The Heritage wrestling team hosted a big shindig Wednesday night.
“It’s like hosting a house party,” Heritage senior Marcus Hendrickson said. “You have to set up and clean up, but you’re comfortable in your home.”
This party was a four-team, double-double dual.
Heritage took on Skyview on one mat, while Evergreen and Union faced off on the other mat. Later in the night, Heritage battled Union, while Evergreen and Skyview competed.
Each team in the Class 4A Greater St. Helens League is hosting one of these double-double duals this season after changes in the wrestling rules increased the number of matches for each individual.
Starting this season, athletes can wrestle 45 times, up from 33 in the past.
The catch? Each wrestling team still only has 16 dates to schedule those matches.
“We had to figure out a way to fit more matches into the same amount of dates,” Heritage coach Zane Freschette said.
By scheduling a double-double, that’s two matches in one night instead of the traditional single match for one dual.
“Most wrestlers prefer it,” Freschette said, adding there is a lot of preparation for a match day. “To wrestle one match sometimes is kind of a letdown.”
Evergreen hosted a double-double earlier this month.
“It went pretty well,” Evergreen coach Mark Castle said, adding that there are still things that need to be worked out if this is going to turn into the norm.
At Evergreen, there were more junior varsity athletes than anticipated, and not a lot of room for those JV matches and their fans.
At Heritage on Wednesday, there was no announcer, so it could get confusing as to who was on which mat. At one point, there was a varsity match on one mat on the main floor and a JV match on the other mat.
Those things can be corrected, the coaches said. And there are plenty of benefits to the double-double.
“It makes for a great environment,” Castle said. “More guys wrestling is always better for the sport.”
While one wrestler noted that the double duals can be annoying because they take so long, Hendrickson said most wrestlers love this format.
He appreciates the team aspect of duals, noting that weekend tournaments are designed more for individual feats. With duals, he said, teammates are on the sideline cheering each other on for the duration. To get to do that twice in the same night is special.
“It’s always great to wrestle more, to get mat time,” Hendrickson said. “It’s great to see everybody.”
Evergreen’s Andrew Lonero picked up two 4A GSHL pins in one night.
“I like it because it allows you to have more wrestling time,” Lonero, a junior, said.
Wrestling fans get a bargain, too.
“There’s always something to watch,” Hendrickson said. “You come to one spot and see four schools. It’s a big attraction when four schools get together.”
“It’s good for the parents,” Lonero said. “Instead of coming to see only one dual, they can see two.”
On this night, fans got to see two Union victories. The Titans beat Evergreen 62-15 and topped Heritage 55-17. Skyview beat Heritage 55-24.
And in the dual that ended last, well, it ended in a tie. Evergreen 30, Skyview 30. (Evergreen won the tiebreaker.)
Four teams. Four matches. Three winners. One tie.
And a whole lot of wrestling for a Wednesday night.
