Class 1A sixth-ranked West Sioux came to Estherville with its six rated wrestlers and the Falcons left town with a pair of dual victories over local teams Estherville Lincoln Central, 65-9, and Graettinger-Terril/Ruthven-Ayrshire, 53-22.
In the nightcap between the Midgets and the Titans, GT/RA came out on top, 54-21, in part due to its three rated wrestlers and receiving four forfeits compared to giving up just one to ELC. GT/RA also won five of the nine contested matches.
ELC's wins against GT/RA were not easy to come by except in the final match of the night. Jaciel Castro (106) was able to pin Carson Torreson in 1:08.
At 132, Zack Anderson won a hard-fought victory over Hunter Naig, 6-4, helped by takedowns in the first and second period.
At 145 pounds, ELC's Chase Budach took an early 2-0 lead with a first-period takedown against Brett Triggs. Leading 2-1 entering the third period, a reversal by Budach led the way to a 6-2 victory for the ELC senior.
At 195 pounds, ELC's Kylan Fitzgerald scored a takedown and back points in the first period against Blake Miller. In the third period Miller came up with a pair of takedowns, but Fitzgerald hung for the 7-5 victory.
All five of the Titans' victories came by fall, as Lucas Hoffman (152) defeated Nick Leonard in 1:55, Spencer Roth (160) defeated Eli Hanson in 3:41, Treyton Cacek (170) defeated Garrett Paulson in 1:31, Carter Murray (182) won in 2:31 against Juan Diaz, and Cade Steelman (285) won in 1:13 over Isaac Hanson.
For GT/RA, Roth is rated 10th in 1A, and Cacek and Murray are both rated fifth at their respective weights.
ELC took two matches from West Sioux.
Diaz (182) eked out a 3-2 win over Yahir Topete with neither scoring a takedown. Both received two penalty points and an escape while Topete had an escape and a penalty point.
Isaac Hanson (285) picked up a pin in 43 seconds over West Sioux's Jose Rodriguez.
At 170 pounds, Paulson trailed 3-1 entering the third period and came up with an escape to tie 10th-ranked Neddy Montes, but Montes immediately escaped and held on for a 4-3 victory.
ELC returns to action Friday, as the Midgets travel to Spencer for the Lakes Conference Tournament.
With nine rated wrestlers between GT/RA and West Sioux, fans might have expected at least one match featuring two top 10 wrestlers.
However, the two teams aligned at just one weight, 170, and West Sioux send another wrestler out to face fifth-ranked Treyton Cacek.
GT/RA's three rated wrestlers all won by fall, but the Titans got just one other victory against the Falcons.
At 160, Spencer Roth pinned Brandon Schuller in 3:35. At 170, Cacek pinned Bryan Hernandez in 1:16. At 182, Carter Murray pinned Yahir Topete in 2:25. The Titan's fourth win came at 220, as Cade Steelman dominated Junior Lopez with a 12-1 major decision.
The Titans forfeited at 126 and 138 with only two other contested matches going the full 6 minutes. At 113, Cade Stearns lost 8-0 to 10th-ranked Cullen Koedam. At 132, Hunter Naig lost 11-3 to eight-ranked Dillon Lynott.
GT/RA travels to Pocahontas Area for a tournament this Saturday.