ROCHELLE — Caleb Nadig has taken on a much larger leadership role with the Rochelle Hub varsity wrestling team this season. The only senior in the varsity lineup and the lone captain on the team, Nadig looks to set an example for his teammates each time he steps on the mat.

Those teammates include Caleb’s freshman brother Joseph who, like his older brother, entered Wednesday’s nonconference dual against the Marengo Indians with two victories this season. The two brothers were each winners again on Wednesday, with Caleb and Joseph each pinning their respective opponents as the Hubs cruised over the Indians 52-17 and moved to 2-1 overall.

“I just try to lead by example and let my work ethic speak for itself,” Caleb said. “I work as hard as I can every day and I think my teammates can see that. I think they can see the intensity that I wrestle with and they can carry that into their matches. It’s a great feeling to see Joseph out there and I’m really happy for him. I’ve been dreaming about wrestling with him for years.”

Sophomore Tommy Tourdot scored Rochelle’s first points of the dual, pinning Marengo’s Gavin Prudlick in the 106-pound bout before freshman Xavier Villalobos totaled two takedowns, two reversals and one near-fall for an 11-1 major decision against Dakotah Nelson in the 113-pound bout. Joseph Nadig then stepped in to wrestle the 120-pound bout against Robel Addis, winning with a second-period pin to put the Hubs ahead of the Indians in the match 16-0.

Marengo claimed the next two matches, with Matthew Rose winning the 126-pound bout and Ethan Struck winning the 132-pound bout for 11 unanswered points. Trailing 5-4 in the 138-pound bout against Logan Miller, freshman Grant Gensler scored a third-period takedown to win via 6-5 decision before Caleb Nadig pinned Mason Lampe in the 145-pound bout.

“We have a lot of underclassmen but I think they’re going to get stronger as the season progresses,” Nadig said. “I think those guys have a lot of potential to rise through the ranks and become the next leaders of the team. We’re working hard to make each other better in practice every day and I think we’re doing a good job of creating team unity and supporting each other the best we can. I want to see us continue to work hard and push each other.”

Senior Matt Eyster and freshman Brandyn Metzger took the 152-pound and 160-pound bouts via forfeits to extend Rochelle’s lead to 37-11. The Hubs etched out decisions over the next two bouts to seal the dual victory, with sophomore Brock Metzger outlasting Maverick Quatroke by 3-1 decision in the 170-pound bout and junior Troy Papke holding off Devin Storti for a 3-0 decision in the 182-pound bout. Marengo’s Rune Boyd pinned to win the 195-pound bout.

“I think the sky is the limit for our team,” Nadig said. “I think if we work as hard as we can, we can do great things this year. I think we could be in a position to make a run in the regional and possibly the team sectional and team state tournaments if we continue to improve.”

The Hubs took the final two bouts of the evening, with freshman Damon Cagle receiving a forfeit in the 220-pound bout and freshman Kaiden Morris recording four takedowns to defeat Michael Macias in the 285-pound bout with an 8-4 decision.