FULTON — The regular wrestling season concluded in Fulton on Thursday with a 46-24 win over Ashton-Franklin-Center and a 37-29 loss to the host Steamers in the last dual meet of the year. The Oregon team in Fulton featured several junior varsity wrestlers due to injury and illness, but head coach Brian Kaskavage felt his team could have won against Fulton.

“When we started, I thought we would get through with the younger wrestlers, but a couple of matches did not go the way we thought,” said Kaskavage. “By the time we were down at the end we didn’t have any more choices. Greene (freshman wrestler Kevin Greene) kept us in position to win, but Thomas (Lee) needed to tech or pin, and his guy was too tough. At full strength, we beat them easy, but we were missing some good wrestlers.”

Oregon jumped out to a 28-0 lead on AFC starting with a 10-4 win by Thomas Lee, an escape and takedown in the third sealing the deal. Against Jordan Lahman, 140 pounder Mikey Brink was tied at two after regulation in an action packed match. In overtime, the Oregon junior hit a high crotch and took Lahman to his back for a 7-2 win. After a forfeit to Brandon Sklavanitis at 145, Nick Gallardo added five takedowns to an arm bar in the first period to take a 14-2 major decision and forfeits to John Brink at 160 and Nigel Krueger at 171 put the Hawks 28-0. Then the Raiders made a run with three straight pins. Justin Bennett lost a wing and a power half in 47 seconds, Jake Ferencak had a nice escape but lost a throw at 1:28, and Colby Dace got driven to his back in 36 seconds.

Up by 10, Oregon numbers took over and forfeits to Rickey Rowe and Bailey Hoover gave the Hawks an insurmountable 40-18 lead. Mahali Granados had all kinds of chances in the 119 pound match, but he went too far on some of his moves and ended up losing 18-15 in an exciting match. At 125, Douglas Shaw caught a wing and reloaded it at 1:40. The meet ended with Austin Carr wrestling tough to the wire, only to have a 2-2 tie broken by a penalty point at the final buzzer and lose 3-2.

The Fulton meet started at 140 and Mikey Brink getting roughed up in a 17-2 technical fall at 3:11, but Joey Diehl stepped up with a little roughness of his own, scoring two nearfalls in the first period and another on a takedown to the back in a half nelson at 3:14 to tie the score with an 18-3 tech. Sklavanitis hit four takedowns before he took his opponent over the front at 1:24 to put Oregon up by six, but the lead was reduced to two when Robert Barnhart lost a 15-5 major decision, his points coming on a second period reverse to the back. Krueger built up an 11-3 lead midway through the third period; but had to fight off his back after a late reversal to preserve a three point win. It was 14-9 Hawks, but the Steamers would take the lead in the next match. Bennett lost a cradle in 43 seconds and Fulton extended the lead in the 215 pound match. Ferencak fought hard and escaped from a cradle in the third but lost a late takedown to seal his fate in a tough 10-7 loss. The Hawks were down by 10 after Dace got pinned in a chicken wing at the first period buzzer in the 285 pound match.

The next match pretty much did Oregon in. Rowe came from behind and took the lead with a reverse in the third period, but he lost a takedown with a minute left. Neither wrestler could score down the stretch. The next score was a lost escape as the second overtime ended. In his efforts to reverse in the next extra stanza, Rowe went to his back and was pinned at 7:46 to stretch the Fulton lead to 16..

The Hawks mounted a comeback effort starting with Hoover who had a butcher for two points and a half for a pin at 3:51 to cut the difference to ten. Granados picked up a forfeit and Shaw fought his way to a 12-9 win, a cradle at the start of the third and a switch with two seconds left giving him the win. Just one point down, Oregon needed wins. It wouldn’t happen. At 130, Kevin Greene could only keep the Hawks in range, fighting off his back twice, but losing a 9-0 major and the meet ended with Lee losing an escape in the second and a reversal in the third to go down 3-0.

In JV action, John Brink hit the turk five times and a headlock to take a 17-2 technical fall at 3:42. Half nelsons in every period propelled Carr to a 14-0 major and Diehal had three takedowns before he threw on a hard half at 4:19.