The Austin wrestling team picked up a lot of momentum when it swept a triangular on Pink Out Night in Ove Berven Gym Thursday.

The Packers beat Rochester John Marshall 37-34 and they topped WEM/JWMP 55-24.

“It’s nice to get a Big Nine win against a tough JM squad,” Austin head coach Jer Osgood said. “It was a complete team effort as far as working for bonus points, staying of your back and doing what you could for your team. I was very impressed with the whole work ethic and fight from the entire team.”

Austin had to step up late in the dual to beat the Rockets as it trailed 34-25 with two matches remaining. A pair of sophomores delivered for the Packers (5-5 overall, 2-1 Big Nine). Isaac Arjes over-powered JM senior Kevin Fitgerald at 220 pounds and flipped him over to get a second period pin and Eli Marks made an early surge at 285 to get a first period pin on JM senior Kori McCarthy to win the dual.

“I felt great after the match and it was great having all of the fans cheering,” Marks said. “It gives me a big motivation boost [when I see Isaac wrestle well.] We’re really good friends and we make a good combination when it comes to wrestling.”

Arjes and Marks have grown up wrestling together since they were at the youth level and when one of them has a good match, the other one likely does as well. Both wrestlers went 2-0 with two pins on Thursday.

Arjes was pumped up for his must-win match against the Rockets.

“I had a lot of support from the team and the coaches and they put me in a good mood before the match [against JM]. I went and I gave it everything I had,” Arjes said. “That was a big win for Eli and it pumped up the whole team. I haven’t seen that kind of motivation from our team in a long time.”

Although they are only sophomores, Osgood said that Arjes and Marks have shown some big leadership in the wrestling room this season.

“They take practice seriously and they’re always prepared mentally, which is half the battle in this sport,” Osgood said. “They go out every match expecting to win and that’s a huge advantage on the mat.”

Austin freshman Gavin Brady won both of his matches at 113 as he picked up a 10-0 win over JM senior Andrew Alger and he picked up a first period pin against WEMJWP. Brady had lost to Alger last season, but he was able to turn the tide this time around.

“We went back and forth last year and he had me in a little bit of a neck wrench today,” Brady said. “Last year I would’ve given that up, and I was pretty happy that I got through that today. [As a team], we all fought off our backs and we got a lot of extra points. It was a lot better than earlier in the year.”

Aiden Wilson went 2-0 with two pins for the Packers. His pin against JM came in the first period, but he had to grind it out until the third period to get a pin in his second match of the night against WEMJWP.

“If you’re in the right mind set and you’ve got the adrenaline going because it’s a big match, you’ll be ready for it, regardless of how you feel,” Wilson, a junior, said. “This was a really big step for us. That was the first time we’ve beaten [JM] since I’ve been here.”

Austin junior Tae Weber gave the Packers a big start in both duals as he picked up a 7-1 decision against the Rockets and he came up with a 13-4 win in the nightcap. Weber recently moved to 106 pounds from 113.

“I was very happy with Tae for coming through,” Osgood said. “He dictated the match from his feet and he kept pushing the pace to get two wins tonight.”

Austin 37, JM 34

106: Tae Weber (A) 7-1 dec. over Ben Ziertdt Thorson (JM); 113: Gavin Brady (A) 10-0 maj. dec. over Andrew Alger (JM); 120: Seth Haight (JM) pinned Matt Nelson (A) (1:59); 126: Connor Higgins (JM) 20-4 tech. fall over Tad Belden (A); 132: Moo Thaw (A) won by forfeit; 138: Matt Tebay (A) pinned Tyler Bertschinger (JM) (1:43); 145: Justin Higgins (JM) 16-0 tech. fall over Josh Belden (A); 152: Aiden Wilson (A) pinned Drew McCann (JM) (1:47); 160: Griffin Ferguson (JM) 8-4 dec. over Jacob Jarvis; 170: Darnell Wheatley (JM) 9-4 dec. over Jackson Hample (A); 182: Elijah Hollins (JM) pinned Kaden Igou (A) (4:40); 195: Montie Ridley (JM) pinned Corey Waller (A) (:24); 220: Isaac Arjes (A) pinned Nate Fitzgerald (JM) (3:40); 285: Eli Marks (A) pinned Kori McCarthy (JM) (:49)

Austin 55, WEMJMP 24

106: Weber (A) 13-4 dec. over Kurtis Crosby (W); 113: Brady (A) pinned Tucker Rients (W) (1:06); 120: Nelson (A) pinned Ethan Rider (W) (2:15); Tad Belden (A) pinned Zach Voegele (W) (2:50); 132: Adam Rients (W) pinned Moo Thaw (A) (2:47); 138: Braydon Johnson (W) pinned Gage Ramsey (A) (5:08); 145: Josh Belden (A) pinned Jaxson James (W) (:06); 152: Wilson (A) pinned Cole Benson (W) (4:39); Jarvis (A) pinned Luke Borneke (W) (1:38); 170: Hample (A) 6-1 dec. over Jaden Taylor; 182: Shae Wheelock (W) pinned Igou (A) (2:33); Will Storch (W) pinned Waller (A) (3:11); 220: Arjes (A) pinned Benji Lindquist (W) (2:30); 285: Marks (A) pinned Andrew Larson (W) (2:44)