Carson High sophomore Robert Vega picks up his opponent en route to a pin against Douglas Wednesday night. Vega’s pin solidified a Senator team win over their rivals, 44-33.
Photo by Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage.
A raucous, lively, musically-charged atmosphere made for one of the best wrestling scenes in the state Wednesday night as Carson and Douglas wrestling met in Morse Burley Gymnasium.
The two rivals had been building hype around their meeting for weeks and it showed as the Senators pulled out a 44-33 win on their Senior Night.
Douglas led 33-26 with three matches to go after Tiger junior Kai Blumenthal won by pin in the second period.
Carson Senior Lucas Wold picked up a sweatless six points after the Tigers forfeited at 132 pounds.
Douglas opted to move its freshman to 138 pounds to square up with Carson junior Jett Rupert.
Rupert used a double leg takedown to score two points and followed with three nearfall points to take a 5-0 lead late in the first.
In the second, Rupert needed 54 seconds after a reversal to pin his opponent and give Carson a 38-33 lead.
“I really wanted to be calm. … Having the tight waste and wrist chop really worked for me,” said Rupert. “There was really high pressure, but we performed really well tonight.”
The final match came down to Carson sophomore Robert Vega and another Tiger freshman.
Vega needed to avoid a pin or technical fall in order to secure Carson’s victory on Senior Night and he delivered.
After trading points through the first two rounds, Vega used a double leg takedown and scored nearfall points.
He capped it with a pin, running his opponent to his back and finishing off the event with 19 seconds remaining in his match.
“Bringing redemption for (Maddox) Sweet. He’s our varsity forty-four (144 pounds). He’s been a mentor since my freshman year. He was out with an injury,” said Vega. “I just wanted to sit here and bring honor to Carson and Maddox Sweet.”
Vega wasn’t always in control after getting flipped to his back in the second period, but willed himself to escape.
“I thought, I’m not going out this way. I am not losing, especially not by pin,” Vega said.
FINAL | Carson 44, Douglas 33
Senators win the final two matches by pin as Robert Vega closes it out at 144.
Quite the environment at Carson High tonight. pic.twitter.com/wF7hjOZa0M
Early points and Senior Night
Carson went down 9-0 after its first two matches, but got a pin from Konnor Crisp at 165 pounds to pull within three team points.
JT Heaton quickly put the Senators in front, 12-9, with a win by fall in 1:03 at 175 pounds.
Junior Dominic Porter needed all of 10 seconds to win his match at heavyweight while Jesse Oliva put together a 17-1 technical fall victory at 106 pounds.
Keona Basa set the stage for the finish with a 3-2 decision win at 120 pounds, which brought Carson within one point, 27-26.
Carson will graduate a trio from the varsity boys team as well as a pair of team managers in Wold, AJ Marhevka, Maddox Sweet, Rhianna Redwine and Madeline Silsby.
Wold’s only match of the evening lasted 42 seconds and ended in a win by fall against Bishop Manogue.
As a team, Carson beat Bishop Manogue, 75-6.
Marhevka also secured a win by fall against Manogue before falling by 12-9 decision in his match against Douglas.
The senior trailed 11-4 early in the third period, but put together a furious rally with a takedown and a nearfall to cut it 11-9 before time expired.
“This is obviously a really close one to my heart because of my daughter (Rhianna). … I’ve known Maddie (Silsby) for a long time. It’s been a great senior year for Lucas, AJ, Maddox. ... I’ve been coaching AJ since he was in sixth grade,” said Carson head coach Nick Redwine.
UP NEXT: Carson has the next 10 days to prepare for the Class 5A North regional tournament, which will be held at Spanish Springs Feb. 10.
(Carson High's Robert Vega gets raised on his teammates shoulders after helping the Senators clinch a win over Douglas wrestling Wednesday night. Vega holds up the King Duals crown, which was an added prize for the victor from earlier in the season. / Jeff Mulvihill, Jr. | InstaImage)