Lawrence High sophomore Carson Jumping Eagle, top, wraps up Shawnee Heights freshman Logan Brede as they wrestle in the 126 pound weight class during their dual wrestling meet on Wednesday evening at LHS.

The results weren’t always positive, but Lawrence High wrestling coach Pat Naughton was happy with what he saw on Wednesday in a dual against Shawnee Heights.

With a young lineup — four freshmen and two sophomores — the Lions didn’t have the firepower to keep up in a 54-16 loss at LHS. Beyond the six losses by pinfall to the Thunderbirds (ranked No. 7 in Class 5A), the Lions showed signs of progression since their last matches before winter break.

“Young is quite the understatement,” Naughton said. “But we saw a lot of things that we’ve actually focused on in practice that they are putting in, and it’s really made a lot of difference.”

The Lions picked up wins by decision from sophomore Carson Jumping Eagle (126 pounds), sophomore Melle Dye (132), junior Tucker Wilson (160), senior Alan Clothier (195) and junior Kevin Nichols (285).

“I know I’m throwing a lot of these guys to the wolves, but you’ve got to be ready,” Naughton said. “For the most part, they were. They saw a lot of things. We kind of got overmatched. Shawnee Heights has a great team.”

Dye earned a victory with a 3-1 decision. During the match, he constantly looked over to his coaches, working on using his quickness to move side-to-side and strength to frustrate his opponent.

“Coach said I need to shoot when my knee slides down and get the shots in,” Dye said. “Once I got my shots in and got my doubles down, I did pretty good.”

The dual was also a chance for the Lions to get back into shape.

For the past week, Clothier spent most of his time trying to cut weight. He did some extra running and tried to eat as healthily as possible before Wednesday’s dual.

Clothier, who won a state title in 2014, was eventually certified at 182 pounds for the first time this season, his most comfortable weight.

His reward? He moved back to 195 pounds and matched up against Shawnee Heights senior Brett Yeagley, the No. 2-ranked wrestler in 5A in his weight class.

Clothier trailed by a point after the first two periods, before he tied the score with an escape and scored two points on a near fall to pick up a 5-3 victory by decision.

“Walking in and wrestling that big of a guy, it took a toll on my body,” said Clothier, the Lions’ only senior. “But I thought it was a really good match. It got me in shape a little more. It was just a tough match and made me think about wrestling hard and being smarter on the match.”

Wilson, the No. 4-ranked wrestler at 160 pounds in 6A, won by a 10-1 major decision over Shawnee Heights sophomore Tre Munoz, who entered the dual with a 15-2 record.

“We’re a young team, but we’re working hard and learning moves,” Clothier said. “Getting better and better each day. That’s all you can ask for.”

Shawnee Heights 54, Lawrence High 16

106 pounds: Barrett Stickelman, SH, won by forfeit.

113: Isaiah Anguiano, SH, won by forfeit.

120: Cade Wathke, SH, pinned Marcus Cassella, LHS, 0:40.

126: Carson Jumping Eagle, LHS, def. Logan Brede, SH, 1-0.

132: Melle Dye, LHS, def. Aldo Bernard, SH, 3-1.

138: Chase Reynolds, SH, pinned Stanley Holder, LHS, 1:46.

145: Jake Patterson, SH, pinned Cade Burghart, LHS, 3:23.

152: Tristan Weaver, SH, pinned Gary Schmidt, LHS, 1:15.

160: Tucker Wilson, LHS, def. Tre Munoz, SH, 10-1.

170: Damon Ward, SH, pinned Jose Smokowski, LHS, 0:50.

182: Marissa Patterson, SH, won by forfeit.

195: Alan Clothier, LHS, def. Brett Yeagley, SH, 5-3.

220: Tristan Killman, SH, pinned John Racy, LHS, 2:20.

285: Kevin Nichols, LHS, def. Walker Atkinson, SH, 4-0.