Carson High 152-pounder, Jon Hurt, works to put his opponent on his back against McQueen Wednesday night at home. Hurt went on to win by decision, 5-4.
Photo by Carter Eckl.
Opening up your league dual season with a perennial powerhouse in Spanish Springs, isn’t exactly an ideal circumstance. However, Carson High wrestling head coach Nick Redwine felt there was plenty to take away from a 66-16 team loss to the Cougars Wednesday night. Several of the takeaways emerged as the Senators went into their final dual of the night against McQueen, falling 48-33. “I thought we, maybe, were a little scared. We weren’t expected the power that Spanish Springs wrestled with,” said Redwine. “Against McQueen, I thought we looked a lot better. A lot tougher, … I’m actually really happy with how we wrestled against McQueen.” Against the Lancers, Carson had three wins via the pin, coming from Amber Perkins, Lucas Wold and Anthony Garrobo. For both Wold and Garrobo, it was their second wins on the evening after both picked up team points against the Cougars. “They are the most consistent in practice and it shows in competition,” said Redwine of Wold and Garrobo. “I’m not surprised they wrestled as well as they did because they show it every day in practice.”
(Amber Perkins of Carson High wrestling picks up a win by pin against McQueen Wednesday night on her home mat. / Carter Eckl)
Perkins’ pin came in the second period after she worked her way out to a quick lead against her Lancer opponent. Dropping down to the 113-pound weight class has given Perkins an even better chance to excel, according to Redwine. “I think going down to 113’s was a really good move for Amber. She is going to be very competitive at that weight at the regional level and possibly the state level,” Redwine said. Tied at 30-all against the Lancers, Jon Barnes-Hurt picked up three crucial team points, escaping with a 5-4 decision win. Barnes-Hurt led 5-3 as the final minute of the third period waned away, but only allowed his counterpart one point on an escape in order to pick up the victory. “I think it shows a lot more maturity on his part from the last time he wrestled varsity,” said Redwine. “He understands the mat awareness to not give up two in that situation.”
(Carson High's Lucas Wold grapples for positioning against Spanish Springs Wednesday night. Wold went 2-0 in the Senators' two duals. / Carter Eckl)
Ultimately, Carson fell to McQueen 48-33, but the Senators also gave up 18 points with three open weight classes on the night at 145, 182 and 220 pounds. Against Spanish Springs, JT Heaton secured six points with a win by fall with 37 seconds to go in the first round. Wold picked up a win by fall in the second period while Garrobo’s opening ‘W’ came by major decision, 11-3. “Spanish Springs, they almost have a mystique about them. We got a lot of work to do to be at the caliber of those guys,” said Redwine. As the Senators hit the main stride of their league dual season, Redwine is hoping that his upperclassmen can continue to be a positive presence on the rest of the roster. “It’s tough when you have a senior not make weight and the only other senior we have is out with an injury. We are really leaning heavy on Amber, Wold and Garrabo – those sophomores that really work hard in practice and try to set them up as an example,” said Redwine. UP NEXT: Carson heads to Reed next Wednesday for another triangular meet with the Raiders and Bishop Manogue.
