In two rounds of dual meet action Thursday night, South Whidbey’s wrestling team gained immediate status as a powerhouse program.

Facing Blaine and Nooksack Valley at home, the Falcons surprised the competition in the heavy weight classes and controlled the middle-weight bouts to beat both teams by sizeable margins.

Using a big, hometown crowd to their advantage at Erikson Gymnasium, six Falcons scored pins in the first seven matches against Blaine to start the team on its way to a 58-19 victory. Sophomore Ben Harris opened the meet with a 55-second fall win at 152 against Blaine’s Mattamoros, followed shortly thereafter by junior Sean Noste’s 24 second pin of the Borderites’ Janno.

Even more impressive was senior Brandon Hern. The 171-point state champion needed only 16 seconds to lift a Blaine 215-pounder onto his shoulders, then drop him into a match-winning pin. A beefed-up Chris Martin also showed his affinity for a higher weight class. Normally wrestling in the 195-pound class, Martin took on and pinned Blaine’s Campos in the third round of the night’s opening heavyweight 275-pound round.

Other Falcon wins included Jason Gilberts’ win at 189, rookie Chris Hahn’s win at 189 against a Nooksack wrestler, Adam Jaffe’s 9-8 decision at 140 pounds against Nooksack’s Lynde, and freshman Tyler Rueth’s victory at 103 against Nooksack’s Kensok.

South Whidbey beat Nooksack by a 45-25 margin in the team competition.

Falcon coach Mike Crebbin said the two duals started the season on the right note. Though he saw a good deal of room for improvement, he said he and his team will take the wins.

“I have to be satisfied,” he said.

Crebbin said he was impressed with a number of moments at the meet, including Hahn’s win in his first varsity match ever.

The team wrestles next Thursday in a double dual meet at Mount Baker.