The Hilmar High wrestling team had no trouble picking up its first Trans Valley League dual win of the season when it hosted Mountain House High Wednesday night and beat the Mustangs 72-3.

“It’s good to start off with a big win like that. They were obviously a little more shorthanded than we were and we went in knowing it was a very winnable dual,” head coach Steve Vieira said. “We had a lot of first-period falls, so the guys kind of went out and got to work and got things done.”

The Yellowjackets (6-1 Overall; 1-0 TVL) lost only one match on Wednesday and benefited from three forfeits. The dual victory comes on the heels of an impressive showing at the Coast Classic in Aptos over the weekend that saw Cody Rentfro place 3rd at 170 pounds and Wyatt Carter place 6th at 120 pounds in addition to a top-20 team finish.

Hilmar will again take on a team with low numbers next week when it travels to Hughson High before hosting rival Escalon High on Jan. 18 in a dual that is expected to determine who will lead the chase for this season’s TVL title.

“That’s pretty much going to be the one,” Vieira said of the Escalon dual. “I think if we get over the hump with Escalon, which has always pretty much been the hump with everyone in our league — I mean if you can’t beat them the league title pretty much goes out the window.”