While Creston/O-M was busy building a 21-0 lead over Glenwood in a matchup of Hawkeye 10 Conference unbeatens here Tuesday night, it was the coach facing the deficit that was smiling inside.

While giving up a technicall fall, major decision and pin among the five Panther wins to start the match, Ram coach Brad Asche was pleased that all but one of his wrestlers in that stretch avoided a six-point hit in the team score with a pin defeat.

As it turned out, those extra bonus points would have been valuable to the Panthers, who lost 34-30 in a key league showdown in front of a near-capacity crowd in the Creston High School gym.