6:29 AM, Jan. 13, 2012
| ST. GEORGE -The wrestling season is starting to ratchet up the intensity.
At Snow Canyon on Thursday, the vacuum within the basketball gym was slammed full of drama when the Warriors and Tigers grapplers went toe-to-toe in Snow Canyon's 34-33 victory.
Both teams have a cast of state-title-seeking competitors, and they did not let the crowd down in showing their desire to win.
How tight was it? Only four wrestlers earned pins in the dual and nobody was giving an easy shoulder.
The first four matches swung back and forth between the teams, leading to an 8-8 deadlock. Hurricane's Josh Pettus (106 pounds) was surgical in his 17-0 win, and then Mitch Taylor answered for the Warriors in his 16-0 win over Tristan Prisbrey at 113 pounds.
Taylor was one of many Warriors' seniors making their last home appearance. Â Snow Canyon coach Nick Lang was especially happy for the smooth performance, but it's something the team has come to expect from the co-captain.
"He picked up a big win tonight and we can count on him a lot," Lang said. "I can't say enough about his character."
Taylor broke out to a 5-0 lead in the first period but Prisbrey was trying for a pin 30 seconds before the buzzer sounded. Taylor kept his shoulder off the surface and did not let such a threat happen again, adding eight more points in the second period en route to the 16-0 decision.
"I got a lot of back-points on him," Taylor said. "I was just working my hardest and competing until the end."
Curt Wilde earned the first pin of the night in the second round (1:04) over Dusty McLeod in the 132-matchup and Hans Lounsbury (138) followed with an 11-7 decision, putting the Warriors up 17-8 after six matches.
Then Justin Post of Hurricane gave the Tigers their first pin in the 145 contest against Caleb Wright. Hurricane's Zach Prince and Snow Canyon's Kimball Leavitt did not budge much in a full three-period bout where Prince outpointed Leavitt 14-6, and knotted the dual at 17 all.
Three matches and one forfeit later, Hurricane had a 30-29 lead and there was only one matchup left - a marquee contest between Curtis Bulloch and Brian Scott at 220 pounds.
Much of the crowed was standing, anticipating a demonstration of bull strength between the two. Bulloch and Scott did not disappoint.
They spent the first period measuring each other's reactionary speed to no avail. It was 0-0 after one.
In period two, Scott shot in and got first position but Bulloch reversed and didn't allow a point scored. They rolled around, reversing and spinning on each other like a couple of bears fighting for territory, in the process thrilling the crowd. Bulloch went up 5-3 with 51 seconds left in the third period but Scott scored two points to tie with five seconds left.
Scott scored two points with 16 seconds left in the overtime period and picked up the win. Asked what his thoughts were after the match, Scott said, "I think he might have a little on me, he's a big dude," referring to Bulloch.
Snow Canyon then won a forfeit in the 285-pound class to secure the dual win.
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