RENO — Jesse Case barely missed reaching the state meet last winter, and he is using that as motivation this season.
The 182-pound Case, who went 7-0 at the Fallon Duals last weekend, improved to 8-0 on the season with a 47-second pin of Galena’s Jory Davis to spark the Senators to a 60-22 dual-meet triumph Wednesday night in their Sierra League opener.
“This spring I worked with coach (Nick) Redwine, and I went to a couple of tournaments,” Case said. “It was the first time that I’d ever wrestled after the regular season. I didn’t think it would really make a difference.
“My dad talked to me in the off-season, and it was the same stuff coach Redwine and coach (Nick) Schlager had been telling me. I just didn’t want to go to some (big) tournament and get my rear kicked.”
Case is a senior, and he’d like to go out with the proverbial bang, and Redwine said it has shown up in the workout room this winter.
“His focus is better,” Redwine said. “I’ve been working with Jesse since he was a freshman, and it was always more about just being on the team. He was voted captain by his teammates, and he’s taking that very seriously.
“We have a lot of young kids that look up to him in the room. He wants to prove to them that he deserves to be captain. He has shown that in matches so far.”
Redwine said that Case has become a more solid, fundamental wrestler. That and added strength from football is paying dividends.
“He is stronger,” Redwine said. “He has gotten rid of some moves that would put him in trouble last year. One was a cradle, and he would try to make a spectacular move (out of that) instead of a smart move. He is making more high percentage moves.”
All of Case’s wins have been by pin. That streak doesn’t figure to last an entire season, but there is certainly no reason he can’t string together a good-sized win streak as the season rolls on.
Case’s biggest tests figure to come over the next two weekends when the Senators compete in the Cody Louck Invitational in Winnemucca this weekend as well as the Reno Tournament of Champions at the Reno Events Center on Dec. 15-16.
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As has been the norm, there were more walkovers than matches wrestled on Wednesday. Carson won seven matches via walkover (42 points), and the Senators didn’t field a 120-pounder, giving Galena six free points. The Grizzlies won two matches by pin and one by a major decision.
“They have a lot more guys than they did last year,” Redwine said.
“There were some kids that didn’t show up and some kids that have not been accessed yet. Probably three-quarters of the team is freshmen.”
Besides Case, Zach Bumby (145) and Darryll Heyward (152) posted pins. Bumby beat Duncan Brown via pin 25 seconds into the second round.
Heyward pinned Austin Brown with 21 seconds left in the first round.
