Panthers tack on two more dual wins in Lone Tree quad

The Pekin Panthers traveled to Lone Tree on January 17 for a quad wrestling meet followed by a rare weekend of no competition. The Panthers added on two more wins to the season after beating Lone Tree and Waco but lost to Washington to finish second on the night.

Pekin 60, Lone Tree 6

The Panthers blitzed past the out-matched and out-numbered Lions with the home team only sending three guys to compete against Pekin. Hunter Conger (160 lbs.) started things off for Pekin by picking up five early points and holding his opponent scoreless through the first period. Conger continued to dominate in the second period, picking up an early reversal for two more points and shortly after, pinning his opponent for a decisive win. Following a couple forfeit wins, Mason Juhl (195 lbs.) was able to take control early and kept the momentum rolling. Tim Mills of LT tried to escape the grip of Juhl by getting outside the circle to reset but Juhl would have none of it, pulling him back in and finishing the move with a pin.

Washington 48, Pekin 30

The Panthers were in for a much bigger test when they faced the Demons next with only four weight classes open between the two squads. Tanner Bainbridge (170 lbs.) was given six points due a forfeit but Washington would get those points back by beating Logan Kealey (182 lbs.) in the second period. Kealey brought the energy, but his opponent exceeded that, putting Kealey in a 12-4 hole after the end of the first period. That momentum gained by Washington continued into the second with an early pin. Juhl had a similar fate, keeping things close until being pinned late in the first. A forfeit by Pekin at the 220-pound weight class had the Demons up 24-6 early in their dual.

Pekin 41, Waco 28

The Panthers managed to close out the night with a win, taking second place at the quad when they faced Waco for the second time in the same week with the Warriors hosting their Invitational the Saturday prior. Pekin took the first four matches due to forfeit and Waco took one back from forfeit before earning a win over Black in a match that went the distance. Black was outmatched, going down 2-0 in the first, 4-0 in the second and held out for a 7-1 loss as the third period wound down. Waco rattled off three more wins over Frescoln, Jones and Hill before Hammes cruised for a 17-0 mid-decision. Huber ended up getting pinned and then Earnest bounced back with a quick takedown and pin over Brice Crawford. Conger followed that up with a pin midway through the first and the Panthers won the final six points due to forfeit to win a close one 41-28.

Read the full recap, including coach's comments, in this week's edition of the News-Review.