The Marion wrestlers lost another pair of matches in a double-dual meet Thursday night in their home gym.

They've yet to win a meet this year, due once again to automatic forfeits for the snakebit and short-handed squad. But, as he's done all season, senior Scout Morehouse started things off in his two 112-bouts with relentlessness and moxie.

On this night, he won both pretty handily on a second-period pin and a 13-6 decision.

"I try to come out as aggressive as possible in every meet to set the tone for the rest of my teammates," said the diminutive grappler, who's listed at 5-foot-5 but says he's actually two inches shorter. "I want other teams to know that when they wrestle Marion, they can expect to get the very best out of us. We've got a lot of pride."

What they don't have is a lot of wrestlers. In the matches against Center Point-Urbana and Vinton-Shellsburg, the Indians put out only eight varsity contestants in the 14 weight classes. So the team essentially was behind by 36 points before even hitting the mat.

Marion lost to Center Point-Urbana, 51-21, and dropped a tight contest to Vinton-Shellsburg, 42-37.

"It's been an unusual year," said longtime Marion Coach Bruce Weisinger. "We usually have 30 to 35 out. But it's getting harder to get kids that are willing to commit the time and the hard work that it takes."

Weisinger has never had that problem with Morehouse or the others on his tiny band of gladiators.

"He's just a great kid with a big heart," said Weisinger, who's coached high school wrestling for 29 years, 20 of them at Marion. "You couldn't ask for anybody who works harder. He's a good student, a model citizen and a real quality person. He's fun to work with."

Morehouse, who has practically no body weight on his small frame, runs on the cross country team and trains during the summer with 119-pound teammate Alex Hunter. Together, they log up to 10 miles running four or five times a week and spend time lifting in the weight room.

Besides that, Morehouse has held down a job for the past three years in the dairy department at Hy-Vee and kept up a near straight-A average in class. He'll enroll at the University of Northern Iowa next year to major in human resources with a goal of working in management for Hy-Vee. He won't wrestle in college but said he plans to help out with Marion's young wrestlers.

In the meantime, though, he has his sights set on this weekend's Wamac Conference tournament and the Class 3A district matches in a couple of weeks. Morehouse won all five of his matches at the six-team Williamsburg Invitational last week. And with a 22-9 season record against tough competition, he wants his first shot in the state tourney.

"I think I've got a pretty darned good chance," he said. "If I work hard enough at it."

As he's shown over the past four years, that part's a take-down cinch.

VINTON-SHELLSBURG 42, MARION 37

103 -- Sam Martin (VS) won by forfeit; 112 -- Scout Morehouse (M) pinned Brandt Corcran, 2:53; 119 -- Alex Hunter (M) pinned Nathan Merchant, 3:40; 125 -- Levi Lochner (M) major dec. Thomas Cox, 13-5; 130 -- Austin Heims (VS) won by forfeit; 135 -- Ian Storey (VS) pinned Markus Newton, 3:12; 140 -- Jacob Hessenius (VS) won by forfeit; 145 -- Hunter Banes (M) pinned Riley Hopkins, 1:04; 152 -- Ryan Webster (VS) pinned Romello Olds, 3:44; 160 -- Tyler Spear (M) dec. Matt Devries, 9-8; 171 -- Kaleb Tuetken (M) pinned Carl Zinc, 1:08; 189 -- David Richter (VS) won by forfeit; 215 -- Hunter Hardy (M) won by forfeit; 285 -- Logan Merchant (VS) won by forfeit.

CENTER POINT-URBANA 51, MARION 21

103 -- Trevor Bryant (CPU) won by forfeit; 112 -- Scout Morehouse (M) dec. Austin Erger, 13-6; 119 -- Alex Hunter (M) tech. fall Brennan Henderson, 22-5; 125 -- Levi Lochner (M) dec. Colin Cox, 12-5; 130 -- Logan Takes (CPU) won by forfeit; 135 -- Kaleb McVay (CPU) pinned Markus Newton, 2:37; 140 -- Austin Shaffer (CPU) won by forfeit; 145 -- Hunter Banes (M) major dec. Cass Fox, 12-3; 152 -- Romello Olds (M) pinned Tyler Sarchett, 1:36; 160 -- Chris Pladsen (CPU) dec. Tyler Spear, 7-6; 171 -- Robert Rathbun (CPU) pinned Kaleb Tuetken, 2:44; 189 -- Trai Shakespeare (CPU) won by forfeit; 215 -- Conner Rees (CPU) won by forfeit; 285 -- Tanner Haars (CPU) won by forfeit.