Opening their 2009-2010 season against the Pine View Panthers, the Canyon View Falcons overwhelmed their 4A rivals, winning the match with an impressive team score of 47-23.

“This has always been a big rivalry between us,” Canyon View coach Dallas Lowry said. “Since our school was built, we have been the two powerhouses of southern Utah, and they are always the school to beat down south in 4A.”

The Falcons got off to a hot start. The first matchup of the evening featured the Falcons’ Dallas Hillstead against Pine View’s Kirby Hendry in the 145-pound weight division. Hillstead took an early 2-0 lead on a takedown, with Hendry narrowly avoiding being pinned.

Hendry was able to avoid falling for the first round, but 1:23 into the second, his time ran out. Hillstead used his endurance and won by fall, completing his dominant performance and providing his team with an early lead.

“Dallas is an amazing wrestler,” Lowry said. “He’s very strong and physical, and he’s only a junior. He’s going to be really good. I was impressed by him tonight.”

Canyon View continued its success in the second pairing of the meet. Sophomore Ivan Lopez squared off against the Panthers’ Jake Lamb in the 152-pound class. Both of the wrestlers took their time getting a feel for each other, but Lopez took an early 2-0 lead on a nice move that took Lamb to the mat.

Lopez also used a near-fall to score another two points early in the second round, but Lamb didn’t go away quietly, as he rallied off three-straight points to cut the lead to 4-3, heading into the final round.

Lamb took the lead early in the third segment with an escape, but Lopez gained it right back at 7-6, a lead that he wouldn’t relinquish. He allowed just one point to his opponent the rest of the way, as he claimed a 10-7 win and pushed his team’s lead to 9-0.

“There were a few kids that surprised us, and Ivan Lopez was one of them,” Lowry said. “The kid he beat is a really good wrestler. That changed the entire momentum for us.”

Despite their early success, the Falcons lost two-consecutive matches in the 160 and 171-pound divisions. The victories led to the first Panther lead of the match, at 10-9 for the visitors.

Falcon Cameron Causey regained the lead for his squad, as he downed Pine View’s Isaac Katoa in the 189-pound division. Their match saw Causey take an early 4-2 lead on two nice moves, followed by Katoa tying things up at 4-4. Causey’s lead was cut to just one at 9-8, but an escape put him on top for good, as he outlasted his foe for an 11-10 win, giving the Falcons a 12-10 lead in the match.

The Panther’s briefly regained the overall lead, when Matt Feula downed Brandon Bealer 7-2. However, the Falcons retook a lead that they never gave back.

In the 285-pound class, Jacob Gibbs dismantled his opposition, Wes Gardner. He out-muscled and out-techniqued his counterpart, pinning him just 37 seconds into the match.

After a Pine View forfeit in the 103-pound division, Canyon View’s Greg Widup overpowered his opponent in the 112-pound class, pinning Antonio Torres with 45 seconds left in the first round. The pin, coupled with the forfeit, gave the Falcons a 24-13 lead.

Falcons Cody Engman, David Alldredge, and Cody Miller all pinned their opponents to round out the evening for the home team.

“We have a lot of sophomores, but it bodes well for the future,” Lowry said of his team’s youth. “We still have a lot to work on, but winning the first one of the year takes off a lot of the pressure.”