The Northwestern Lehigh wrestling team opened the season last month with a roster depleted because of the Tiger football team’s run to a third state title game.

The Tiger wrestlers competed in one tournament without their football teammates. Since they returned to the wrestling room last week Northwestern won a pair of dual matches against Palisades and Freedom.

Northwestern opened the season on Nov. 29 at the Rough Rider Invitational at Catasauqua High School where it finished fourth as a team with two champs and four third-place finishers.

The Tigers’ Vinnie Fugazzotto (172) and Luke Fugazzotto (189) took first place at Catty. Vinnie won an 11-6 decision over Wilkes-Barre’s Liam Evanko in the title bout. Luke pinned Lower Merion’s Tamir Griffin in 56 seconds in the championship bout.

Northwestern’s Logan Heeps (107), Weston Killar (127), Trent Croll (145) and Braydon Uricchio (152) all won third-place bouts at the Rough Rider Invitational.

Conwell-Egan racked up 230 team points for first place, followed by Upper Perk (192), Wilkes-Barre (189.5), Northwestern (157) and Big Spring (157) to round out the top five at the 15-team event.

The Tigers rolled to a 71-6 win over Palisades in their dual-meet opener. Noah Griffith (139), Croll (145), Uricchio (160), Nolan Koehler (172), Vinnie Fugazzotto (189) and Luke Fugazzotto (215) all pinned their Pirate opponents. Chase Sukanick (152) won by technical fall, while Heeps (107), Mackenzie Case (114), Cooper Smith (121), Killar (127) and Ian Zettlemoyer (285) picked up wins by forfeit.

Northwestern took on Freedom in a nonleague match Monday and earned a 42-32 win. Heeps (107), Killar (127), Croll (145), Uricchio (160), Koehler (172), Vinnie Fugazzotto (189) and Luke Fugazzotto (215) won their matches by fall against the Patriots in a match that saw no forfeits as each team fielded a full line up.

Northwestern’s seven pins, compared to just two for the Patriots, helped the Tigers to victory.

The Tigers are scheduled to host Lehighton Thursday and Palmerton on Tuesday, Dec. 23 before the holiday break. They will compete in the Bethlehem Holiday Classic over Christmas break, Dec. 28-29.