CARTHAGE, Mo. — The Carthage boys wrestling team battled hard but came up short in a non-conference dual meet against Columbus on Thursday night, falling by a final score of 46-30.
Despite the loss, several Tigers delivered standout performances with pins and key victories that kept Carthage competitive throughout the evening.
Leighton Butterworth got the night started strong at 106 pounds with a forfeit victory, giving the Tigers an early 6-0 lead.
At 113 pounds, Kixson Reynolds exploded for one of the quickest finishes of the match, securing a pin in just 1:17 over Carlson Britt to extend the Carthage advantage.
The momentum shifted as Columbus responded with a string of dominant wins, including a technical fall at 120 pounds and a fast fall at 126 pounds.
Carthage answered back at 138 pounds when Douglas Ball turned in a highlight-reel performance, pinning Kai Langerot in 1:56 to bring some energy back to the Tigers' side.
The most exciting moment for Carthage fans came at 175 pounds, where Lenny Escobar battled to a hard-fought pin over Dane Merrick in 3:09, one of the longest finishes of the night.