The Hillsboro wrestling team opened the season Thursday by coming up short in a tough double dual with Minneapolis and the host team, Halstead.
In the opener, Minnea?po?lis outscored the Trojans 53-18. Hillsboro?s only points came on forfeit wins posted by Jesse Meier at 170 pounds, Levi Mendoza at 180 and Franklin Jost at 220.
The matchup with Halstead was a closer battle, but the host team prevailed, 33-30.
Cody Delk registered Hillsboro?s one win on the mat when he pinned Halstead?s Thomas Smith at 152 pounds. Posting forfeit wins were Jon Carey at 126, Meier, Mendoza and Nathan Simhiser at 195.
?As expected, these opening duals helped give us an early indication of where we stand, as both Halstead and Minneapolis have traditionally had some talented and experienced wrestlers,? coach Scott O?Hare said.
With the help of six freshmen and two sophomores, the Trojans filled 12 of the 14 weight classes. The forfeit wins by Jost and Simhiser were the points scored.
?Although these young guys were unable to pick up any wins, they gained some valuable experience that will serve them well down the road if they learn from it,? O?Hare said.
The other challenge was that the Trojans? more experienced wrestlers had few opponents.
?Neither Jesse Meier nor Levi Mendoza had matches at 170 or 182 pounds and Jon Carey only had one match,? O?Hare said. ?Cody Delk was the only upperclassman in the varsity lineup to have matches in both duals.?
Meanwhile, senior Pres?ton Nelson, wrestling at 160, was leading in his first match when he suffered an injury and was unable to take the mat against Halstead.
O?Hare said he saw some good things from his team, but early-season mistakes were the norm.
?Many of our mistakes were simply due to inexperience and unfamiliarity with some positions, while many problems were due to fundamental mistakes,? he said.
?On a positive note, I felt like overall we battled tough and wrestled hard throughout almost every match,? he added. ?Although in many instances we were simply out-manned, the guys never backed down, and they continued to fight. They just need to gain more experience and more confidence in the things we are trying to teach them.?
Coming?The Trojans will travel to Hesston Satur?day for their first tournament of the season. Matches begin at 9 a.m.
