matt Seabold (senior, Burlington) at 197 pounds.

A pair of sophomores from Jefferson, Iowa in 149-pounder Jordan Challen (Greene County HS) and 165-pounder Jeremy Scheuermann (Greene County HS) recovered from losses to fight all the way back to third place.

"Jordan is growing into that spot," Van Kley said. "He continues to get better.

"Jeremy had a really good day. He led the team with six wins today and did it the tough way by grinding out victories on top."

Senior Mitchell Knock (Atkins, Iowa/Benton HS) made a strong run through the backside of the 157 bracket to place fourth by winning four of his last five matches.

"He's a senior that's done everything we've asked of him," Van Kley said. "It's fun to see him have success in front of the home crowd."

The second half of the season continues Thursday with a crucial Iowa Conference dual Thursday at Loras College.

"We're going to back to work on Monday," Van Kley said. "We know we've got to keep improving and getting better, especially with the goals we have for this season."