ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Hub varsity wrestling team added one final victory to its record Saturday morning, when the Hubs defeated Amboy 42-21 after falling 53-27 against Dixon in a nonconference triangular meet. Rochelle finished the season with a 21-8 overall record.

“The kids had a long week,” head coach Alphonso Vruno said. “They wrestled tough against Kaneland and a replenished Sandwich team on Friday, then we asked them to wake up the next morning and compete against a tough Dixon team… Our motto this season was to make the most of any situation and I think the team, as a whole, overachieved this season. The seniors all stepped up and wrestled well and they were great leaders for our young team.”

Dixon

Freshman Tommy Tourdot opened the dual against Dixon with a Rochelle win at 106 pounds, scoring two takedowns and a near fall before pinning Ayden Rawley. The Dukes then scored pins at 113 and 120 pounds, taking a 12-6 lead before adding 11 points on a technical fall at 126 pounds and another pin at 132 pounds. Senior Grant Thompson and junior Caleb Nadig stopped the bleeding for the Hubs, recording pins at 138 and 145 pounds.

Leading 23-18, Dixon won three straight bouts at 152, 160 and 170 pounds, scoring two pins and a forfeit before Rochelle senior Ben Harvey defeated Duke wrestler Brady Potter at 182 pounds, recording three reversals and a near fall for a 10-4 decision. After Dixon received a forfeit at 195 pounds, senior Noah Messer made quick work at 220 pounds, pinning his opponent in only 21 seconds. The Dukes pinned to win the 285-pound bout and end the dual.

Amboy

The Clippers rallied from a 5-0 deficit in the 113-pound bout, winning with an 8-5 decision to score the first points of the Amboy-Rochelle dual. After the Clippers pinned to win the 120-pound bout, sophomore Weldon Nay stepped up at 126 pounds, pinning his opponent in 38 seconds. Rochelle and Amboy traded pins at 132 and 145 pounds, with Grant Thompson scoring a takedown and a three-point near fall before pinning his opponent in the 145-pound bout.

Caleb Nadig and junior Matt Eyster received forfeits at 152 and 160 pounds. Rochelle and Amboy double-forfeited three weights including 138, 195 and 220 pounds. Amboy pinned to win the 170-pound bout, but Ben Harvey secured a forfeit at 182 pounds and Noah Messer moved up to 285 pounds, recording a first-period pin to seal the Hub dual victory. Tommy Tourdot closed out the dual against the Clippers, receiving a forfeit at 106 pounds.

“The coaching staff and I were very emotional after the duals,” Vruno said. “We kept the message simple and we got some heartfelt talks in with the kids. We are going to try and do some sort of end-of-season celebration to recognize a season that was weird and had a lot of adversity, but the kids managed to persevere through most of the season.”