Wrestlers ?Takedown Cancer? and Fairfield

By Matt Bryant

The Washington and Fairfield wrestling teams and fans did their part to ?Takedown Cancer? Thursday night at Washington High School. The annual ?Takedown Cancer? event helps to raise awareness, and some money, for cancer prevention.

Then the Demons took down Fairfield 59-12 to notch the first conference win of the season.

Matt Collett started hot at 106 pounds with a fall in the final six seconds of the match over Cohyn Roach. The Trojans responded at 112 pounds.

?Matt Collett came out right away and got a win for us, so that was good,? said Washington wrestling Coach Brent Van Weelden. ?He got the dual going in our favor.?

Fairfield?s Jonah Cooper came out fast and pinned Washington?s Brennan Murphy in 1:55. After two matches, the team score was 6-6. Washington then took control with an insurmountable run.

At 120 pounds Demon Walker Ikerd controlled his match with Gannon Courtright throughout. With a commanding lead heading into the final minute, Ikerd turned Courtright as time expired to earn two near fall points and a 16-0 tech fall victory.

The Demons continued the scoring with back-to-back pins. Brandon Dickel fired early and recorded a 36-second pin over Brody Angstead at 126 pounds. Dillan Sanders followed at 132 with a stick of his own as time was about to expire in the second period against Fairfield?s Mason Allen.

Washington?s Garrett Ikerd won a 6-2 decision over Zach Barnes at 138. Despite the close score, Ikerd controlled much of the match. Barnes spent the final minute fighting from his back to avoid the fall.

?Garret Ikerd won a good match. The Barnes kid is a pretty decent kid so I was proud to see that.?? Van Weelden said.

Van Weelden continued, ?Kiowa Keith won a good match for us.?

To close out the first half of the dual, Keith, 145 pounds, fought off a late attack by Saban Simons and held on for a 6-4 decision. Washington led 29-6 at the break.

David Hora?s bout went back and forth with the Trojans Payton Cline, 152. The two took an 11-9 scuffle into the final minute when Hora threw Cline to his back. The fall came 1:24 into the third period.

Caleb Heisel put Fairfield back into the win column, but it took extra time to do it. Tied at the end of regulation, 5-5, with Dylan Farmer at 160 pounds, Heisel scored the take down in sudden victory to end the match.

Fairfield forfeited the 170-pound dual.

Two more Demon first period pins by Collin Murphy and Logan Escher, and another forfeit by the Trojans at 220 pounds ushered in the final match of the night.

Fairfield?s Brendon Lunsford locked up with Mitchell Huisenga in a prototypical heavyweight battle. In the end, Lunsford walked away with a 1-0 victory.

?Overall I think our kids wrestled pretty tough. Hats off to Fairfield, they came ready to wrestle with a lot of young kids so they are building for the future. They came and gave some of our upper classmen so good go?s.,? finished Van Weelden. ?Glad to be 1-0 in the conference.?

The Demons travel to the Mt. Vernon tournament on Saturday.