On Feb. 10, Manual’s wrestling team hosted senior night as they took on Pleasure Ridge Park (PRP) and Ballard High School. The Crimsons defeated PRP with a final score of 41-30 but fell to Ballard in a close matchup, 42-36.
Before the matches began, the team held a ceremony honoring its three seniors: Devin Allen (12, HSU), Darien Allen (12, HSU) and Michael Hardy (12, MST). Surrounded by friends and family, the seniors were recognized for their dedication to the program and their role in helping grow the wrestling team at Manual into a stronger and better connected community.
“Spending time with everybody that I’ve been here with since freshman year, seeing the juniors get better and seeing the first years get better along the season, it’s been really great,” Devin Allen said.
Manual opened the night against PRP with several standout performances. Hardy rebounded after an early struggle, securing a pin and recentering back in bounds to earn a (score) win. Darien Allen wasted no time, pinning his opponent in just 40 seconds to secure a 6-0 victory. Devin Allen also delivered a strong performance, controlling his match early and winning 6-0 by fall.
Dawson Schroering (11, HSU) had one of the most dominant matches of the night, consistently attacking his opponents’ legs and earning a commanding 18-1 win by technical fall. On the girls’ team, Isabella Hammer (10, HSU) dominated, recovering after early pressure from PRP and securing a pin to win in just 39 seconds in exhibition rounds. With multiple decisive victories across several weight classes, Manual closed out the matchup against PRP with a 41-30 win.
Manual carried momentum into its matchup against Ballard. Devin Allen once again stood out, controlling the match from start to finish and earning a 6-0 victory by pin. Broderick McBarnette (11, HSU) also added points for the Crimsons total score, with a decisive pin in 37 seconds securing a 6-0 win. Ballard forfeited many matches to the Crimsons, earning them extra points.
One of the night’s most notable moments came when Hammer competed against a male opponent from Ballard. After a long back-and-forth match of recovering from early control, she secured a late pin to win her match.
Despite several strong individual performances, Manual fell to Ballard by a narrow margin, 42-36, closing out an emotional senior night at home.
“I’ve got to really know my teammates and the girls especially, and it’s nice to be on a team and I really feel accepted and it’s kind of like having a lot of brothers,” Hammer said.
The Crimsons next match will be the Regional Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 14. The location of the match is to be determined.
