LAURINBURG — It was a tough overall team outing for the Richmond Senior High School wrestling program Saturday.
Back on the mat for the third time this season, the Raiders competed in a trio of non-conference matches as part of the Scotland High School Tartan Duals.
Richmond faced Scotland, West Stanly and Western Harnett high schools and lost each match by double digits.
Raider’s closest match comes against Scotland
Of their three matches, the Raiders’ closest outcome on the scoreboard came against the host Fighting Scots.
In a match dominated by forfeits by both sides, Richmond lost 48-36. Of the 14 total matches, 11 were decided by forfeit.
Earning six points each for Richmond via the forfeit were freshman Axel Nunez (126-pounds), junior Hayden Smith (157-pounds), sophomore Jacob Hall (165), freshman Edgar Montiel (175) and freshman Seth Cox (215-pounds).
The only Raider to wrestle an opponent and win was sophomore Dylan Nunez in the 120-pound match. He pinned Rakeem Covington for six points.
Tough West Stanly team proves difficult for Richmond
In a match that featured fuller rosters for both teams, Richmond suffered a 59-24 loss to the Mustangs.
Half of Richmond’s points came via a forfeit, while a pair of wrestlers picked up six points apiece with a pair of pinfall wins.
Dylan Nunez (120) and freshman Darius Harrington (190 pounds) both were awarded six points when they didn’t have an opponent to face.
Smith (157) notched the first win in the match when he pinned Colton Elwood. Earning his first win of the season in his debut after football season, junior Konner Gardner (175-pounds) had the other six points in a pinfall victory over David Diaz.
Scrappy Western Harnett edges Raiders
Richmond’s final match of the meet ended in a 42-29 loss to Western Harnett. Like the West Stanly match, both teams filled the majority of their respective weight classes.
For the second time during the event, Dylan Nunez (120) and Cox (215) each earned a forfeit win, combining for 12 points.
Smith (157) had the Raiders’ only pinfall win of the match for another six points. He held Chase Chlebowski to the mat just 37 seconds into the first round.
Axel Nunez (126) picked up five points with a 15-0 technical fall victory against Stryker Mason.
Two Raiders — sophomore Brian Ingram (138-pounds) and Gardner (175) — finished the match with three points thanks to a decision victory.
Ingram outlasted Adam Tardiff 17-12, while Gardner outperformed Haden Mazzullo 16-12 through the three two-minute rounds.
The Raiders (2-3) have off until Dec.6 when they host the Raider Riot.
