By OLIVER GOOD

Staff writer

Marion Wrestlers started their season off with a big “W,” taking first out of eight teams Friday at the Burlington dual tournament after winning a three-way tiebreaker.

Coach Chad Adkins said there were three criteria by which Marion won the tie.

“Our guys scored the most points, we had the least points scored against us, and we had the most falls [wins against opponents] as a team,” Adkins said.

However, even with a team victory, there were several matches Marion should have won, he said.

Senior Kyle Palic — who’s anticipated to wrestle at state this year in the 220-pound weight class — had a 4-1 record for the evening, but lost in an unusual way attempting to pin a Central Heights opponent.

“Kyle was winning 14-1,” Adkins said. “He had the kid on his back with a cradle, but the ref said Kyle settled through to his back and awarded his opponent a defensive pin. That sort of thing doesn’t happen very often.”

Assistant coach Andy Hansen further explained the ruling, stating that the Central Heights wrestler arched his back into Kyle, making it a valid defensive pin.

“The loss afforded Kyle a lighthearted lesson and it really showed his maturity,” Hansen said. “Afterward he told me, ‘we can always learn more.’”

Another state favorite, senior Adam Janzen went 4-1, losing only to a 182-pound Central Heights opponent, who was ranked fourth in the state at 195 pounds in the preseason.

“Adam wrestled a solid match against the guy, he only lost by one, he just gave up five points early on,” Adkins said.

He also noted that freshman Tyler Palic pinned many of his opponents at 195 pounds for a 4-1 tournament record, while freshman 145-pounder Corbin Wheeler also logged a 4-1 record defeating several older challengers.

“As a team we wrestled really hard and really aggressive,” Adkins said. “There were some guys who could have wrestled better than they did, and that’s all right because it gives us things to work on.”