Despite down day, Panthers dominate double dual

Feb. 8—SHENANDOAH — Only allowing 30 points in two duals, the Panthers won two decisive victories Tuesday against Denison-Schleswig and Shenandoah 62-15 and 54-15, respectively.

With a few wrestlers under the weather, underclassmen got the chance to compete. Creston's varsity lineup featured four freshman and a sophomore.

Undefeated in the duals were Max Chapman (285), Kylen Parsons (106), Christian Ahrens (120), Trey Chesnut (132), Austin Evans (145), Luke Travis (160), Kaden Street (170) and Jagger Luther (182).

Creston v. Denison

The dual kicked off at 195-pounds with Creston freshman Gunner Martwick facing off against Luis Chan. Marwick got the match started with a takedown, but a second-period near fall put Chan ahead in points. Martwick was unable to make up the difference, falling in a 6-3 decision.

Monarch star wrestler Jaxson Hildebrand had a quick pin over Quinten Fuller to set a Denison school record with 26 pins in a season.

Down 9-0, Chapman took the mat to change the pace for the Panthers. Responding with a 1:49 pin over Garret Plagge, Creston closed the gap 9-6.

Forfeits at 106, 113, 138 and 160 tacked on 24 points for the Panthers. State-ranked Ahrens followed Chapman's lead with a 1:23 pin against Jayden Bradley.

Freshman Broderick Phelps racked up points in the first period against Jackson Graeve, scoring on two takedowns and a near fall, but was taken down in the second period and pinned with 44 seconds on the clock.

"Our freshmen have stepped up and learned from a good group of upperclassmen," Creston coach Cody Downing said. "I think it's nice to have some depth. They took some lumps tonight, but we were able to throw a quality wrestle together even with a couple guys out of the lineup tonight."

With his 100th win on the line and no opponent at 138, Evans bumped up to 145 in order to earn the victory. In just over four minutes, the match ended with a 15-0 shutout tech fall to secure the milestone achievement.

"I was a little later than I was hoping because of the slow start to the year, but getting it as a junior is still pretty good," Evans said. "Now the next goal is 150 because once you get something, it's always good to set another goal."

Seniors Chris Aragon and Street both pinned their opponents in the first period and junior Luther won with a 7-0 decision over Jordan Von Tersch.

Creston v. Shenandoah

Chapman continued his victory streak with a 38 second pin against Steven Perkins to kick off their dual against Shenandoah.

Forfeits at 106, 120, 132, 138 and 220 awarded the Panthers 30 points.

At 113, freshman Parsons took down Tyler Babe quickly and found a pin just over a minute into the bout.

The 126 match was paused after Phelps was slammed on his back, needing medical attention. After a few minutes, Phelp rose and continued the match, but was pinned in the third period.

Veteran wrestlers Aragon and Milo Staver struggled against their opponents.

Up 3-2 with 30 seconds left, Aragon and Jacob McGargill circled — McGargill desperate for points. With four seconds remaining, McGargill saw an opening and shot, finding the takedown and the 4-3 decision.

Staver's match began slow, neither finding points until the second period, but a takedown and near fall lent to Owen Laughlin's 6-3 decision over Staver.

"We're a little flat," Downing said. "We were a little uninspired it seemed like at times, but it was kind of a roller coaster Saturday, and then getting back down to weight."

Sophomore Travis filled in for Will Bolinger who was out of the lineup with illness. After battling the full six minutes, Travis came away with the 12-6 decision against Mark Hardy.

Street found himself in overtime against Jayden Dickerson, a situation he has rarely been in as a wrestler. No points were awarded in the first overtime, sending them into two 30-second periods where each got a chance to dictate their starting position.

Beginning down, Street was rolled, Dickerson getting only two seconds of near fall — one second too short to earn points. Street got the reversal, scoring two points. No one scored in the next period, so Street took the overtime win.

Luther had his second win of the night with a pin against Jacob Rystrom in 1:41. The meet concluded with Martwick falling in 8-2 decision against Ethan Richardson.

While not originally scheduled to be wrestled Tuesday, Downing said he thinks the postponed match split up the week prior to the district tournament Saturday.

"I don't know, it just seemed flat tonight," Downing said. "We've got a couple days to fix it."