Prairie Ridge senior Lorenzo Massart remembers cheering on the high school wrestling team when he was with the Junior Wolves.

On Thursday, Massart had a chance to be a role model for several young wrestlers who stomped and applauded from the bleachers as Prairie Ridge faced McHenry in a senior night Fox Valley Conference dual match. Taking on Nate Hunt at 132 pounds, Massart overcame a first-period deficit, snatching takedowns in the second and third periods to win 8-3 as dozens of Junior Wolves chanted his name.

“I definitely heard it during the breaks,” Massart said. “It pumps me up a little more when I know I have the community behind me. I wrestled with the Junior Wolves growing up, and I remember watching the big guys wrestle on the mat. Now, I’m the big guy.”

Massart’s win was one of multiple narrow victories for the Wolves, who rallied from a steep deficit and took five of the final six bouts to edge out the Warriors 36-35. With Prairie Ridge (5-2, 4-2 FVC) trailing 18-6 after four bouts, Massart overcame nerves, scoring seven points across the second and third periods to win his bout.

“I tried to turn the nerves into adrenaline,” Massart said. “I was shaking before my match, but they were good shakes. It shows the work we’re putting in, and we’re working harder than everyone else.”

The Wolves claimed four wins by three points or less on Thursday. A massive victory came at 165, where the gymnasium erupted after Jacob Meade dove for a crucial takedown with roughly six seconds left in the third period to outlast McHenry’s Elian Enciso 11-10. Meade, who trailed 8-5 after two periods, exchanged reversals with Enciso before an escape and a takedown ignited the home crowd.

“I just wanted to keep moving and keep the tempo going,” Meade said. “I couldn’t give up because it was so close of a match. I was just doing what my coaches told me and went for the low ankle. I got it up, and I drove through it. It was such a great feeling.”

Meade’s win sparked a run of five straight for the Wolves, who saw Aiden Rodriguez pin Michael Warren at 175 to give Prairie Ridge a 30-29 lead and its first lead of the night. In a defensive struggle at 190, Prairie Ridge’s Maximo Martinez wrangled the first and only takedown to score a 4-1 overtime victory over DeMarkus Brown.

The Wolves sealed the dual win at 215, where another defensive slugfest between Frank Matviychuk and McHenry’s Henry Mitchell resulted in a 1-0 victory for the Prairie Ridge junior.

The Warriors (6-9, 1-4 FVC) started fast, taking three of the first four bouts. Tyson Rivard snagged a first-period pin against Connor Pease at 113, and Mayson Chacon added a pin of Jackson Costa at 126.

McHenry took its largest lead of the evening after 138-pounder Brayden Oeffling capitalized on a quick third-period takedown to pin Leo Ruiz and put the Warriors ahead 24-9. Oeffling, who led 5-1 after the second period, was one of four pinners for McHenry.

“I did what I’m comfortable with,” Oeffling said. “I took my shots and finished them. I like getting the lead early on in the match and then sticking with it. Staying in control carries through the match.”

At 150, Ryan Johnston collected several bonus points in his bout against Andrew Cioper, grabbing two takedowns and posting three near falls to earn a 18-0 tech fall. It was the first tech fall of the night for either team and gave McHenry a 29-15 lead in the dual.

“I was just looking to get him on his back and get a pin for our team,” said Johnston, who bumped from 144 to 150. “I had to step up a bit for our team since we were missing our 150 today. ... Staying in my underhooks and controlling the center were my big goals for that match. My leg attacks were not there and I had to go upper body, but that’s what I’m good at.”

Tymen Robinson (106) and Eli Ruiz (144) each had pins for Prairie Ridge, which will return to action for a quadrangular meet at Maine West on Saturday. Marc Walsh (285) closed out the dual with a pin of Bernardo Tavares Vigilato for the Warriors, who will host Metea Valley for a nonconference dual Friday evening.

Prairie Ridge’s Matt Moritz (157) and McHenry’s Ian McDonnell (120) took forfeits.