Almost three weeks after winning the Class-3A crown at the Ron Mauck OVAC Championships, River picked up some more hardware last week by drubbing Monroe Central 48-19 and Tyler Consolidated 57-24.

The Pilots also picked up some momentum heading into next week’s sectional tournament. ”It’s a big confidence booster for our kids,” River Coach Eric Rosen said. ”We’re just happy we can fill almost all the weight classes. With the exception of 106, we have a good lineup. We’ll keep doing that as we plug our way into sectionals.”

River led 18-15 over the Seminoles before winning the final five matches.

Picking up pins for River were Joseph Dotson (285), Freddie Mundt (145), Brandon Ruesser (170), Dakota Dunn (182), and Brett Rosen (220), in what was the final bout of the match.

”For us, it’s been a total team effort,” Rosen said. “Hopefully, we can keep this going.”

The victory is especially gratifying for Rosen, who has been with the program for five years. He served as an assistant under Marty Winkler before taking over for legendary mat boss Dr. Vince Monseau upon his retirement.

River advanced to the finals by defeating Tyler Consolidated, 57-24, in the semifinals.

Pilots picking up wins by a fall included Dotson, Mundt, Josh Stewart, Bailey Reusser, and Jordan Sapp.

Picking up wins via forfeits in both matches include Brandon Reusser, Chase Shultheis, Dakota Dunn, Brett Rosen, and Kole Smith, twice.