Senior Brandon Mabry started his team off with a solid match at 195 pounds Friday night atHarryD.JacobsHigh School, winning by major decision to help the Red Raiders get their fourteenth win of the season, 36-25 against the Golden Eagles on their senior night.

But it was not all easy from the start; the Red Raiders lost the next three matches, at 220, 285, and 106 pounds, two of the three by pin.  But senior Zach Stenger helped the Raiders get back on track, winning by regular decision.

“I don’t think we played too well tonight,” said head coach B.J. Bertelsman. “We got the win, but it was pretty bad with three pins in the last few seconds.”

Along with Mabry and Stenger, sophomore Ricky Vigil, sophomore Chris Gamboa, senior John Walker, junior Trevor Symbal, junior Austin Schofield, sophomore Mike Walker, and sophomore Christian Thompson all pulled out wins for the Red Raiders, earning their fourth Fox Valley Conference win of the season.

Jacobs forfeited at 138 pounds, giving John Walker six points for his team to regain the lead for the first time since Mabry’s match.  Schofield also gained six points for his team, and was the only Red Raider to pin a Golden Eagle.

The Red Raiders are 14-1 this season, with their only loss being against the Cary Grove Trojans on Dec. 13.  With this win, the team will have confidence going into the FVC Tournament on Jan. 25 and 26.

The Red Raiders placed fifth at the tournament last year, and look to repeat or improve this year.

“We look to place in the top five, maybe even top three at the conference tournament,” said Bertelsman. “It is not very likely to get there if we wrestle like we did against Jacobs.”

The Red Raiders host the McHenry Warriors Thursday, Jan. 17 for their senior night and the last home match of the season before the IHSA Regional comes toHuntleyHigh School.