Prep Wrestling: Mark Morris dominates season’s first Civil War with R.A. Long

Decked Out — Monarchs rack up pins to claim Long-Bell Trophy over rebuilding Jacks

Mark Morris’ Aimen Flemens and R.A. Long’s Tyrese Mehrer grapple intensely for control on the mat during their Dec. 10, match on the mat at Ted M. Natt Court. — Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

Jordan Nailon / blastzonenews@gmail.com

The Long-Bell Trophy didn’t have to travel far, Tuesday, thanks to a 66-17 victory for the Mark Morris boys wrestling team over R.A. Long in the season’s first Civil War conflict between The Planned City’s two high schools.

After the rivalry dual the Monarchs took the trophy, which they’ve made a habit of holding onto, and brought it out into the light of the gymnasium for all to see. Then, after a round of celebratory photos, they presumably tucked it back onto its dusty shelf in the wrestling/HVAC room behind the big lion mural and began to think about what’s next on their checklist in a season with high expectations.

The Mark Morris Monarchs proudly hoist the Long-Bell Trophy after their team triumph at their home meet against R.A. Long on Tuesday, Dec. 10. — Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media

The bell still rings, in case you were wondering. And beneath all that dust it still shines, too. But for the majority of the night it was the Monarchs who were shining while the Lumberjacks were mostly getting their bells rung.

“Mark Morris has a good team and they’ve been on a constant upswing over the last three or four years,” first-year R.A. Long head coach Steve Hogg said. “Mark has done a great job with that program. They look and act professional when they take the mat.”

The traditional grappling affair that doubled as a 2A Greater St. Helens League match was intense, to be sure, but it was also clearly an early season match with plenty of rough edges still to be sanded down on both sides. The most telling detail of the night is that there were no marathon matches with thrilling escapes and reversals pulled off in a last gasp effort. Instead, nearly every match was decided either by fall or forfeit, with conditioning, technique, and eligibility issues combining to make for a relatively short night on the mats rolled out over top of Ted M. Natt Court.

Of course, that’s not to say there weren’t a few standouts on both sides.

Mark Morris’ Camren Lair (top) locks in a pin against R.A. Long’s Nico Davis in their 215 pound match on the mat at Ted M. Natt Court, Tuesday, Dec. 10. — Skyler Smith for Blast Zone Media