Justin Anderson gets the clinching fall for the Gophers at 220 pounds
Gresham won six of the first seven bouts Thursday night, including a series of six-point tallies from its three rookie wrestlers, to build a commanding 30-point lead over rival Barlow at the halfway point.
But the Bruins werent going to wave the white flag and head for the bus. Instead, Barlow won the next five bouts to shave the margin to just two points.
That left Greshams team fate in the hands of Justin Anderson, who shut out his 220-pound opponent. The showdown was three minutes old when Anderson scored the first points on a reversal at the edge of the mat. The battle remained in question into the third period before Anderson took full command.
He caught his opponent in a cradle hold for near-fall points, doubling his lead to 4-0 before Barlows Salvador Orozco rolled free. But Anderson stayed on the attack, twisting Orozco to his back in the center circle with nowhere to escape. Anderson tightened his grip and 20 seconds later the referee slapped the mat awarding a fall.
The six-point victory secured Greshams team win, and Barlow forfeited the heavyweight bout to make the final 46-32 for the Gophers.
Look for extended match coverage, including a list of each of the weight-class winners, in the Tuesday, Jan. 14, print edition.
View a photo gallery from Thursdays dual at
http://daveball.exposuremanager.com/g/jan10gre-bar_wrestle