Highland Slams Bountiful On Senior Night

In a come from behind victory, the Highland Rams defeated the Bountiful Wrestling team by a score of 45-30, sending the team home smiling in their last home match of the year.

The Rams got out to a quick 12-0 lead after a forfeit in the first weight class which was coupled by a victory by Jason Lavato in the 113 lb weight class.  The Braves came right back at the Rams, defeating as well as pinning both Isaiah Gonzalez and Jonathan Dominguez.  The Braves also picked up some free points off a forfeit, and after the first six weight classes the Rams were in the hole, 24-12.

However, that’s when the tide began to turn for the Rams.  Senior star Ben Berg (in a Superman-esque maneuver), scooped up his opponent and slammed him to the mat directly on his back, and then proceed to immediately pin the Bountiful wrestler.  This was all done in the first several seconds of the first round, and the Bountiful wrestler almost didn’t know what had happened to him.  This pin put the the Rams within six points, with the overall score being 24-18 for the Braves.

Bountiful then bounced back with Braves’ wrestler Hunter Brown pinning Highland’s Taten Sykes in the second round of the 152 lb weight class to extend the lead to 30-18.  However little did the Braves know that this was the last weight class they would win all night.

In the 160 lb weight class, Gabe Diaz looked to defeat the Braves’ Gage Mele.  In the first round Mele dominated Diaz, almost pinning him.  Diaz however was able to evade the pin long enough for the first round’s time to expire.  Diaz then rallied in the second round, reversing a pin attempt on Mele, to end the second round, 8-8.  Diaz was then able to preform a takedown on Mele, putting the final score at 10-8 in favor of Diaz, which also pulled the Rams within 9 points of the Braves.

Regarding this key point in the match, senior captain Lilo Clark said, “Gabe was one of the guys who I felt like, it being senior night, really put everything he had into it.  The younger kids definitely had him to look up to tonight.”

After the 160 lb weight class, it was all Ws for the Rams with Paul Clark, Gerardo Vargas, and Ezra Dunford beating their opponents, as well as some free points from Lilo’s 195 lb weight class.  These four straight weight classes reversed the score on the Braves, putting the Rams up 39-30.

The cherry on top of the dual, was in the very last weight class, senior Mason Netzler was able to pin his opponent in the opening seconds of the first round.  This capped a sweep of the higher weight classes for the Rams, ending the dual with a final victorious score of 45-30.

“It was real important, this has been a good group of seniors and we want to send them out with a win,” head coach Ted Serier said.   It was nice to beat Bountiful, they beat us last year in a tight one, so it’s nice to get the double whammy and beat them back and do it for our seniors.”

The Rams have their final dual of the regular season @ Ogden before turning their gaze to the postseason, which begins Wednesday, January 25th.