CHS wins 7th Sierra title in 8 seasons

The Carson Senators are back on top where they belong.

The CHS wrestling team pounded Douglas, 65-12, Wednesday night at Morse Burley Gym to complete its seventh undefeated Sierra League season in the last eight years.

Carson finished the season 5-0. The Senators won Sierra League titles 2008 through 2014 and 2016. Carson is 39-1 in league duals since the 2008 season. The only blemish was a loss to Damonte Ranch during the 2014-15 season, and that loss should have had an asterisk next to it because CHS was severely short-handed because it couldn’t use any of its football players.

“I thought it would be a lot tougher (tonight) than it was because we had two guys out,” CHS coach Justin Shine said. “Now, we’ll rest up and get ready for regionals (Feb. 12-13 at Spanish Springs). I think our line-up is pretty set. We just have to decide which extra wrestlers to bring.”

Carson wrestled without seniors Brady O’Keefe and Connor Sievers, who were suspended for breaking team/school rules last weekend at the Placer Duals. Both are expected to wrestle at regionals.

Douglas made it easy for Carson, forfeiting five weight classes (152, 182, 195, 220 and heavyweight). Despite the absence of O’Keefe and Sievers, Carson fielded a full squad.

The Tigers, with their roster dwindling regularly, finished the season at 3-2.

“We started the season with 52 wrestlers in the room, and we’re now down to 20,” DHS coach David Singer said. “Our 95-pounder broke his leg, and we lost others because of academics. I’m looking forward to a weekend off and getting back into the wrestling room.”

The best match of the night was the first one when 106-pounder Terin Keller of CHS came back from a 3-2 deficit to knock off Kindal Isham, 9-6. Keller’s win avenged a loss to Isham back in December. Trailing 3-2, Keller got an escape and takedown for a 5-3 lead. Ishaam got an escape point to make it 5-4, but Keller went up 7-5 and never led by less than two points the rest of the way.

Ethan Lepire (113) pinned Andrew Williams with 29.6 left in the opening period to gove Carson a 9-0 lead, and Brandon Basa handed Ryan Adams his first league loss with a pin midway through the second round to make it 15-0. Kyle Rudy’s 39-secnd pin of Shane Trivitt made it 21-0, and Nathan Mersino made it five straight wins with an easy 16-5 victory over Mason Melhus.

Will Williams ended the Douglas drought with a second-round pin to make it 25-6. A pin by Kellen McDermott and a forfeit win for Jarod Butler upped Carson’s lead to 37-6. Blake Murray pinned Carson’s Jesse Case in the second round to make it 37-12. In the last contested match of the night, Abel Carter worked over Chad Singer, 12-3.

“We had a couple of good moments,” coach Singer said.

Singer believes Isham, Murray and Williams have a chance to place high at the upcoming regional event.