ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Hub varsity wrestling team closed out the regular season with a competitive nonconference dual against the Princeton Tigers on Thursday. While the Hubs built an early lead, Princeton rallied for six consecutive bout victories, erasing an 18-6 deficit and defeating Rochelle 38-36. The Hubs (19-7, 6-1 Interstate 8) will compete in the IHSA 2A United Township Regional on Saturday, Feb. 5.

Freshman Kaiden Morris secured the first win of the dual, outlasting Jess Wright for a 3-1 decision to take the 220-pound bout. After Princeton’s JJ Wicaryus won by fall to claim the 285-pound bout, Rochelle earned victories over the next three bouts, with sophomore Jimmy Chavez receiving a forfeit in the 106-pound bout before sophomore Tommy Tourdot notched a second-period pin against Steven Benavidez in the 113-pound bout. Freshman Xavier Villalobos edged Ace Christiansen with a 4-1 decision in the 120-pound bout.

“We wanted to have one last competitive dual in front of the home crowd,” head coach Alphonso Vruno said. “Princeton had a few weight classes missing and we could’ve taken advantage of that, but we wanted to have a competitive dual and we put our kids in positions where we felt they could be competitive.”

The Tigers began their comeback in the 126-pound bout, where Matthew Harris scored a 15-0 technical fall against freshman Joseph Nadig before Carlos Benavidez took down junior Weldon Nay with a 12-3 major decision in the 132-pound bout. After Princeton’s Preston Arkels won by fall in the 138-pound bout, Augie Christiansen cruised to a 16-1 technical fall over sophomore Alex Burke in the 145-pound bout.

Leading 26-18, Princeton continued its winning streak in the 152-pound and 160-pound bouts, where Anthony Maciczak and Carson Etheridge each pinned for Tiger victories. Rochelle sophomore Brock Metzger stopped the bleeding, taking down and pinning Anthony Vujanov to win the 170-pound bout. Juniors Troy Papke and Jorge Driggs each took forfeits in the 182-pound and 195-pound bouts.

“Small details and mental toughness will be important for us as we prepare for the regional,” Vruno said. “Our kids know a lot about wrestling, but some of our kids forget that sometimes when the lights come on. Getting them over those hurdles and helping them understand that they’re good wrestlers will be really important for us. We’re doing a lot of the right moves, but it’s about making the small corrections.”