The Helias Crusaders were in full support of their teammate.
Nick Feely of the Crusaders was wrestling Grant Maledy of Rock Bridge at 220 pounds Friday night in the Missouri Duals at Rackers Fieldhouse. And when Feely picked up the win by fall, essentially clinching the dual win for Helias, the Crusaders went into full celebration mode.
"Nick is great, I cannot coach him without having a smile on my face," Helias coach Jacob Wadley said. "He loves the sport so much."
The win keyed a 47-34 victory for the Crusaders, who went 1-1 on the opening night of the tournament. And while getting the win was important to Wadley, he was more impressed with how the Crusaders got the victory.
"We're starting to get into the next phase of learning," he said. "We're making a mistake, but now they know what they did wrong without being told by a coach. They're self-correcting and that's progress."
Three Crusaders finished with 2-0 records.
At 106, Nick Gaines ended the Rock Bridge dual with a win by fall.
"He's had a lot of impressive wins," Wadley said. "He continues to show he's for real in every match. You're not going to rattle him, he's going to wait for his opportunities."
Gaines, who got his other win by forfeit, is off to a great start in his freshman season.
"Some kids have that drive, that ability to overcome the circumstance he's in and look toward the prize and keep pressing on," Wadley said.
At 113, Slater Schrimpf won by a decision and by technical fall.
"He's a kid that's going to continue to fight and get better," Wadley said. "He's a great verbal leader at practice, he's always pushing the pace during the drills."
It appears the Crusaders have a potent 1-2 punch in the lower weights with Gaines and Schrimpf.
"They're only going to make each other better all year long," Wadley said.
The other undefeated Crusader was Nate Jones at 182, who won twice by forfeit.
Helias dropped a 43-37 decision to Oakville in its opening dual.
Action is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. today.