The Valencia Vikings wrestling program made sure to put on a show in their first and only scheduled home dual meet of the season on Wednesday.  Denicio Diaz brought the crowd to its feet early on with a WWE-like slam of his opponent on his way to a 17-9 major decision over his Lancaster High opponent, Brett Smithley, at 126 pounds.   Later on, with the Vikings holding a slim lead over the Eagles, Evan Payne got a reversal on his foe, Nyol Jenkins, on his way to a pin at 150 pounds. That result not only gave Payne an unlikely win just seconds before he was set to lose, but also put Valencia firmly out in front over Lancaster.  “It was sick,” Payne said. “You know, I was down in the match, I was low on myself, but I knew I had it in me with that big throw at the end to finish it.”  Valencia’s Slater Hicks after pinning Lancaster’s Shaun Ikeuchi in their 132-pound bout on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Valencia High School. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal. The Vikings eventually won the dual, 42-23, in what is believed to be the first home dual since 2018.  “I think it was pretty much everything we could have hoped. It was great,” said Valencia head coach Brian Peterson, who said Payne’s win was the “highlight of the night.”  Slater Hicks, the seventh-ranked wrestler by CalGrappler at 126 pounds — and the only sophomore in the top 15 in the Jan. 7 rankings — made short work of his opponent. He earned a pin with 22 seconds left in the first period, racking up double-digit points in the process.  A state qualifier as a freshman last year, Hicks said it was a “great experience” to finally get to wrestle at home, but that the Vikings have bigger plans for the rest of the season.  Valencia’s Victor Feuerman (top) and Lancaster’s Aries Corona grapple for control during their 138-pound bout on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Valencia High School. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal. “Honestly, we’re just working towards bigger things, like state, national tournaments, just being the best you can be,” Hicks said. “And this was just a stepping stone in the way for us. So, we’ve just been working hard.”  Victor Feuerman followed up Hicks’ pin with a tight 8-6 decision at 138 pounds, and then Alejandro Navarro won by technical fall — matches are called when someone is winning by at least 15 points — at 144 pounds.  Payne’s pin came next, followed by a couple of pins for Lancaster.  Valencia’s Noah Conway (top) goes for a takedown on Lancaster’s Alessandro Sandoval during their 120-pound bout on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Valencia High School. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal. Justin Campos gave Valencia a pin at 190 pounds to seal the win. Michael Fleurant wrapped things up with a pin at 215 pounds for Valencia.  “It’s amazing. We trained together, we practiced for this,” Payne said. “We’re working hard in the gym, two-a-days during this break. You know, we wanted it bad, and it shows.”  The Vikings followed up Wednesday’s win with a 55-18 Coastal Canyon League victory at Moorpark on Thursday.  The Valencia Vikings wrestling team celebrates a victory during Wednesday’s dual meet against Lancaster on Jan. 9, 2025, at Valencia High School. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal. After that, Hicks, Navarro, Henry Egami and Dayle Cailles earned first place at the Juan Enriquez Memorial Tournament over the weekend, helping the Vikings to finish second as a team.  Payne finished third in his bracket, while Feuerman took fifth and Diaz, Logan Cryer and Cooper Robbins took seventh.  Valencia’s Denicio Diaz (behind) nears a pin over Lancaster’s Brett Smithley during their 126-pound bout on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Valencia High School. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal. Valencia’s Slater Hicks (top) looks to gain control over Lancaster’s Shaun Ikeuchi during their 132-pound bout on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2025, at Valencia High School. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal. The post Valencia wrestling shows out in home dual win over Lancaster  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.