Despite giving up a take down and a near fall in the first period, Crystal Lake Central freshman Daniel Zuehlke refused to give up.

Facing McHenry’s Brayden Oeffling during a Fox Valley Conference dual between the Tigers and Warriors on Friday night, Zuehlke was down 7-0, but a key escape led to a quick takedown-to-near-fall combination. In control late in the first period, Zuehlke emerged with a pin, one of five recorded by the Crystal Lake Central side.

“After that first takedown, I knew I had to stay calm, get out and work my offense in neutral,” Zuehlke said. “It’s a big win since he’s older than me and I know I can come out and beat older people. Our team morale is really good. We have good leaders on the team.”

Zuehlke, whose win came at 138 pounds, helped the Tigers take down the Warriors 56-20 and remain unbeaten through two FVC duals. The dual started at 120, where Jackson Marlett received a forfeit before Crystal Lake Central’s Dylan Ramsey displayed his offensive arsenal, snagging six takedowns and showing a nice reversal in his 20-5 technical fall over Wyatt Stewart at 126.

“I think everyone really appreciates the win and we’re hoping to keep going,” Ramsey said. “I worked my shots and stayed out of ties as much as possible, even though I like them, since they haven’t been working out recently. I’m really good at takedowns.”

Brandon Carbone pinned Nate Hunt at 132 and Zuehlke’s rally at 138 gave Crystal Lake Central (2-0, 2-0 FVC) a 23-0 lead in the dual. McHenry (3-4, 0-2 FVC) answered when Ryan Johnston wrangled two near falls and a nifty reversal during his 17-0 technical fall against Daniel Snow to win the 144-pound bout.

A short-handed McHenry roster conceded forfeits to Nick Marchese and Nate Kozlowski at 150 and 157, putting the Tigers ahead 35-5 before Nick Zuehlke earned a first-period pin against Robert Davis at 165. With the Warriors needing a win, Nolan Simonton went the full six minutes to score an 8-1 decision over Ethan Stroh at 175.

Patrick Martin delivered the dual-clinching victory for the Tigers, building a 7-0 lead over Andrew Arreaga before locking down the win with a second-period pin at 190. Martin’s pin sparked a string of three straight wins for the Tigers, who saw Jack Kassner defeat Demarcus Brown at 215 and Logan Gough pin Marc Walsh at 285.

While the Warriors were unable to rally back, McHenry ended the dual in strong fashion. Max Ersler, who came within inches of being pinned at 106, flipped the script against Crystal Lake Central’s Colton Legan. Down 10-2, Ersler worked for a third-period pin.

“It was pretty rough at the start, but I thought I turned things around,” Ersler said. “I was still going in the third period and I still had energy. I kept working. It was a big confidence builder because even though we were down, it was a good end to the night.”

Tyson Rivard closed out the dual with a dominant display against Jair Viveros at 113. Rivard snatched a pair of quick takedowns and landed a first-period pin to give the Warriors the final bout victory. Crystal Lake Central will pick up wrestling action at Yorkville on Saturday, while McHenry will travel south to Plainfield North.

“I kept my composure during the match and I kept his leg,” Rivard said. “Our team is a pretty young team, but I think we’re doing pretty good so far. I think we’ll do well for the rest of the season.”