The heavyweights did the heavy lifting for host Mesa Ridge on Thursday, carrying the Grizzlies to a 43-24 win over Cheyenne Mountain after a slow start.

Sophomore 189-pounder Andrew Stewart and junior heavyweight Marcus Williams each scored second-period pins and senior Dushawn Williams (215) won by forfeit as the Grizzlies turned a 24-13 deficit into a seven-point advantage.

“I was going out there thinking I needed to help the team out,” Stewart said. “Helping the team out was getting that pin. I just went out and did my part.”

Mesa Ridge won the final five matches of the dual.

“It was mainly all about determination and teamwork,” Marcus Williams said. “We practiced hard, came ready and the only thing we could think of was pin, pin, pin.”

Cheyenne Mountain claimed four of the first five matches, including pins in the first two. Kyle Porcelli needed only 45 seconds stick the Grizzlies’ Troy Blue and Bobby Amond followed with a pin of Zach Garcia in 3:58.

Will Gleason won a decision at 130, Tony Butitta (140) won by pin Will Gleason outlasted William Quiles for a 14-10 decision at 130, Tony Butitta pinned Aaron Freeman at 140 and Ben Kishnevsky (171) won a 13-9 decision over James Garrett

The  Grizzlies began chipping away at the deficit with a pair 4-3 decisions from 145 Keith Cays, ranked No. 14 in Tim Yount’s On The Mat Rankings, and Thomas Turner at 152.

Turner and the Indians’ Jimmy McFadden (No. 13) were even after three overtime periods before Turner was awarded a point for unsportsmanlike conduct on McFadden to end the match. 

That match got the home crowd involved, just in time for the anticipated 160 match between No. 13 Jeremy Grooms of Cheyenne Mountain and No. 3 DeVante Johnson.

Johnson scored the first of his seven takedowns just five seconds into the match. Grooms took advantage of Johnson’s aggressiveness for a takedown and nearfall late in the first period, but couldn’t get the pin and lost 22-12.

“They got a little momentum going,” Grizzlies coach Mark Walker said of the Indians fast start. “Once we got our first win we were able to slow it down and back to where we needed it to be.”

The Grizzlies rounded out the dual with pins in the final two matches from Ruben Valdez (103) and Shane Molina (112, No. 13) for the final tally. 

“We lost the momentum,” Indians coach Nick Gagliardi said. “We came out on the short end of a couple of calls that went their way and they rolled over us. All the credit to Mark Walker for getting them ready to wrestle.” 

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