ARLINGTON — Marysville-Pilchuck wrestling head coach Craig Iversen and his Tomahawk team visited Arlington High School on Jan. 4 for a special match to open his team’s Wesco North seasons against Arlington, coached by his father, Rick Iversen.

The match started strongly in the Tomahawks’ favor but would turn sharply toward an Arlington comeback that fell just three points shy. The match included a 6-5 M-P pin advantage that made all the difference in the Tomahawks’ 39-36 win.

“We knew it would be close,” Craig Iversen said. “Local matches are always better and Wesco North matches are always tough. It’s a very competitive league.”

The result marked the second time that Craig has emerged the winner in the Iversen series. Craig first bested his father as Burlington-Edison’s coach in 1995 when Rick was the Tomahawks’ head coach.

Tomahawk senior 285-pounder Skylar Hatch opened the night with a pin of Eagle senior Dylan Worley after 1:06.

Eagle freshman 106-pounder Clayton Hunter retaliated with a pin of sophomore Austin Sunseth after 1:20.

M-P junior Jacob Greene put his 112 pounds to work and pinned Arlington sophomore Wes Conley after 58 seconds in the third round.

“Jacob had a big win for us,” Craig Iversen said.

Tomahawk 120-pound freshman Ryan Daurie pinned Eagle sophomore Skyler Wren in 1:08.

Junior Israel Lopez of M-P pinned 126-pound Eagle junior Jared Brock-Anderson after 44 seconds in the third round.

M-P freshman 132-pounder Killian Page won a 9-6 decision against sophomore Bryce Thomas to remain undefeated on the season.

Arlington trailed 27-6 after Page’s win, but the Eagles came roaring back.

Eagle 138-pound sophomore Scotty Bardell beat M-P junior Nate Wright in a 10-4 decision.

Arlington junior Jesse Driscoll pinned 145-pound Tomahawk junior Anthony Moffitt after 44 in the second round to pull the Eagles to within two pins at 27-15.

M-P 152-pounder Drew Hatch pinned Arlington senior Erik Davis after 1:00 to push the Tomahawk lead to 33-15 with five matches remaining.

Eagle senior Brandon Chase earned an 11-5 decision over 160-pound Tomahawk junior Jordan Woodin.

Arlington 170-pounder Chris Nelson pinned M-P junior Jake Merrick after 58 seconds in the second round.

The Tomahawks’ lead shrank to 33-24 after Nelson’s display, but M-P 182-pound senior Chris Herbert ended Arlington’s comeback by pinning Eagle freshman Cody Weldon after 28 seconds for a 39-24 lead.

Eagle sophomore Jake Ferro pinned Tomahawk 195-pound senior Neil Hamilton after 41 seconds in the second round and 220-pound Arlington senior Blake McPherson pinned M-P junior Iggy Gabov after 26 seconds in the final match of the night, but the margin was greater than one match could overcome. M-P took the pin and held on for a 39-36 win.

M-P improves to 6-1 overall with their Wesco opener.

“Not many people get to wrestle against a team coached by their father,” Craig Iversen said. “It’s pretty cool.”