Wrestlers pick up four more victories; now at 24-3

By Editor | January 17, 2018 |

Vandalia’s wrestlers picked up easy wins over Robinson and Murphysboro, then came from behind to defeat Monticello in a home quadrangular on Saturday.

The Vandals recorded nine pins in defeating Robinson, 73-6, and six more in the 46-18 win over Murphysboro.
In the Monticello match, the Vandals were down by two points when they outscored the Sages 36-6 the rest of the way in recording a 46-18 win.
With the Vandals down 10-12 and the score knotted at 7-7 at the start of the third period at 170 pounds, Robby Durbin scored two points with just seven second left to pick up the win.
Then, at 182 pounds, the match was knotted at 3-3 with just four seconds left in regulation when Monticello was charged with stalling. Garrett Stewart went on to record an 8-3 in the overtime match.
After Monticello got back within two at 18-16, Vandalia’s Gavin Mouser pinned his opponent at 220, and Anthony Enlow followed with a pin at 285 pounds, Jarek Wehrle provided another pin and Dakota Gasaway put the pin streak at four.
“There were some matches early with Robinson that we battled through and got some wins,” coach Jason Clay said.
“We want to make sure that we dominate people who are in our regionals. That way, people don’t get confidence against us.
“We were pretty close to getting a shutout there,” he said.
“Murphysboro was missing a couple of big guns, and we were able to move Jarrett Paslay up and get him a good match with (Ryan) Chambers, who was third at state last year. Jarrett just wasn’t able to get way from him at the end,” Clay said.
In the final matchup of the day, the Vandalia beat a team that it had topped just two weeks earlier at Abe’s Rumble, with a little better result the first time.
“We were a little overconfident,” Clay said.
“But we turned it up late and had some good performances,” he said. “It just gets you a little bit frustrated when some people don’t wrestle up to their potential.
“We were down 18-12 when Gavin got the pin, Anthony got the pin, and so on, so that got the momentum going, building up,” Clay said.
“It was a tough week, with Princeton, six dual matches,” he said. “Now, we get back in the practice room and fine tune some things,” Clay said.