Carlisle wins wrestling rivalry

Senior Laughlin, freshman McKnight get key wins in River Cup Grudge victory.

Photos: Carlisle vs. Franklin

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By Skip Weaver, Staff Writer Updated 11:10 AM Thursday, December 9, 2010

CARLISLE — It was a senior versus a sophomore, rival versus rival, Carlisle versus Franklin.

The 15th annual River Cup Grudge wrestling match lived up to its billing as the two neighboring schools battled to the end before the host Indians won 34-28 to bring the coveted barrel trophy back home.

“It means a lot to me to bring that barrel back to Carlisle,” said senior Dusty Laughlin, whose climactic 8-6 win over sophomore Chris Hymer in the final match of the night secured the Carlisle victory.

Laughlin got a pair of takedowns in the third period of the match that helped him overcome a 5-4 deficit and a 6-6 tie.

The Carlisle student section rushed the floor and smothered Laughlin as the final buzzer sounded.

“My friend Jake Lamb texted me right before the match and reminded me that this was my senior year and that I had to do this for my team,” Laughlin said. “I looked at the clock with 42 seconds left and I knew I had to take him down. I waited until about 20 seconds and took a shot. Then all I could think about was I had to hold him down.

“That kid is definitely going to be something,” he added. “He’s strong. I have a lot of respect for him.”

Hymer tipped his hat to his opponent.

“It was a tough match,” Hymer said. “We both really wanted it, but he pulled it out in the end. He took a shot, and I wasn’t expecting it. It happens.

“When it’s that close, you don’t want to let anyone down,” he added. “You want to be able to pull it out, but it didn’t happen today. We’ll get them next year.”

Carlisle now owns a 10-5 lead in series.

“It was a great match,” Franklin coach John Berry said. “We knew we would be down going into the middle of our lineup, but we also knew we had a chance to get back into it.

“Chris (Hymer) did really well, but they got a takedown and that was the difference,” he added.

One key match that helped Carlisle was at 103 pounds. Freshman Jordan McKnight trailed early, but rallied to score a 9-4 decision over Franklin senior R.J. Gilbert. That win put Carlisle up 19-0 in the team points.

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