In front of an energetic home crowd, the Carmi-White County Wrestling team won their home opener in dramatic fashion, battling Mt. Carmel to a 41–41 tie before ultimately being declared the winner on criteria. The decisive factor came down to total pins, with the Bulldogs recording five to Mt. Carmel’s four, giving the home team the victory.
The night started strong for the Bulldogs at the lower weights. At 106, Gage Anderson put the team on the board with a forfeit win. freshman Dylan Combs followed with an impressive performance at 113, dominating his match with a 20–2 technical fall. At 126, Kenny Clark kept the momentum rolling, securing a first-period pin to extend the early lead.
Mt. Carmel stormed back, however, taking control by winning the next five matches to build a 35–17 advantage. With the dual in danger of slipping away, the Bulldogs began their comeback at 165 pounds. Cole Evans sparked the rally with a crucial third-period pin right at the edge of the mat, trimming the deficit to 35–23.
At 175, Branson Burnett wasted no time, needing just 17 seconds to flatten his opponent and pull the Bulldogs within six. At 190, senior Nolan Aud delivered under pressure, earning a third-period fall to tie the match at 35–35.
Laeden Vargas gave the Bulldogs their first lead since early in the night with a first-period pin at 215, pushing the score to 41–35. A forfeit at 285 evened the dual at 41, setting up the criteria decision. When the officials tallied the numbers, the Bulldogs’ five pins proved to be the difference-maker.
The Bulldogs will be back at home on Thursday night as they host Harrisburg.