Despite compiling a winning record on the mat (16-10) and cranking out four more pins than its opponents (14-10), the South Hamilton wrestling team walked away with just one victory in three duals Tuesday night.

Open at 120, 126 and 132 pounds, the Hawks handed over 18 free points to each of their foes. Their two losses were by two and seven points, respectively.

“We just try to go out there and compete and our younger guys have really improved,” South Hamilton senior and third-ranked (Class 1A) 170-pounder Lane Swenson, one of four Hawks to go 3-0 on Tuesday, said following the quadrangular.

The Hawks opened the four-team frenzy by topping Heart of Iowa Conference rival Nevada, 42-30. They built an early 30-6 edge on Perry, but the Blue Jays stormed back to claim a 41-39 win. Ogden closed out the evening by knocking off South Hamilton, 42-35.

Colton Willis (top) tosses Nevada’s Camdan Vincent to his back on Tuesday. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

South Hamilton head coach Dan Brodie said there was more that went into the two setbacks than just the free points allowed.

“There were some toss up matches against Ogden and Perry that didn’t go our way where they did go our way against Nevada, but that’s the nature of the beast,” he said. “You’ve got to win those toss up matches to win duals.”

Keyton Remsburg (113), Brent Greenfield (182) and Elijah Balderas (195) joined Swenson with 3-0 marks. The quartet combined for nine pins and fell just one point short of acquiring the maximum bonus points. That came in Swenson’s final bout against Ogden’s Tyler Kathman, a 17-2 technical fall in just 2:31. Rather than look for the quick fall — he could have ended it whenever he chose — Swenson opted to work on his turns and piled up a slew of near-fall points.

“The score didn’t matter for team points, so I wanted to work on my stuff,” Swenson, who improved to 27-1 on the season, said.

Blake Harris (152) and Colton Willis (220) both went 2-1 for the Hawks. Holden Klein (106), Carter Stolee (138), Connor Caudle (145) and Owen Duns (160) all picked up one win.

South Hamilton’s Elijah Balderas (front) takes a shot against Perry’s Leonard Jacobson on Tuesday. Balderas went 3-0 on the night. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

South Hamilton was without fourth-ranked Trevor Thompson (195), who continued to recover from an ankle injury sustained last week, but Balderas more than held his own in place of the senior. Only one of Balderas’ opponents made it out of the first period — Ogden’s Aiden Kathman lasted 3:30 before he was shown the lights — and he opened by decking Nevada’s Gage Bielenberg in just 15 seconds.

Not bad for a kid who took up wrestling a season ago.

“His confidence is growing and he works really hard in the room every day,” Brodie said of Balderas. “I think his ceiling is still way up there, but in just his second year ever he’s doing a lot of good things.”

Duns secured the Hawks’ dual victory over Nevada. He stepped onto the mat for the final bout with the Hawks clinging to a six-point lead and then doubled it with a pin over the Cubs’ Sam Hanson in 2:41.

Greenfield, Balderas and Willis ripped off consecutive falls to kick off the dual against Perry. Klein received a forfeit and Remsburg flattened Taylor Atwell in 1:52 to push South Hamilton out to the 30-6 lead.

South Hamilton 138-pounder Carter Stolee (facing) is returned to the mat by Nevada’s Aden Bearden on Tuesday in Jewell. Stolee pinned Bearden in 3:28 and the Hawks won the dual, 42-30. DFJ photo/Troy Banning

And then came the forfeits.

Perry rattled off back-to-back wins following the three forfeits to take the lead for good. Harris closed the gap to 35-33 with a last-second takedown for a 3-2 win over Anthony Tlaceca.

South Hamilton won three of the first five weights against Ogden, only to see the lead evaporate following the three forfeits.

The Hawks will now turn their attention to Friday’s HOIC tournament in Jefferson, which will get started at 5 p.m. Swenson is a defending champion and Brodie says Thompson — a 2020 league runner-up — will return to the lineup.

South Hamilton 42, Nevada 30

DFJ photo/Troy Banning

170 — Lane Swenson (SH) pinned Caiden Woten, 0:51 (6-0). 182 — Brent Greenfield (SH) forfeit (12-0). 195 — Elijah Balderas (SH) pinned Gage Bielenberg, 0:15 (18-0). 220 — Double forfeit. 285 — Camdan Vincent (N) pinned Colton Willis, 5:21 (18-6). 106 — Kaden Weber (N) pinned Holden Klein, 1:31 (18-12). 113 — Keyton Remsburg (SH) forfeit (24-12). 120 — Double forfeit. 126 — Dominick Garcia (N) forfeit (24-18). 132 — Luis Lopez (N) forfeit (24-24). 138 — Carter Stolee (SH) pinned Aden Bearden, 3:28 (30-24). 145 — Connor Caudle (SH) pinned Rowan Steele, 1:09 (36-24). 152 — Payton Mosinski (N) pinned Blake Harris, 3:25 (36-30). 160 — Owen Duns (SH) pinned Sam Hanson, 2:41 (42-30).

Perry 41, South Hamilton 39

182 — Greenfield (SH) pinned Brian Hernandez, 0:19 (0-6). 195 — Balderas (SH) pinned Leonard Jacobson, 1:36 (0-12). 220 — Willis (SH) pinned Kevin Colin, 2:21 (0-18). 285 — Alan Gomez (P) forfeit (6-18). 106 — Klein (SH) forfeit (6-24). 113 — Remsburg (SH) pinned Taylor Atwell, 1:52 (6-30). 120 — Cole Nelson (P) forfeit (12-30). 126 — Ian Castellanos (P) forfeit (18-30). 132 — Kyle Hernandez (P) forfeit (24-30). 138 — Tanner Burgin (P) pinned Stolee, 3:10 (30-30). 145 — Juan Hernandez (P) pinned Caudle, 1:49 (36-30). 152 — Harris (SH) dec Anthony Tlaceca, 3-2 (35*-33). 160 — Keegan Snyder (P) pinned Duns, 0:51 (41-33). 170 — Swenson (SH) pinned Jose Chavez, 1:32 (41-39).

*Deducted 1 team point for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Ogden 42, South Hamilton 35

195 — Balderas (SH) pinned Aiden Kathman, 3:30 (0-6). 220 — Double forfeit. 285 — Willis (SH) pinned David Hammer, 0:25 (0-12). 106 — Kolton Munson (O) pinned Klein, 1:23 (6-12). 113 — Remsburg (SH) pinned Cole Pelleymounter, 4:44 (6-18). 120 — Travis Boothroyd (O) forfeit (12-18). 126 — Kale Munson (O) forfeit (18-18). 132 — Dominic Degeneffe (O) forfeit (24-18). 138 — Wyatt Sprecher (O) pinned Stolee, 5:03 (30-18). 145 — Avery McCloud (O) pinned Caudle, 0:31 (36-18). 152 — Harris (SH) forfeit (36-24). 160 — Justus Rude (O) pinned Duns, 1:04 (42-24). 170 — Swenson (SH) tech fall Tyler Kathman, 17-2, 2:31 (42-29). 182 — Greenfield (SH) pinned Xander Soder, 0:47 (42-35).