The Douglas wrestling team went from looking at a rebuilding to year to looking at an outside shot for the Sierra League title Wednesday evening in Reno and it was only the first league dual of the season.
Douglas upset perennial power Damonte Ranch 37-30 on the road, getting four key victories along the way, the last coming from a nice strategic move from the coaching staff.
With the league trimmed down to six teams this year, that leaves Douglas with only four remaining league matches - at home against Galena, at home against Manogue, at Wooster and at home against Carson.
The Tigers battled Galena in a preseason tournament before eventually losing, they beat Manogue in a tournament last weekend and have beaten Wooster in the last six matchups between the two schools.
That means, with a couple breaks against Galena next week, the Tigers could potentially be wrestling for the league title in the regular season finale at home against Carson in February.
Against Damonte, Coby Souza took a major decision in the 119 bracket, winning 22-10.
Junior Zach Fiene followed with a pin in 1:30 in the 125 class.
In the 140 class, Sean Merritt took a hard-fought 18-12 win in a match that helped turn the tide in Douglas' favor.
The Tigers also picked up forfeit wins in the 112s (Shamus Richey) and 130s (Dillon Spates).
Zach Falanga was scheduled to take a forfeit win in the 215s, but with Damonte set to take a forfeit win in the heavyweight category, Tiger coach Justin Shine moved Nick Lufrano up to 215 to claim the forfeit.
Falanga then matched up with Damonte's heavyweight and recorded a pin in 1:19.
Douglas will compete in the Reno Tournament of Champions this weekend and will come back to host Galena Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
