GILBERT — The Woodward-Granger wrestlers won eight of the 13 contested matches Tuesday to post a 39-31 win over Gilbert in a non-conference dual.
“This is the reason I coach,” W-G head coach Dave Smeltzer said. “We lost to Gilbert 45-24 at the beginning of the season, even with them forfeiting (six points) at 152 (pounds). Tonight we straight-up beat them (W-G forfeited away six points at 113). This shows how much wrestling the tough competition we have seen is making us better physically and mentally.”
The dual started at 106 pounds, where Hunter Pierce (25-13) gave W-G a quick 6-0 lead by pinning Nate Vander Werff in just 29 seconds.
W-G forfeited at 113, with a loss by fall and a major decision giving Gilbert a 16-6 lead before Jayden Dorenkamp (12-22) came up with an 11-6 decision against Eric Davis at 132 pounds, with Cole Carman’s (19-18) 6-5 win over Brock Harris trimming the Hawk deficit to 16-12.
A Sudden Victory I win at 145 put the Gilbert lead at 19-12, but Austin Scharlau (29-10) pinned John Howell in 5:40 at 152 and Cole Pritchett (12-19) nailed Russell Jennett in 4:53 at 160 to move W-G into a 24-19 advantage, a margin that grew to 27-19 after Aaron Sperling was a Sudden Victory I 7-5 winner over Roldan Miller at 170.
“My boys wrestled with a lot of heart tonight,” Smeltzer said. “All I ask of them is to keep after it for six minutes, win or lose — to leave it all on the mat knowing you gave it your all — and it showed tonight as they did that exact thing.”
Fourth-ranked Tanner Vermaas improved to 31-1 by pinning Aiden Carr in 1:07, with Cole Fisher moving to 31-5 by putting Jacob Torresi’s shoulders to the mat in 54 seconds. The two pins moved the score to 39-19 and assured the Hawks of victory, which they claimed despite losses by fall at both 220 and 285.
“We are peaking at the right time,” Smeltzer concluded. “We have wrestled some of the toughest competition in the state and been beat up, but we keep battling and finding ways to win.”
W-G will hit the mats Saturday at the Interstate-35 Tournament in Truro. The Hawks will join ADM and Perry for a quadrangular at Boone Tuesday before competing Jan. 28 at the AC/GC Tournament.
