Boone Central concluded the pre-holiday portion of its schedule on a high note Dec. 20, edging host West Point-Beemer 42-36 in a dual that had been previously postponed.
The competition seesawed throughout. A pair of open weight forfeits by Boone allowed West Point-Beemer to erase a 12-18 deficit and go up 24-18 midway through the lineup. After the Cardinals tied on Gavin Mauch’s pin, a West Point-Beemer pin at 120 and another Boone open weight at 126 gave the Cadets the largest lead of the dual by either team (36-24).
With three matches remaining, Boone did exactly what was needed to triumph. Carson Wood (132) and Tracy Perez (138) stuck consecutive opponents to again knot the score, and with the team decision on the line, senior Jaxon Schafer – one of the Cards’ best and most-experienced wrestlers – pinned Fernando Ruiz in 1:39 for the win.
A clutch performance that pleased Boone Central Coach Josh Majerus.
“It was a good dual. We gave up some opens that kept the score closer than it actually was,” Majerus commented. “The boys wrestled well. We lost a few matches that were close, which is disappointing, but overall we did our thing. When you give up weight classes you can expect duals to be close.
“Colton Ray upsetting the #7 kid in the state helps win close duals. It was nice to see him turn on the switch and get it done. We feel good about where we stand going into the moratorium.”
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