By: Chris Johnson
Messenger Assistant Sports Editor
Matt Sarbo and Darnai Heard have a friendly competition going on in the wrestling room.
The two Iowa Central sophomores are vying to score the most overall bonus points for the eighth-ranked Tritons.
On Sophomore Night Thursday inside Hodges Fieldhouse, both standouts picked up falls as the Tritons easily defeated Ellsworth by a final of 39-11.
Against the Panthers, Sarbo (149 pounds) recorded his fall in 2:03. It only took Heard, a 157-pounder, 1:28 to do the same.
Sarbo's fall put Iowa Central in the lead at 10-6, and Heard's pin was the second of four straight victories for Iowa Central as the home squad quickly pulled away.
Sarbo, the top-ranked and defending national champion, was ahead of Heard in total bonus points this season, 43-30. The gold medalist has 10 falls, six technical falls and one major decision.
Heard has picked up eight falls, two technical falls and two majors in less matches than Sarbo.
"They have a little contest going on between the two of them," said ICCC head coach Luke Moffitt. "It's been fun to watch, because it keeps them aggressive.
"Our sophomores have meant a lot to this group. We had three in our lineup and four overall. They've all contributed."
The Tritons won seven of the 10 matches, including via pin and one by technical fall.
No. 12 Michael Myers (165) earned a fall in 2:40, and 10th-rated Lawrence Rosario's technical fall at 174 gave the Tritons a 27-6 advantage.
"The middle of our lineup got after it," Moffitt said. "They're the heart of the team. They loaded up and finished."
Joseph Lewis (197) and 10th-ranked DJ Moehring (heavyweight) ended the dual with pins in 1:45 and 0:49 seconds for the Tritons.
Sixth-ranked Iowa Central sophomore Trentin Walker (125) started the match with a 17-6 major decision over Chris Compton. No. 10 Tristin Irvin nearly pulled off the upset of the night against returning All-American and seventh-rated Brent Greenfield.
"Tristin was wrestling well and he had him," Moffitt said. "He was being aggressive and attacking and just got caught."
Irvin had an 8-2 advantage after the first period, but as Irvin was attacking, Greenfield caught him and recorded the fall.
Sophomore Cooper Colson was also recognized.
The Tritons are back in action on Saturday when they compete at the Duhawk Open in Dubuque. They'll finish the regular season on Jan. 31 at NIACC in Mason City.