Two duals, but just 12 total matches.
The Helias Crusaders tried to make the best of a short night Thursday at Rackers Fieldhouse.
“Two conference duals out of the way, but you just wish you could get more matches against bigger schools like this,” Helias coach Weston Keleher said after the Crusaders posted big victories against the Battle Spartans and Rock Bridge Bruins in Central Missouri Activities Conference action.
The Crusaders made some lineup adjustments in an attempt to get wrestlers at least one match.
“We had to move some kids around to give them some opportunities,” Keleher said.
Helias opened against Battle, posting a 75-3 victory. Helias won four matches by fall, all in the first period, one by decision and eight by forfeit.
Three of the wins by fall came via cradles.
“It’s something we work on a lot in the room, it’s part of our basic program,” Keleher said.
Winning by fall for the Crusaders were Justin Wieberg at 138 pounds, Ben Holee at 144, Aleksandr Careaga at 150 and Brady Fann at 175.
Winning by decision for Helias was Bryce Allen at 285, taking a 2-1 victory.
Action rolled right into the dual against Rock Bridge, with Helias posting a 69-9 victory.
The Crusaders picked up another eight wins by forfeit to go along with three falls and one decision.
Winning by fall for the Crusaders were Evan Dunn at 120 (2:19), Eli Homan at 165 (1:30) and Fann at 175 (1:35).
Alex Wieberg had the win by decision for the Crusaders at 126. Trailing 2-1 and starting in the up position at the start of the third period, Wieberg got two near-fall points just :20 into the period to take a 3-2 lead. He got three near-fall points later in the period to take a 6-2 victory.
“He gave himself a chance,” Keleher said. “He kept wrestling, didn’t get down.”
Blaine Curtis dropped a 7-2 decision at 157 for Helias. The freshman battled off of his back in the early going of the second period to help send the match to the distance.
“We’ve had struggles with getting pinned this year and we’ve made a big emphasis on stopping that from happening,” Keleher said. “I was proud of what he did.”
It was Helias’ first action after the Christmas break.
“We got healthy and that was tough because there was a lot of illness going around,” Keleher said. “We had to miss a couple of days we’d normally have practiced.”
Battle and Rock Bridge did not wrestle each other Thursday after they met Tuesday in Columbia.
There were no JV matches Thursday. Helias and Battle wrestled three exhibition matches, with the Crusaders finishing 3-0.
Helias is back in action Saturday in the All-Catholic Duals hosted by C.B.C. in St. Louis.
“We’re looking to get some more confidence against some great competition,” Keleher said. “It’s a chance for us to grow as a team.”
Action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.