Lucherini ranked No. 6 by On The Mat and Matthews No. 13 in the 160-pound weight class, but Thursday night they each were wrestling at 171 pounds in the final bout of their crucial Centennial League encounter.

Lucherini pulled out an 8-6 victory, scoring a reversal with 35 seconds left for an 8-4 lead and then hanging on. Matthews finished with a reversal of his

The team win helps give Grandview an edge in the league race, but each squad still has to face perennial league powers Cherry Creek and Fairview.

Lucherini's step up to 171 was one of four employed by Grandview coach Greg Maestas. And it was a ploy Eaglecrest coach Sparky Adair expected.

The interesting part is the wrestlers did not make their moves until right before they were to step on the mat.

"I just knew that it came down to me, and I knew what I had to do," Lucherini said. "I'm tired, but I had the crowd behind me and I didn't want to disappoint my teammates or them. I wrestled A.J. last year and I beat him in overtime, so I knew it was not going to be an easy match."

The first switch in the lineup by Grandview came at 145 pounds, where Maestas inserted Adison McDonald. McDonald answered the call, pinning Kyle Kelly in 1:44. The win also put an end to a run of five consecutive wins by Eaglecrest wrestlers, which had staked the Raptors to a 32-16 lead.

Jon Brascetta, who is ranked No. 1 at 145, was bumped to 152, and he closed the gap by pinning Eaglecrest's Gabe Hornsberger in 3:45. Curtis McNary followed by pinning Ben Walton in 1:30, thus setting up Lucherini's match against Matthews.

"We had a couple of guys at the early weights that we hoped would step up," Maestas said. "They hung in there and did not get pinned, and that was real crucial for us. We knew we had to pin in the later matches. The big surprise was Zach Jones at 189. He can't make the varsity at 171, so we moved him up, too. His pin (over Aaron Gallagher in the night's opener) was huge.

"We know we have a good shot at the league," Maestas said. "We know that Cherry Creek is going to be tough as well as Fairview. But I think we are headed in the right direction."

Said Adair, "The night went exactly how I thought it would go. They just have a little more experience with their guys. Where we were weak (Thursday), we were really weak. We just gave up too many pins.

"We knew A.J. could beat Lucherini, but Matt is one of those kids who is going to wrestle smart and does what he has to do," Adair said. "And, he wins it for their team."

Eaglecrest's run of five wins got underway with Dan Moore pinning Josh Starr in 1:34 at 119. The Raptors Dillon Lucas also pinned Ryan Snyder in 1:44 at 130 and Ryan Olvera followed by pinning Robert Hauck in 2:22.