GLADSTONE — The Gladstone wrestlers continued to show their strength in the upper weight classes here Wednesday as they pulled away for a 52-30 victory over the Escanaba Eskymos on Parents’ Night.

Esky was within 34-30 after Haidyn Denis pinned Tanner Thorbahn 4:32 into the 175-pound match.

Gladstone then needed just a combined 41 seconds to seal the verdict as Ryan Forvilly and Trevor Thorbahn recorded pins at 190 and 215 for an insurmountable 46-30 advantage.

“Our heavyweights are beasts,” Braves coach Ryan Harrenstein said. “We should have had one at 175, but it only takes one mistake to go from winning to losing. Every loss is a learning experience. It’s another stepping stone on the way to the post-season.”

Ryan Forvilly (190) needed just 22 seconds to pin Gabe Brooks and Trevor Thorbahn (215) pinned Robert Sebol in 19 seconds, followed by the 285 bout in which Ben Wilson pinned Esky’s Zahn Anderson at 2:16.

Freshman Inez Gomez got the Braves started on the right foot by pinning Carter Springstroh with 8.1 seconds left in the 106-pound match.

Gladstone’s Cole Carlson (113) then pinned Connor McClelland in 43 seconds.

“We had to have a perfect night to beat them,” Esky coach John Rogers said. “We were hoping to do a little better in the lighter divisions. It was a case of good wrestling on Gladstone’s part and mistakes on our part. Inez has been a good wrestler since she was a little girl. She figured out how to get in position to level the strength factor. The 132-pound match should have been a little different for us. I know we’re a young team, but we want to be more aggressive.”

Senior Cody Crowe (120) got Esky on the board, needing only 27 seconds to pin Drew Baldovsky.

Gladstone took a 17-6 lead after the 126 match in which Gabe Carlson defeated Isiah Davis on a technical fall (19-3) and Colten Chmnynski (132) pinned Cash Kenneally at 3:52 for a 23-6 cushion.

The Eskymos shaved their deficit to 11 points after the 138 bout in which Corey Smithingell pinned Kristof Stahlman in 49 seconds.

Bryce Bichler (144) then pinned Nick Laird at 2:35 to make it 23-18 before the Eskymos gained their only lead (24-23) by taking a forfeit at 150.

The Braves regained the lead at 157 where Nick Proehl pinned Ethan Ingelbrightsen two seconds before the second period was to end.

“They put up a good fight,” Harrenstein said of the Eskymos. “They know how to wrestle.”

The Eskymos travel to Marinette for Saturday’s Border Wars. The Braves go to Negaunee for the Mid-Peninsula Conference meet Saturday.

106 — I. Gomez, G, pinned Springstroh, 5:52; 113 — C. Carlson, G, pinned McClelland, :43; 120 — Crowe, E, pinned Baldovsky, :27; 126 — G. Carlson, G, tech fall over Davis, 19-3; 132 — Chmnynski, G, pinned Kenneally, 3:52; 138 — Smithingell, E, pinned Stahlmann, :49; 144 — Bichler, E, pinned Laird, 2:35; 150 — Berube, E, forfeit; 157 — Proehl, G, pinned Ingelbrigtsen, 3:58; 165 — Taylor, G, tech fall over Arnt, 16-1; 175 — Denis, E, pinned Tanner Thorbahn, 4:32; 190 — R. Forvilly, G, pinned Brooks, :22; 215 — Trevor Thorbahn, G, pinned Sebol, :19; 285 — Wilson, G, pinned Anderson, 2:16.