CANTON, Feb. 1 — Short on bodies due to illnesses, the Canton High wrestling team gave up 30 points before the first match began thanks to five forfeits in a 54-29 loss to defending NCCC champion Avon.
On the mat, Canton actually outscored the Falcons, 29-24 with four pins and a tech fall. Would Canton have won all five bouts if they had been held? It’s hard to say. The only thing for sure is that Avon had a 30-point advantage this evening.
Canton’s Rich Jones (160) earned his team-leading 26th win with his victory over Avon’s Ryan Pearson but he had to work for it. Pearson got the first two takedowns of the match to take a 4-1 lead. Late in the first period, Pearson turned Jones to his back to take a 8-3 lead. But Jones (26-2) rallied to tie the match at 8-8 and pin Pearson in 2:18.
Canton’s Steve Carpenter (125) improved to 23-2 with a first period pin while teammate Nate Getler (135) improved to 22-2 with a pin in less than a minute. Matt Grisevich (130) also had a pin and raised his record to 20-5. Matt White (119) won by technical fall to raise his record to 18-2.
The Warriors (6-15, 1-4 NCCC) actually had an 18-0 lead after three matches but forfeited five of the final 11 bouts and won one of the remaining six matches. Avon improved to 16-4 on the year and 5-0 in the league.
Girls Volleyball
Canton spikers drop a 5-set marathon to Suffield
Cross Country
Avon runners finish in top 10 at CCC championship meet
