MORRIS — A comeback effort allowed the Rochelle Hub varsity wrestling team to remain unbeaten in the Interstate 8 Conference on Wednesday evening, when the purple and white rallied off four consecutive falls to upend the Morris Redskins in a head-to-head matchup.

Trailing 34-6 after the first half of the dual meet, Rochelle strung together six wins over the final seven bouts, erasing a 28-point deficit and emerging with a 42-38 victory over the Redskins. The Hubs (10-1, 3-0 Interstate 8) remained undefeated in conference action with the win. Rochelle will remain on the road Thursday evening, when the Hubs face Oregon and Dakota.

Morris started the dual meet with three consecutive victories to take a 16-0 lead over Rochelle. The match began with the 106-pound bout, where Owen Sater scored a 12-1 major decision over Hub sophomore Freddie Hernandez. Brock Claypool earned a second-period fall over sophomore Keagan Albers in the 113-pound bout and Brandon Anderson followed with a second-period fall over sophomore Tony Milburn in the 120-pound bout for the Redskins.

Junior Xavier Villalobos snapped the scoreless streak for the Hubs, recording two takedowns and a first-period fall over Jacob Meloun in the 126-pound bout. Morris fired back with wins in the 132-pound and 138-pound bouts, where Carter Skoff and Kazden Klinker secured second-period falls over sophomore Deegan Schabacker and freshman Joshua Lassiter.

Morris took its largest lead of the match after Tyler Semlar’s second-period fall over freshman Angel Hernandez in the 144-pound bout. Rochelle’s comeback started with a win in the 150-pound bout, where sophomore Brenden Voight scored a first-period takedown and fall over Andrew Peterson. The Redskins notched their final victory of the meet during the 157-pound bout, taking a 38-12 lead after Andrew Paull’s 14-3 major decision over junior Matthew Lynn.

Junior Grant Gensler totaled two takedowns and one near fall during his second-period fall over Ian Wills in the 165-pound bout. Sophomore Roman Villalobos followed with a first-period takedown and fall to win the 175-pound bout, making the score 38-24 before senior Brock Metzger compiled two takedowns and a near fall during his victory by fall in the 190-pound bout. 

Rochelle cut the Morris lead to 38-36 after junior Kaiden Morris recorded a first-period takedown and fall over Daniel Riley in the 215-pound bout. The Hubs clinched the dual win in the 285-pound bout, where freshman Rafael Herrera received a forfeit from the Redskins.