Out of state tournament roundup for January 13
Edwardsville captures title at Steve Johnston Girls Invite in Kentucky
Edwardsville’s girls team was scheduled to compete in the Oswego East Invite this past weekend, but bad weather forced it to look for another competition that it could participate in.
That’s where Seth Livingston helped the Tigers’ cause significantly. The Bloomington graduate who was a 2000 Class AA heavyweight champion and a two-time state finalist and later an assistant coach for the Purple Raiders, also had assistant jobs in Texas and Kentucky before taking over as head coach at Paducah Tilghman in Paducah, Kentucky. A year ago, his Blue Tornado boys won the KHSAA championship and he was the KYWCA Coach of the Year.
Livingston allowed the Tigers, who are coached by 2019 IWCOA Hall of Fame inductee Jon Wagner, to compete in the Steve Johnston Memorial Girls Invite that Tilghman hosted and Edwardsville easily claimed the championship in the event by scoring 252.5 points while Ste. Genevieve, Missouri took second place with 173.5 points.
Three other squads from Illinois also took part in the 15-team tournament, with Goreville/Vienna (92.5) taking fifth, Marion (47) placing seventh and Anna-Jonesboro claiming 14th place.
Winning titles for the champion Tigers were Genevieve Dykstra (100), Olive Linhorst (126), Holly Zugmaier (132) and Tayla Phillips (235) while Goreville/Vienna’s Alivia Ming (145) also was a champion in the tournament.
Edwardsville
Leading the way for coach Jon Wagner’s first place Edwardsville Tigers were title winners Genevieve Dykstra (100), Olive Linhorst (126), Holly Zugmaier (132) and Tayla Phillips (235) while Alison Kirk (100), Gianna Linhorst (107) and Lydia Blind (138) took second place.
Dykstra (20-4) won a 2-0 decision over Kirk (8-6) in the matchup of the top two finishers in round robin at 100. Olive Linhorst (17-7) was a 3-1 winner over Union County, KY’s Brailey Jackson in the 126 finals. Zugmaier (22-3) captured an 8-4 decision over Union County, KY’s Drew Sprague in the 132 finals. And Phillips (25-4) won by fall in 1:32 over Henderson County, KY’s Jasmin Beckham in the 235 finals.
Union County. KY’s Tanya Bacon won by fall in 3:18 over Gianna Linhorst (20-4) in the matchup of top two finishers in round robin at 107. And Ste. Genevieve, MO’s Ragan Picou recorded a pin in 2:53 over Blind (15-10) in the match between the top two in round robin at 138.
Olivia Coll (107), Alie Chong (114) and Abbrey Dewerff (165) placed third, finishing fourth were Maddy Allen (107) and Marrisa Wiley (165), taking fifth were Desi Ollis (138) and Kenna Ahart (152) while Victoria White (185) placed sixth. Madison Aldrich (132) was eighth, Alex Simpson (145) finished ninth and Katie Jarman (145) and Abigail Hayes (185) took 10th place. Coll took sixth at state at 100 in the first IHSA Finals in 2022.
“We were scheduled to go to the Oswego East girls tourney, but we got cancelled,” Wagner said. “Former Bloomington standout Seth Livingston allowed us in as a late addition. It was nice to see different competition and we were grateful for him letting us in. The girls wrestled great.”
Goreville/Vienna
Top performers for coach Bart Pulliam’s fifth-place Goreville/Vienna Blackcats were champion Alivia Ming (145), runner-up Krista McBride (185) and third-place finisher Liberty McBride (185). Ariel Board (126) took fourth and Madalynn Lapatas (132) and Reese Geyman (152) were sixth.
Ming (21-0) won by fall in 0:57 over Fort Campbell, KY’s Jennifer Velazquez in the 145 title match. Krista McBride (19-5) lost by technical fall in 5:50 to Poplar Bluff, MO’s Zoe Freeman in the 185 championship match. Ming is a two-time IHSA medalist, finishing second at 140 last season to Edwardsvile’s Mackenzie Pratt and placing fourth at 135 in inaugural state finals.
Marion
Turning in the best showings for coach Darren Lindsey’s Marion Wildcats were fourth-place finishers Alauni Muex (120) and Brooklyn Phemister (152) while Daisjha Cooper (145), Melissa Comerford (165) and Olivia McDermott (235) all finished sixth.
The Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats, who are coached by Chase Hargrave, were led by fifth-place finisher Hayden Williamson (107).
Best records for top-four finishers from Illinois schools are Alivia Ming at 145 (21-0, 1.000), Holly Zugmaier at 132 (22-3, .880), Tayla Phillips at 235 (25-4, .862), Genevieve Dykstra at 100 (20-4, .833), Gianna Linhorst at 107 (20-4, .833), Krista McBride at 185 (19-5, .792) and Liberty McBride at 185 (11-3, .786).
Alivia Ming tied for first place with Poplar Bluff, MO’s Zoe Freeman for the most team points with 33.5 while Holly Zugmaier was third with 32.5 points, Olive Linhorst ranked sixth with 31 points, Tayla Phillips was seventh with 30 points and Krista McBride tied for eighth with 28 team points.
Melissa Comerford and Holly Zugmaier tied Cape Girardeau Central, MO’s Niah Hopkins for second place in total match points with 33. Tayla Phillips tied five others for the second-most falls with five, and she pulled off that feat in just 3:30, which was the fastest of those five.
Edwardsville edged Ste. Genevieve, MO 32-31 for the most falls and the champion Tigers easily had the most match points with 327, finishing well ahead of Ste. Genevievee, MO, which had 153 points.
Title matches for Tilghman, KY’s Steve Johnston Memorial Girls Invite (Illinois finalists)
100 – Genevieve Dykstra (Edwardsville) D 2-0 Alison Kirk (Edwardsville) round robin
107 – Tanya Bacon (Union County, KY) F 3:18 Gianna Linhorst (Edwardsville) round robin
126 – Olive Linhorst (Edwardsville) D 3-1 Brailey Jackson (Union County, KY)
132 – Holly Zugmaier (Edwardsville) D 8-4 Drew Sprague (Union County, KY)
138 – Ragan Picou (Ste. Genevieve, MO) F 2:53 Lydia Blind (Edwardsville) round robin
145 – Alivia Ming (Goreville/Vienna) F 0:57 Jennifer Velazquez (Fort Campbell, KY)
185 – Zoe Freeman (Poplar Bluff, MO) TF 5:50 Krista McBride (Goreville/Vienna)
235 – Tayla Phillips (Edwardsville) F 1:32 Jasmin Beckham (Henderson County, KY)
Team scoring for Paducah Tilghman, KY’s Steve Johnston Memorial Girls Invite
1. Edwardsville 252.5, Ste. Genevieve, MO 173.5, 3, Union County, KY 161, 4. Fort Campbell, KY 131, 5. Goreville/Vienna 92.5, 6, Henderson County, KY 83.5, 7, Marion 47. 8. Trigg County, KY 42, 9. Poplar Bluff, MO 33.5, 10. South Warren, KY 21, 11. Caldwell County, KY 20, 12. Cape Girardeau Central, MO 18, 12. Fairdale, KY 18, 14. Anna-Jonesboro 7, 15. Paducah Tilghman, KY 0
Waterloo boys finish second at St. Charles, Missouri Invite
Waterloo scored 192 points to edge Mexico, Missouri by two points to capture second place in the 23-team St. Charles Invitational, which took place in St. Charles, Missouri. Warrenton, Missouri won the title with 235 points in which Waterloo was the lone non-Missouri entrant.
Leading the way for coach Chase Guercio’s runner-up Bulldogs were champions Konnor Stephens (120) and Jackson Deutch (175) while Ty Kinzinger (126) and Brady Rose (165) took third. Matthew Deutch (106), Bladen Sease (150) and Vince Goodman (215) placed fourth, Drew Glowacki (285) finished fifth and Cainen Buechel (113) claimed sixth place.
Waterloo owned a 15-1 record in dual meets heading into this week and the Bulldogs also won the Marion Dual Team Tournament earlier this season.
In the 120 championship match, Stephens (26-9) won by fall in 1:16 over St. Charles, MO’s Taylor Souders. And in the 175 title match, Jackson Deutch (27-6) recorded a pin in 1:21 over Fulton, MO’s Elijah Brocksmith.
Jackson Deutch and Stephens tied two others for the most total team points with 32. That pair and Rose tied four others who recorded four falls during the competition, with Stephens getting his falls in 3:52, which was the second-quickest time to achieve that feat.
Anna-Jonesboro, Marion lead boys at Johnston Invite in Paducah, Kentucky
The Wildcats of both Anna-Jonesboro and Marion led the way for four boys teams from Illinois who participated in Paducah Tilghman’s Steve Johnston Memorial Invitational, a 17-team competition which was held in Paducah, Kentucky.
Anna-Jonesboro (220) took fifth place and Marion (202) claimed sixth while Goreville/Vienna (119.5) was 11th and Herrin (68) finished 14th in a tournament that featured athletes from Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana.
The team championship was easily won by the host Blue Tornado, who took first place with 429 points, 100 points better than runner-up Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. Paducah Tilghman is coached by Seth Livingston, a Bloomington graduate who was a 2000 IHSA Class AA champion at 285 and also a two-time finalist. Last season, he led the Blue Tornado to the KHSAA state championship and he was recognized as the KYWCA Coach of the Year.
The lone Illinois athlete who won a title was Anna-Jonesboro’s Drew Sadler (120). His twin sister, Zoee (106), competed in the boys tournament rather than the girls competition which was also at Tilghman and she took second place. Two others from Illinois were also runners-up in the competition, Goreville/Vienna’s Jeremiah Pulliam (126) and Herrin’s Blue Bishop (150).
Three of the four finalists were also IHSA medalists last season. Zoee Sadler, was the runner-up at 105 to Loyola Academy’s Harlee Hiller while Drew Sadler took third at 106 in Class 1A and Bishop placed fourth at 145 in Class 1A.
Anna-Jonesboro
The top performers for coach Chase Hargrave’s fifth-place Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats were the brother and sister twin tandem of champion Drew Sadler (120) and runner-up Zoee Sadler (106). Taking third was Daniel Dover (144) while Aaron Sheffer (165) finished fourth, Drew Holshouser (175) placed fifth and Eddie Dahmer (285) was sixth.
Drew Sadler (39-2) claimed top honors at 120 when he captured a 12-2 major decision over Ste. Genevieve, MO’s Brody Winters. And Zoee Sadler (29-8) lost by fall in 3:22 to St. Xavier, KY’s Nathaniel Bueter in the 106 title match.
Marion
Turning in the best finishes for coach Darren Lindsey’s sixth-place Marion Wildcats were Hunter Gibb (138) and Tate Miller (165), who took third place and Jkwon Williamson (113), Caden Frey (144) and Caleb Ohnesorge (150), who finished fourth. Justin Murphy (157) and Bryan Madinger (215) took fifth place and Juelz Elliott (106) claimed sixth.
Goreville
Coach Bart Pulliam’s Goreville/Vienna Blackcats were led by Jeremiah Pulliam (22-5), who claimed second place at 126 after losing by fall in 2:49 to Paducah Tilghman, KY’s Jayven Williams in the title match. And Matt Crim (120) captured a sixth-place finish.
Herrin
Leading the way for coach Kelsey Lewis’ Herrin Tigers was runner-up Blue Bishop (29-1), who
lost for the first time when he was edged 4-2 by Evansville North, IN’s Cale Bonenberger (29-0) in a clash of unbeatens in the 150 title match. In addition, Kolby Coffey (165) and Logan Dirden (215) both claimed sixth-place finishes.
Drew Sadler, the champion at 120, led all 186 competitors in the tournament with the most team points with 50.5, which was one more than the second-place finisher, Paducah Tilghman’s Jayven Williams, who defeated Goreville/Vienna’s Jeremiah Pulliam in the 126 finals.
Top-four finishers who have the best records following the tournament are Blue Bishop at 150 (29-1, .967), Drew Sadler at 120 (39-2, .951), Jeremiah Pulliam at 126 (22-5, .815), Zoee Sadler at 106 (29-8, .784) and Daniel Dover at 144 (25-8, .758).
Drew Sadler also tied for fourth in total match points with 46 while Blue Bishop tied for sixth place with 44 points. Daniel Dover, Drew Holshouser and Hunter Gibb all tied for second place with the most falls with four. Anna-Jonesboro and Marion tied for fifth with 23 falls and Marion had the fifth-most total match points with 241.
Granite City, Waterloo girls at St. Charles, Missouri Invite
Despite having only four competitors, Granite City placed seventh with 82 points at the 22-team St. Charles Girls Invitational in St. Charles, Missouri. Waterloo also took part in the event, in which Francis Howell Central, MO scored 274.5 points and won the title by 120.5 points.
Leading coach John Venne’s Granite City Warriors was champion Ma’Kayla Bonner (110) while Audrey Barnes (135) and Chloe West (170) took second place and Briana Ramirez (105) finished fourth. Waterloo’s Samantha Eaton (120) claimed sixth place.
Bonner (15-10) won the championship at 110 with a fall in 3:41 over Fulton, MO’s Savannah Leeper. Barnes (11-8) took second place at 135 after getting pinned in 4:00 by Francis Howell Central’s Sophie Johnson. And West (7-9) lost the 170 title match after suffering a fall in 0:40 to Fulton, MO’s Carly Foster.
Bonner tied three others for eighth place for the most team points with 26. And Barnes tied one other individual for having the largest seed to place differential at 12 after being seeded 14th and then finishing in second place at 135.
Althoff Catholic boys at St. Charles West, Missouri Invite
Althoff Catholic scored 85 points to finish in ninth place at the 17-team St. Charles West Invitational in St. Charles, Missouri. Coach Emanuel Brooks’ Crusaders were the only non-Missouri team in the competition.
Leading the way for the Crusaders were champions Brenden Rayl (132) and Jason Dowell (285). Rayl (19-1) recorded a fall in 2:16 to win the 132 title over Timberland, MO’s Wyatt Berra. And Dowell (17-1) won top honors at 285 with a 3-1 win by sudden victory over Whitfield, MO’s Adrian Harrold. Other top finishers were Enrique Morales (285), who finished fourth, and Alex Schallert (150), who took sixth place.
Rayl tied for first place along with four others with 30 team points while Dowell tied for eighth in that category with 28 team points. Rayl also tied for fourth place with 38 total match points and tied for second place for the most falls with four. It was the third title of the season for both Rayl and Dowell. Last season, Dowell took third at 285 in Class 1A while competing for Cahokia.