Triton’s Bryson Seitner receives some love after scoring a pin against North Miami Tuesday night. (Photos by Mike Deak)

BOURBON – Facing a touch of adversity Wednesday night, Triton showed why it is considered one of the premier Class 1-A wrestling programs in the state. Down 15-9 to North Miami in the first of two team duals, Triton muscled its way back to claim the match’s final 52 points, then pinned its way past a proud Rochester club in match number two of the double duals.

Triton’s Malachi Greene controls North Miami’s Kasey Deardorff.

Triton beat North Miami 63-15 in the night’s opening match, using guts and a lot of willpower to climb out of an early hole. After Austin Fletcher and Wyatt Dyson claimed back-to-back wins for the Indians to take the 15-9 lead, the Trojans would claim pins in the next four bouts without giving up a mat point. Lee Mullet, Wyatt Stephan, Vince Helton and Cam Scarberry all took care of their opponents with first period pins, shifting the score to now 39-15 Trojans. Bryson Seitner kept it going for Triton with a pin at 44 seconds, turning around a takedown by Daulton Wentz and registering one of his own, holding Wentz flat enough for the slap.

Triton was the beneficiary of four forfeits, and used a 9-6 decision by Malachi Greene to aid in its point total.

“I think we’ve come a long way from where we started,” said Triton coach Ron Brown. “Our kids are trying to continue the tradition. We want to wrestle with good technique and sticking in the tough matches. And finishing those tough matches. Our best comes when the team is behind each other. You saw that once we got going, it started flowing through the kids.

“Vince Helton gets a big throw for a stick, and that was the big move that got us going for the rest of the match.”

Lee Mullet of Triton works Tyler Sivits of North Miami into an eventual pin.

Triton’s night continued on in similar fashion against old rival Rochester, where the Trojans got six pins and three forfeits to clobber the Zebras 54-28.

Scoring falls for Triton were Marcus Brown, Greene, Mullet, Bo Snyder, Scarberry and Bryce Coppes, the pin by Coppes coming on a reversal of a takedown that had Coppes land over his Rochester foe in position for the pin that was almost WWE style with the leg hook closer.

“Matt (Arvesen, co-head coach) and I have preached throughout that it’s about us as one team. We’re only as good as the next guy with us drilling,” Brown said. “That’s something we’ve emphasized all along. Bad things can and will happen. But how you react is what determines you. We would rather take a loss early in the season than late. This is about improving, and using nights like tonight to improve.

“No one wants to come here and watch a match that’s boring and the kids are just dancing circles around the mat,” continued Brown. “We want to get after it. We want takedowns. We want the scoring, to help the sport in the area and encourage people to come out to matches and get behind these kids.”

Rochester won the middle match, taking down North Miami 54-16.

Triton moves to 9-3 overall in duals, loading up for a pair of weekend invites at Clinton Central and LaVille the next two Saturdays before heading to Fort Wayne on Dec. 23 for the IHSWCA Team State, where Triton will compete in the Class 1-A tournament.

Triton’s Marcus Brown tries to gain leverage on North Miami’s Austin Fletcher.