It was an opening night of mixed emotions for the Boone Central wrestling team.
Hosting a #1 rated squad in the season opener is always a tough assignment. When your roster is shorthanded – six open weight classes – the odds become daunting.
Despite a 54-27 loss to top-ranked David City Aquinas Thursday, Boone Central wrestling coach Josh Majerus was pleased with the way his team competed, noting that the Cardinals won more matches contested on the mat than they lost.
“The wrestlers did well against #1 Aquinas … giving up 36 points with opens in a dual is going to be hard,” Majerus said. “The guys who filled our spots wrestled well. It would have been interesting to see who wins this dual with our actual roster and a healthy team.
“Gavin Mauch started our team fire with a come-from-behind 2-12 pin in the first match of the night. That was awesome. We did not see any quit in him as he got the team rolling. Nice to see a freshman step up like he did.
“In actual matchups, we were 4-3 on the night. The guys will now see some tough Class B schools at the Blair Duals.”
After facing #1 Aquinas in the 2022 season-opener Thursday, Boone Central went on the road for another tough assignment at the Blair Duals Friday.
Battling predominately Class B competition, the Cardinals – with only nine wrestlers available – finished 1-4 in their five duals. Several Boone wrestlers had impressive days, however, as Carson Wood, Sam Grape, Hank Hudson and Thomas Roberts all finished the competition with 4-1 records. Grape won his 100th high school career match.
“We did not wrestle to our level and had a rough beginning to the season,” said Cardinal Coach Josh Majerus. “It was nice to see where we stand, we got some mat experience for some freshmen, and we got to see Class B talent we won’t see again.
“We have low numbers, kids out sick and not to weight in turn. We’re giving up a lot of open weights and it can be hard to catch up on points from the team standpoint.”
Complete Cardinal results in Print & Online editions of Albion News/Boone County Tribune
