Brent Yule’s head coaching debut with the St. Clair wrestling squad was a success.
Opening the season Tuesday at home against Herculaneum, the Bulldogs won six of the 10 contested matches and nine overall in a 53-24 victory.
“It’s good to start the season with a win. We’re a little out of shape, but that’s expected this time of the year,” Yule said. “Our young guys did a good job. The kids in the lighter weight classes got us off to a nice start.”
St. Clair’s winners in contested matches were:
• 113 — Kris Heembrock pinned Jimmy Pyle-McGlynn in 50 seconds;
• 120 — Ethan Koenig pinned Devin Small in 57 seconds;
• 132 — Austin Koenig pinned Jordan Freeman in 3:53;
• 138 — Andrew Malin won by technical fall over Daniel Evans, 20-5;
• 170 — Dustin Conner pinned Steven McMeans in 34 seconds; and
• 220 — Matt Gordon pinned Logan Drysdale in 1:07.
“Andrew Malin did a nice job. It was his first wrestling match. He didn’t seem nervous. It was good to get him some varsity experience,” Yule said. “Matt Gordon is back on the team and looked good. He’s a leader for us and really helps his younger teammates. I expect good things from him this year.”
Winning by forfeit for the Bulldogs were Chris Algiere (126), Guy Hopper (145) and Jarred Dingley (195).
Herculaneum’s winners in contested matches were:
• 152 — Cole White pinned Dylon Nappier in 4:58;
• 160 — Nick Maxwell pinned Hayden Norton in 1:26; and
• 182 — Nico Brown pinned Stephen George in 1:10.
Winning by forfeit for the Blackcats was Tyler Partney (285).
Both teams were open at 106 pounds.
“Now that we have the season started, we can work from here and evaluate the kids who did compete,” Yule said. “We’re looking forward to getting better as a team and hopefully having a good season.”
