The Panthers took to the mat for the first time since Thanksgiving break on Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Buena Vista Open in Storm Lake. Although not many Panthers participated, the team still experienced success.

Leading the way for the Panthers were Jermaine Pryor and Blake Walker, who each won four consecutive matches before meeting in the championship against each other. The finals match was not wrestled, and both wrestlers were named Co-Champions.

Also making a finals appearance for the first time this season was Matthew Kirkland. Kirkland also won four consecutive matches before dropping his finals match to a very tough Grand View opponent.

"Overall, with the number of participants we had, I am very pleased with how we performed," commented Coach Cole Spree. "The guys are continuing to get better each week, and that is what we want. Jermaine, Blake, and Matthew wrestled exceptionally well. It was good to see Matthew get back to where he was wrestling last year, and Jermaine and Blake finally are breaking through for us. Both are at the same weight class, which is great for depth purposes, but one of them is going to have to separate himself even more."

The wrestling team will compete one more time before the Christmas holiday break at the Triton Open in Chicago, IL, on Saturday, Dec. 12, starting at 9 am.