WRESTLING: Dixon rolls past Rock Falls, defeats Riverdale in triangular

ROCK FALLS – In a dual with six contested matches, Dixon took four and Rock Falls took two on Tuesday at Tabor Gym.

With forfeits at several weight classes, Dixon wound up with the 66-9 win over the Rockets.

Dixon’s Austin Hey pinned Allan Furman in 1:49 in the 138-pound bout. The two wrestlers circled each other on their feet for much of the first period before Hey eventually scored a takedown with 30 seconds left in the period, then got the pin moments later.

At 170 pounds, Dixon’s Quinn Staples pinned Ryan McCord in 1:54. Staples scored a quick takedown, and the only wrinkle in the bout for him was getting called for stalling soon after.

In the 195-pound bout, Dixon’s Mitchell White pinned Dylan Williamson in 1:45. Neither wrestler could get much going until White scored a takedown with 30 seconds left in the first period, then got the pin soon after.

At 220 pounds, Dixon’s Justin Dallas pinned Dontavious Brown in 1:01. Brown actually struck first in that match, getting a takedown 20 seconds in, but Dallas quickly reversed.

“I felt we were near the edge, so I scooted us in toward the mat and then just hit a switch to try to get my two or one point,” Dallas said. “[I was] just finishing the pins. Once they were on their back, they wouldn’t come off. I made sure to squeeze and keep their shoulder blades on the ground.”

In the 145-pound match, Rock Falls’ Marcus Mendoza scored an 8-4 win over Jayce Kastner.

Mendoza scored a quick takedown and, after a Kastner escape, added another takedown.

Mendoza built a 7-1 lead. Kastner turned the tide early in the third with a quick takedown, but couldn’t get Mendoza on his back, and Mendoza escaped late in the third period.

“His condition, he just got out of quarantine, so he’s been bottled up,” Rock Falls coach Chad Williamson said. “So to come out of the gates and to got a full six-minute match and pull it out is good. It’s a positive for us. I look forward to what he can do once he’s in shape.”

Rock Falls’ Payhton Smith pinned Lucas Sheridan in 1:25 at 152 pounds.

“At the first part I was just trying to be aggressive and move him around,” Smith said. “Then he got me in this weird position, I didn’t know what to do; good thing we landed out of bounds.”

The Dukes took forfeits at 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 160 and 182. There was a double forfeit at 285.

Both teams also took on Riverdale.

The Rams beat the Rockets 64-12, with Rock Falls taking a forfeit at 170.

The Rockets (2-5) picked up their lone win in a contested match at 195 pounds, where Dylan Williamson pinned Isaiah Hill in 28 seconds.

“Between [Dixon] and Riverdale, we ran into some really good guys,” coach Williamson said. “We haven’t wrestled teams like that this year yet. I have a couple first-year guys who are new to it. It’s kind of a rude awakening, saw a few things we need to work on that might have worked with some less-experienced guys that they realized that they’ve got to work on to get better against the better guys.”

Dixon (4-1) beat Riverdale 46-34.

Dixon’s Aiden Rowly pinned Tharren Jacobs in 3:26 at 106 pounds. In the 120-pound match, Chris Sitter needed 57 seconds to score a pin for the Dukes. Cade Hey needed 1:09 to pin Corbin Woodworth at 126. White needed 13 seconds to pin Hill at 195.

At 160, Dixon’s Steven Kitzman took a 12-4 major decision over the Rams’ Zack Bradley, scoring a takedown with 33 seconds left to turn the decision into a major. Heading into that match, Dixon trailed 28-18, but those four points, plus forfeits in the next two weight classes at 170 and 182, vaulted the Dukes in front.

“One of the things we were telling him during the match is we wanted to make sure we got the major and get that extra point,” Dixon coach Chris Bishop said. “He’s a freshman, so for him to realize that, and listen to us and pull that off, that always helps with momentum. Some people don’t realize it, but getting that rolling the right way helps out a lot.”

Dallas pinned Shane O’Havor in 38 seconds in the 285 match.

At 220, Ethan Mick faced reigning state champion and future Central Michigan wrestler Bryan Caves, who scored a quick takedown within 10 seconds and pinned Mick in 26 seconds.