Poplar Bluff downs Park Hills at home

After bringing home some hardware from the Union Boys Wrestling Tournament over the weekend, the Poplar Bluff Mules returned home on Monday to defend their turf.

The Mules got off to a slow start but quickly rallied back to get a 46-30 over the Park Hills Rebels. The junior varsity also added a victory to the win column with a 12-0 sweep. The Mules improved to 1-2 on the season.

With a few of the Mules' more experienced wrestlers winning due to forfeit, coach Kelton Thompson had to rely mostly on his younger core to secure the win.

“We got a lot of young guys just trying to find their way right now, so it was good to get some matches for them,” Thompson said. “This was some of the guys' first time wrestling in front of their home crowd, which was great. Although many of my experienced varsity guys didn’t have a match tonight, we still managed to win. We're just trying to piece things together one day at a time and get ready for this weekend.”

Thompson said the Mules are learning how to wrestle hard, and they're starting to slowly but surely get into the things that he wants them to do on the mat. He said they’re not just winging it and want to improve. Overall, he believes the team is heading in the right direction.

Park Hills jumped ahead early in the first few matches with a 12-0 lead over the Mules. Momentum would shift in the Mules’ favor after a tough win from Karson Rolland, who defeated Matrim Politte to give the Mules a 25-24 lead.

The Mules continued to thrive for the remaining matches and officially sealed the victory with sophomore Andre Aguilar, who defeated Park Hills’ Corbin Thomas.

The Mules will be back in action on Friday to participate in the Bring the Hammer Tournament in Cabot, AR.