It wasn’t the best match of Mankato East senior heavyweight Kevin Hughes’ season but, in the long run, it will probably make him a better wrestler.

With the meet on the line, Class AA’s 10th-ranked Hughes matched up against Rochester Century’s Charlie Wolff and came out on the losing end of a 5-3 decision. That gave Century a 40-36 Big Nine Conference win at the East gym.

“I don’t mind that kind of pressure but not if you’re going to lose,” Hughes said, shaking his head afterward. “He’s added some muscle since I wrestled him last year.”

Hughes was giving up nearly a foot in height and almost 20 pounds against Wolff who weighed in at 286 pounds. Hughes tried to throw Wolff with headlocks a couple of times but Wolff managed to slip those attempts at each opportunity.

“I knew he was ranked, I knew he was experienced, I knew he was a very good all-around wrestler,” Wolff said afterward. “I just tried to use my height to my adantage and tried to stay in good position.

“We’ve wrestled a few times over the last couple of years and he’s pinned me every time until tonight. It was definitely one of my biggest wins of the year.”

Despite the loss, Hughes boasts an impressive 20-4 record and figures to be one of the favorites in the Section 2AA Individual Tournament that begins in two weeks. Hughes knows that getting through the 2AA field won’t be easy.

“There’s some good heavyweights out there,” he said. “I already wrestled the guy from Montgomery-Lonsdale-Le Center and he beat me.

“Scott West is supposed to have a pretty good heavyweight, too. Fairmont’s heavyweight is also pretty strong but he didn’t wrestle in that tournament we were in with them. We’ll just have to go out and see what happens.”

Thanks to pins by 119-pound Drew Schumacher (18 seconds) and 130-pound Wyatt Derynck (38 seconds) the Cougars were able to stay with Century during the early going. At 140 and 145 pounds, East’s Davis brothers — Michael and Daniel — delivered consecutive pins on nearly identical headlock throws.

“I don’t know, it must be genetics,” East head coach Bruce Urbatch said of the Davis brothers. “They both know how to use that headlock and they both know how to use it well.”

Those pins gave East a 30-15 lead, but Century rallied with a pins from Colt Jones (152 pounds) and Andre Davis (189), a forfeit win and a major decision from Scott Schubert (160) to go up 37-30. Shawn Nordstrom got the Cougars back in it with a pin of Pat Svem in 2:36 at 215 pounds, setting the stage for the decisive heavyweight dual.

The loss drops East to 11-12 overall. The Cougars take on crosstown rival Mankato West at 5 p.m. today at MSU’s Bresnan Arena. The meet will be followed by a 7 p.m. North Central Conference dual between MSU and Nebraska-Omaha.