By Dan Robelen / WLD
Dexter’s wrestlers squared off against long-time rival and perennial powerhouse Chelsea on Thursday night. At stake was both bragging rights in the rivalry and an SEC championship; a Dexter victory would have produced a three-way tie between Dexter, Chelsea and Tecumseh.
Chelsea brought three returning state qualifiers to the mat at the core of a strong team.Dexter brought its cadre of seniors, including three with 100 career wins, at the backbone of their team.
The Dreadnaughts took the lead early, but Chelsea fought their way back into the contest with their strong middle weights, taking the lead with two matches to go. A pin by Ethan Cameron of Dexter sent the teams into the last match with Dexter leading by two points.
Dexter bumped up their state-qualifier 215-pounder Mark Young to wrestle Chelsea’s state-qualifier heavyweight Josiah Finch. The titans hammered at each other for the full 6 minutes. In the end, Finch came up big with a 9-7 win, and Chelsea won the duel 31-30.
Dexter also wrestled the Lincoln Railsplitters in a repeat of a matchup from the Al Ritt Invitational. Once again, Dexter dominated the contest. The victory brought the Dreadnaught wrestlers’ duel record this season to 18-7.
On Saturday, Dexter closes out the regular season at the Grass Lake Invitational, an individual tournament, looking forward to a good tune-up for the upcoming postseason tournaments.
COVER PHOTO: Kevin Blanchard drives his opponent to the mat.
