EudoraNews.com

Jared Bruner was a scoring machine.

Bruner, a junior who wrestled in the 145-pound weight class, dominated his opponent by two touchdowns on the scoreboard Tuesday at Santa Fe Trail, and the Cardinals opened their season with a 37-35 road victory.

“The good news is we got a win,” wrestling coach Jason Tharp said. “I guess what this shows us more than anything is we’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’re a long ways to go before we are where we want to be.”

The Cardinals trailed heading into the heavyweight match as Dylan Litherland checked in. But Santa Fe Trail had an open weight in that class, and Litherland won by default, giving the Cardinals the victory. Eudora built its lead to 31-17 after wins by Bruner and Zac Chumbley.

“I just had good technique and good position,” Bruner said of his convincing 20-6 win.

But things got interesting as that lead slipped away late. Freshman Landon Walrod and sophomore Greg Snell wrestled in the 189 and 215-pound weight classes as they filled in for injured Caleb Clayton-Molby and Boomer Mays.

“We wrestled three freshmen in the lineup tonight,” Tharp said. “There were a lot of guys who really stepped up. They might not have got wins, but they went out there and did the best they could and that’s good to see.

“Landon Walrod, we’re not even expecting him to wrestle. And we put him in there at the last minute, and he does the best job he can.”

Eudora also was without the services of state qualifier Cody Salzman.

“When you’re missing three of your state qualifiers out of your lineup and you’re still able to pull out a win, that says something about the younger guys and the depth that your team has,” Tharp said.

Eudora also benefited on the scoreboard because Santa Fe Trail was open in a couple other weight classes.

“They’re always a pretty solid team, especially at those lower weights,” Tharp said. “They gave us a look tonight, and a lot of our kids realized how much harder they are going to have to work, and what we’re going to have to do to be at the level we expect to be at.”

Next up for the Cardinals is a dual tournament Saturday at Effingham. The Cardinals also will host the Eudora Tournament of Champions next weekend.

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