The Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union boys’ wrestling team started their season by defeating Mount Pleasant in duals 43-33 Tuesday night.

Junior Dakota Aney got the first victory of the night for the Wildcats with a pin at 113 pounds, and senior Jacob Nelson followed him up by winning a 12-0 major decision at 120 to give Columbus/WMU a 10-6 lead.

Pins by sophomore Tayson Samuels at 132 lbs and junior Alex Venzor at 138 stretched the Wildcats’ lead to 22-12, and even when Mount Pleasant won the next three bouts to take a five-point lead, Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union finished the night strong.

The ‘Cats won four of the final five matches of the evening, with junior Trevor Phillips claiming a 9-4 decision at 190 lbs and pins to win from senior Riley Kaalberg at 165; junior Kason Dopler at 175; and senior Itai Zapiensz at 285.

The Lone Tree Lions would not have the same good fortune, dropping a pair of duals on Tuesday. Lone Tree was shut out by Lisbon 84-0 before also falling 42-21 to Durant. The lone head-to-head win of the night for the Lions came from junior Brock Nebergall, who won a 9-6 decision at 120 lbs.

While Lone Tree next competes Saturday at the Jeremy Fulk Classic in Wapello, Columbus/Winfield-Mount Union will hope for more team success when they next wrestle at a duals tournament Saturday in Williamsburg.