After dropping a close one to Lindbergh on Thursday, the Hazen wrestling team rallied back with a strong finish this past weekend at the Hurricane Harris Invitational at Decatur High School.

Hazen placed sixth out of a total of 19 teams at the invitational.

Malik Haythorne won the tournament at 152 pounds, pinning and tech-falling each opponent he faced. Derek Nichols battled his way through his bracket to the finals and took second at 126 pounds. At one point in the finals match he was very close to upsetting the fourth-ranked wrestler in the state, according to coach Rory Magana.

Jairo Barahona took third at 182 pounds after losing a very close semi-finals match to the eventual champion. He won out through the backdoor. Tyson Mowrey placed fifth at 106 pounds in his first ever varsity tournament after losing a hard fought overtime battle for third place.

The Highlanders finish is even more impressive considering they were able to do it without wresters at the 113-, 170-, 220-, and 285-pound classes

Hazen is scheduled to take on Kennedy Catholic Thursday at home and will head to the Hammerhead Invitational in Kitsap on Friday and Saturday.