CHEYENNE – Jonus Aragon knew he needed to avenge his loss from almost a month ago.
The Cheyenne East 126-pounder lost to Sheridan’s Dylan Goss in their previous matchup, but Aragon rallied from an early deficit and picked up a pin in 3 minutes, 40 seconds in Friday night’s dual between East and Sheridan.
Aragon was one of four East wrestlers to secure a victory in the dual as the Thunderbirds fell to the Broncs, 42-18.
“I knew I had to get him, we were low on score,” Aragon said. “… (Since I lost the last time), it was my time to put him down … it was all mental.”
Goss scored two takedowns in the first period took a 4-2 lead into the second. Aragon bounced back in the second period, found his position and secured the pin.
“You could kind of see a switch where he thought he could win the match,” East coach Thad Trujillos said. “Once he was able to get in position to score a takedown you could see his confidence carry over.”
It was a slight improvement for East, who fell to the Broncs 52-18 on Jan. 9. There were closer matches and more intensity coming from the T-Birds this time around.
“You don’t feel good about a 42-18 defeat,” Trujillo said. “But, at the same time we closed the gap on some of the same kids that we wrestled and saw a definite improvement.”
Seth Scott picked up his first varsity win for the T-Birds. The 152-pounder got out to an early 2-0 lead over Rudy Osborne before Osborne tied it with a takedown.
Scott scored on two escapes and then found some momentum in the third period when Osborne went for a single-leg takedown and Scott was able to take advantage of his defense and earned five near-fall points, just as the match neared its end, to earn the 9-2 decision victory.
“I didn’t take a lot of shots, but I feel like my defense won me that match,” Scott said. “I didn’t quite get the pin, but that was a good experience.”
Bradley Whitwright picked up a win for East by pinning Jim Stroobe in 5:02 at 195 pounds, and 160-pounder Jackson Hesford notched East’s other win against Sheridan with a 8-7 decision over Colson Coon.
The T-Birds also dropped their second dual of the day in a 43-27 loss to Worland. Scott was the only East wrestler to go 2-0 over the two duals, winning his second match with a pin.
285-pounder Gavyn Miller and 145-pounder Cade Pugh also won by falls against Worland.
East hosts Campbell County and Thunder Basin on the mat today as they look to bounce back.
“We just have to keep working as a team,” Aragon said. “It’s all about this team mentality.”
SHERIDAN 42, EAST 18
WORLAND 43, EAST 27
106 pounds: A. Ronnau 0-2; 113: Ben. Whitwright 0-2; 120: Trujillo 0-2; 126: Aragon 1-1; 132: Anderson 0-2; 138: Mead 1-1; 145: Pugh 1-1; 152: Scott 2-0; 160: Hesford 1-1; 170: Lawrence 0-2; 182: Bartlett 1-1; 195: Br. Whitwright 1-1; 220: Bower 1-1; 285: Aumiller 1-1.
