The top-ranked Canyon wrestling team got a...

The top-ranked Canyon wrestling team got a day off Wednesday.

In fact, it was the Comanches’ third consecutive day off from practice after Coach Gary Bowden jokingly challenged his team during Saturday’s Canyon Invitational, which featured 16 teams, including fourth-ranked Huntington Beach, Alhambra Keppel and three Nevada schools.

“I told (the team) if they won the meet by 100 points, I would give them practice off until Thursday,” Bowden said. “I wasn’t serious, of course.”

But Canyon went on a tear as seven wrestlers won individual titles, and Canyon compiled 222 1/2 points. After Huntington Beach finished a distant second with 117 points, and Keppel third with 99 points, the Comanches looked forward to four wrestle-free days.

“Our guys went nuts,” Bowden said. “By the end of the meet, I was rooting for Huntington Beach to score some points. All of the (Canyon wrestlers) were trying to score points in any way possible at the end . . . an extra technical fall here, a point there, it was crazy.”

Among Canyon’s victories were pins by brothers Matt and Barney Padgett. Matt, a 160-pound senior, earned the tournament’s outstanding wrestler award in the upper-weight classes. Barney, 171 pounds, upset Westminster’s Eric Escobedo.

Canyon’s Dave Cha recorded a technical fall at 125 pounds, and Kevin Jan (119), Truc Tran (125), Dave Gayer (135) and Justin Young (189) also won individual titles for Canyon.

Steve Martinez (145) and Robert Wright (152) won individual titles for Huntington Beach.