Abe’s Rumble/ Mid-States Recap

By Curt Herron

For the IWCOA

Lena-Winslow/Stockton captures title at Abe’s Rumble

Four individuals went 8-0, three more finished 7-1 and another three posted 6-2 records to help Lena-Winslow/Stockton capture the title at the 58-team Abe’s Rumble in Springfield, which concluded on Thursday.

Six of the top-eight teams that were in Rob Sherrill’s IWCOA Class 1A rankings at the time were on hand for the two-day competition in the capital city, No. 1 Tremont, No. 3 Lena-Winslow/Stockton, No. 5 Canton, No. 6 Unity, No. 7 Vandalia and No. 8 Coal City, and all but one of those squads earned top-five positions in the tournament, with Coal City finishing second, Vandalia placing third, Tremont taking fourth and Unity claiming fifth.

Coach Kevin Milder’s Pantherhawks had an average margin of victory of 32.6 points in their eight victories and only one team came within 12 points of them, which happened in the championship dual meet of the Gold Division when they captured a 43-33 win over Coal City.

Lena-Winslow/Stockton, which is now ranked second behind Dixon, defeated Vandalia 37-23 in the semifinals, won 55-15 over El Paso-Gridley in the quarterfinals and opened the championship round with a 47-30 triumph over Canton after claiming  a 46-31 victory over Murphysboro. In pool L, the champions won 60-15 over Quincy Notre Dame, 65-0 over Pontiac and 61-6 over Hoopeston Area.

Finishing with 8-0 records for the champions were Garrett Luke (145), Marey Roby (160), Drew Mensendike (195) and Henry Engel (220/285). Three individuals finished 7-1 marks, Griffin Luke (170), Connor Vincent (182) and Mike Haas (220/285) while Carson McPeek (132), Zach White (138) and Jared Dvorak (152) all posted 6-2 records.

“Really proud of the kids and the way they wrestled,” Lena-Winslow/Stockton coach Kevin Milder said. “Great team effort to get through a very tough Abe’s Rumble Tournament. I thought our kids came ready to compete at the start of pool matches and carried it over into the tournament. Very proud of our effort.”

Coal City, who moved up to third in the rankings, reached the championship dual with a 48-22 semifinals win over Tremont, a 36-31 triumph over Unity in the quarterfinals and wins of 51-19 over Rockridge and 59-15 over Monticello. In pool K, it won 60-15 over Canton, 67-6 against St. Joseph-Ogden and 52-17 over Murphysboro.

Coach Mark Masters’ second-place Coalers received a 7-0 performance from Zach Finch (152/160), 7-1 showings from Culan Lindemuth (106) and John Housman (113), a 5-1 effort from Derek Carlson (160/170) and 6-2 records from Blake Dillon (138) and Michael Gonzalez (285) while Landin Benson (152/160) won all three of his matches.

Vandalia, who’s now ranked fifth, defeated Tremont 38-27 to take third place. Before falling 37-23 to Lena-Winslow/Stockton in the semifinals, the Vandals won 48-27 over Seneca in the quarterfinals and beat Oakwood/Salt Fork 51-23 and Warrensburg-Latham/Mt. Pulaski 60-12 to kick off its route to third-place. They won four times in pool F, beating Illini Bluffs, Rockridge, Mt. Zion and Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

Sophie Bowers went 10-0 at 113 to lead the way for coach Jason Clay’s Vandals. Finishing with 9-1 records were Cutter Prater (138), Eric McKinney (152) and Eric Barenfanger (220/285) while 8-2 marks were posted by Owen Miller (132) and Logan Nance (145) and Jayden Rosetto (220/285) went 7-2.

Tremont, which fell to sixth in the rankings, advanced to the semifinals with a 49-24 win over Oregon in the quarterfinals and wins of 49-21 over Sherrard and 55-18 over Peotone. It also claimed wins over Sparta, Morrison, Clifton Central/Iroquois West and Farmington in pool B.

Leading the way for coach TJ Williams’ Turks were 9-0 finishers Bowden Delaney (120), Lucas Wendling (170) and Cooper Wendling (195/220) while Logan Stedman (160) finished 8-2 and Josiah Grant (126), Mason Mark (132) and Levi Leitner (152) all went 7-2.

Unity, which is now ranked fourth, won 52-27 over El Paso-Gridley to finish fifth after beating Oregon 50-24. Going 9-0 to lead coach Logan Patton’s Rockets were Kaden Inman (120/126), Tavius Hosley (145/152), Grant Albaugh (182), Nick Nosler (195) and Karson Richardson (220/285) while Oran Varela (285) went 7-0, Kyus Root (170) finished 7-2 and Joey Young (106) went 6-2. 

El Paso-Gridley bounced back from its quarterfinals loss to Lena-Winslow/Stockton with a 36-30 victory over Seneca before falling to Unity 52-27 in the fifth-place dual. Going 9-0 to lead coach Joe Cliffe’s Titans was Charlene Hamilton (113) while Waylon Melick (138) went 8-1 and Logan Gibson (120), Tyler Roth (126), Conlee Landrus (132), Dax Gentes (145) and Ethan Whitman (7-2) all posted 7-2 records.

Oregon won 42-36 over Seneca to finish seventh. Coach Justin Lahman’s Hawks were led by Lane Halverson (132) and Ethan George (160/170), who both went 8-1 while Anthony Bauer (145/152) finished 7-1 and Gabe Eckerd (160/170) went 7-2. Coach Todd Yegge’s Fighting Irish were led by Kyler Hahn (106), Owen Feiner (145/152) and Chris Peura (195/220), who all went 9-0, and Jaden Casey (120/126), who finished 8-1.

Reed-Custer won 57-24 over Canton to take ninth place. Leading the way for the Comets were 9-0 finishers Ryan Tribble (138) and Kody Marschner (220) while Samuel Begler (126) went 8-1, Gunnar Berg (285) went 7-1 and Rex Pfeifer (170) and Brandon Moorman (182) finished 7-2. And the Little Giants were led by Trevor Hedges (126), who went 7-0, and Joseph Norton (170/182), who finished 6-0 while Andrew Hedges (152) and Danny Murphy (170/182) both went 3-0. Going 6-2 were Trevor Putman (220) and Weston Swise (285).

Macomb edged Oakwood/Salt Fork 42-40 to finish 11th. Going 8-1 for the Bombers were Max Ryner (182) and Ethan Ladd (195) while Cohen Green (113) and Jack Mansfield (120) both finished 7-2. The Comets were paced by 10-0 performances from Carter Chambliss (120/126) and Reef Pacot (132) while Joe Lashuay (160/170) went 10-1, Brayden Edwards (106) finished 8-2 and Brysen Vasquez (160/170) went 7-2.

Stillman Valley won 43-35 over Sherrard to claim 13th place. Aiden Livingston (160/170), Andrew Forcier (182) and Braxton Jennings (220/285) all went 9-0 and Jack Seacrist (152/160) finished 8-0 to lead the Cardinals. Henry Hildreth (120/126) went 7-1 while Mack Jones (106/113) finished 7-2 and Michael Paneralle (106/113) went 6-2. The Tigers were led by Austin Fratzke (138/145), Ryder Roelf (182/195) and Walker Anderson (195/220) who all turned in 9-0 records  and Lilly Russell (106), who finished 4-0.

Auburn defeated Rockridge 45-30 for 15th place. Dresden Grimm (132/138) went 8-0 and Cole Edie (285) finished 6-0 to lead the Trojans. Going 7-1 was Skylar Fay (182/195) while Gage Lopez (120/126) and Quinten Chizmar (145/152) both finished 6-2. Leading the Rockets were Reese Finch (145/152), who went 7-0, Nathan Petreikis (182/195), who finished 6-0, and Jude Finch (126/132), who went 7-1.

Clifton Central/Iroquois West won the Silver division title 45-36 over Monticello. Leading the way for the division champion Comets were Kodey Krumweide (145), who went 7-1, while Giacomo Panozzo (285) finished 7-2 and Damian Bailey (160) and Hunter Hull (220) both went 6-2. The Sages received 7-2 efforts from Sam Spencer (106), Tristan Slade (132), Ethan Alexander (170/182) and Myles VonBehren (195/220) while Jaxon Trent (138/145) went 6-2. 

Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm beat Frankfort Community 45-33 for third place in the Silver division. Rylee Edwards (182/195) went 9-0, Gabe Kiddoo (120/126) finished 7-0 and Camron Stinespring (220) went 7-2 to lead the Tigers. Gavin Mann (138/145) went 9-1 and Hunter Stitley (220) finished 8-2 to lead the Redbirds.

Newman Central Catholic edged Erie/Prophetstown 42-39 for fifth in Silver division. The Comets were led by Carter Rude (126/132), Brendan Tunink (145/152) and Mason Glaudel (152/160), who all went 9-0 while Brady Grennan (126) finished 8-0 and Daniel Kelly (138) and Hunter Luyando (170/182) both went 7-2. Leading the Panthers were Elijah Friedrichsen (285), who finished 9-0, Jaelin Hawkins (106), who went 8-0, and Wyatt Goossens (113), Andrew Bomleny (195) and Nick Ballard (220) who all finished 8-1.

Peotone won 54-18 over Warrensburg-Latham/Mt. Pulaski to finish seventh in the Silver. The Blue Devils were led by Marco Spinazzola (138/145), who went 8-0, and Alejandro Cardenas (220/285), who finished 6-2. Going 8-1 for the Cardinals was Luke Hall (160) and Walker Allen (195) while Vincent Fiore (138) and Austin Stock (182) both went 7-2.

Anna-Jonesboro defeated Beardstown 42-36 for ninth place in the Silver division. The Wildcats was led by Caleb Mays (145/152), who finished 8-0, and TJ Macy (132/138) who went 7-1, while Drew Sadler (106/113) and Zoee Sadler (113) both finished 6-1. The Tigers were  led by Owen O’Hara (285), who finished 10-0, and Alex Dieme (145/152), who went 6-2.

Murphysboro claimed a 45-30 win over Benton for 11th place in the Silver division. Top performers for the Red Devils were Kaiden Richards (106/113), who went 8-0, Arojae Hart (138/145), who finished 5-0, Bryce Edwards (132/138), who went 6-1 and Landon Norris (106/113), Liam Fox (126), and Dayton Hoffman (160) who all finished 6-2. Leading the way for the Rangers were Mason Tieffel (126/132), who went 9-0, and Avery Grimes (152), who finished 8-1.

Hoopeston Area won 54-21 over Camp Point Central/Brown County/Southeastern to claim 13th in the Silver division. Leading the Cornjerkers with 7-1 records were Talon Nelson (120), Abel Colunga (170/182) and Hunter Cannon (220/285). The Panthers were led by Jack Thompson (113), who went 8-0, Hayden Hurley (106/113), who finished 4-0, Conner Griffin (152), who went 8-1, and Kanye Mitchell (120), who finished 7-2.

Knoxville defeated Sacred-Heart-Griffin 42-30 for 15th place in the Silver division. Leading the Blue Bullets with a 9-0 record was Hunter Fox (160/170) while Dalton Hutchison (220) went 4-0, Hunter Johnson (106/113) finished 8-1 and William Stowe (285) went 7-2. The Cyclones were led by Cory West (182), who finished 8-0, and Michael Ference (126), who went 7-1.

Lawrenceville/Red Hill beat Roxana 43-36 to take first place in the Bronze division. Leading the way for the Indians with an 8-0 record was Brian Seed (170) while Brianna Richey (106) and Nathan Blackwell (182) went 7-1 and Shaina Hyre (113/120) and Hayden Frey (145/152) finished 6-2. The Shells were led by Hunter Bailey (195) and James Herring (220), who both went 8-0, Lleyton Cobine (126), who finished 7-1, and James Colman (106), Bryan Rodriguez (145/152) and Justin Laws (285), who all went 6-2.

Shelbyville defeated Robinson 42-34 in the third-place match in the Bronze division. Going 8-0 for the Rams was Calvin Miller (120) while Will Fox (145/152) finished 5-1. Morgan Fiscus (120) went 4-0 and Dalton Woods (285) finished 7-1 to lead the Maroons while Keaton Alt (113/120), Jared Hermann (160) and Austin Hargrave (195/220) all went 6-2.

Illini Bluffs captured a 42-36 win over Farmington for fifth in the Bronze division. Leading the way for the Tigers with an 8-0 record was Paul Ishikawa (138/145) while Wyatt Knowles (106/113) went 4-0, Hunter Robbins (106/113), Avery Speck (120/126), Jackson Carroll (126/132) and Ian O’Connor (132/138) all finished 7-1. Posting 8-0 records to lead the Farmers were Keygan Jennings (113/120) and Rese Shymansky (182/195) while Connor Huber (132) and Austin Utt (170/182) both went 6-2.

Quincy Notre Dame beat Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington 42-36 to take seventh place in the Bronze division. The Raiders were led by Luke Bliven (132/138), who went 5-1. Finishing with a 7-0 record for the Trojans was Samuel Edwards (220) while Austin Burkhardt (170/182) and Evan Sandeno (170/182) both went 5-1.

PORTA/A-C Central/Greenview/Havana won 42-40 over Riverdale for ninth in the Bronze. The Bluejays were led by Trace Shaub (195/220), who went 7-0, and Issac Guinan (285) who went 4-0. Going 8-0 for the Rams were Brock Smith (132/138), Eli Hinde (145), Collin Altensey (152) and Alex Watson (160). Thad Jacobs (113/120) went 6-0,  Ethan Mathis (106/113) finished 4-0 and Tharren Jacobs (106/113) went 6-2. 

Carlinville won 42-33 over Prairie Central for 11th place in the Bronze division. The Cavaliers were led by Jake Schwartz (145), who went 8-0, while Ronald LaPlante (120) and Noah Byots (160) both finished 6-2. Leading the way for the Hawks was Connor Steidinger (195/220), who finished 8-0, while Drake Clemons (106), Tyler Bippus (138/145), Owen Steidinger (170/182) and Duane Lewis (220/285) all went 6-2. 

St. Joseph-Ogden defeated Cumberland/Newton 33-27 for 13th in the Bronze division. Leading the way for the Spartans were Emmitt Holt (113) and Holden Brazelton (120/126), who both went 7-0. Going 8-0 to pace the Pirates was Iysten Syfert (170/182) while Hank Warfel (106/113), Colby Ryan (195/220) and Noah Carl (285) all finished 7-1.

Pontiac captured a 36-30 victory over Mt. Carmel for 15th place in the Bronze division.  Hunter Travis (170/182) went 5-1 to lead the Indians. 

Olympia/Heyworth defeated Mt. Zion 54-24 for first place in the Copper division. Leading the Spartans were Austin Swan (182), who finished 7-0, Dylan Eimer (106/113), who went 6-1 and Aiden Fosdick (113/120), who finished 4-1. Lawrence Trimble (160) went 5-1 to lead the Braves.

Hillsboro captured a 36-30 victory over Sparta for third in the Copper division. Magnus Wells (220) went 8-0 to lead the Hilltoppers while Zander Wells (152/160) finished 6-2. Leading the Bulldogs were Eli Coop (285), who went 7-1, and Cody Dickerson (195), who finished 6-2.

Litchfield/Mt. Olive defeated Wilmington 42-36 for fifth place in the Copper Division. Alex Powell (106/113) went 8-0 to lead the Purple Panthers while Seth Kenter (160) finished 6-2. The Wildcats were led by Blake Shirey (285), who finished 8-0, while Landon Dooley (120/126) and Jacob Prescott (138) both went 6-2.

Deer Creek-Mackinaw won 33-18 over Walther Christian for eighth in the Copper division. Gage Sweckard (160/170) went 8-0 to lead the Chiefs. Morrison, who also competed in the tournament,  was led by Nathan Schaefer (220), who went 5-0, while Camden Pruis (126), Donny Reavy (138) and Kayden White (182) all finished 4-1.

McHenry edges Hersey for Mid-States Classic title

McHenry edges Hersey for Mid-States Classic title

One-half point. That’s all that separated McHenry and Hersey for top honors at the Mid-States Wrestling Classic that was held in Whitewater, Wisconsin last week.

McHenry captured the championship by a 278-277.5 margin over Hersey while Nicolet, Wisconsin was just behind the leaders and finished third with 274 points.

Ten Illinois squads participated in the 38-team event with Downers Grove South finishing fourth with 221 points while Wauconda took sixth place with 196 points.

Leading the way for coach Jake Guardalabene’s champion Warriors were title winners Chris Moore (160) and Brody Hallin (170) while Luke Zunkel (220) placed third and Pedro Jimenez (126) took fourth. The previous-best showing for McHenry in a tournament was a fourth in Prospect’s Mudge-McMorrow, where it placed one spot behind Hersey.

Moore improved to 26-0 after claiming a 3-1 decision over Poynette’s Cash Stewart in the 160 finals. Moore, who’s first in 3A in the IWCOA rankings, followed a win by technical with two major decisions, including a 14-5 win over Hersey’s Billy Spassov in the semifinals, to earn his trip to the title mat. He won his third title of the season, adding to firsts at Prospect and the Dvorak.

In the 170 title match, Hallin won another close decision, this one 4-3 over Nicolet’s Braeden Ott to improve to 25-1 on the season. Hallin, who’s ranked third in 3A, advanced to his third finals and added to his title win at Prospect when he followed two falls with a 7-1 semifinals win over Whitewater’s Carter Friend.

Zunkel (23-4) recorded two falls before losing in the 220 semifinals to Hersey’s Manny Mejia by a 10-3 score. But then he won his next two matches, beating Wauconda’s Matthew Merevick by a 5-4 score in the third-place match.

Jimenez (20-9) used a major decision, decision and fall to advance to the 126 semifinals, where he lost to the eventual champion, Oconomowoc’s Quintin Wolbert, by an 8-3 score. He won his next match but then lost by fall in 2:42 in the third-place match to Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Levi Greenlee.

“This was a total team win,” Guardalabene said. “We brought 13 wrestlers, 11 of them placed and all 13 scored points.This tournament was won in the wrestlebacks for us.”

Top finishers for coach Joe Rupslauk’s second-place Huskies were runner-up Manny Mejia (220), third-place finishers Esteban Delgado (120) and Oleg Simakov (285) and fourth-place finisher Billy Spassov (160). Hersey just missed adding to the Joliet Central Mac McLaughlin Invite title that it won earlier this season.

Mejia (21-5) advanced to the finals at 220 thanks to a win by technical fall, two pins and a 10-3 semifinals win over McHenry’s Luke Zunkel but he was pinned in 1:46 by Reedsville’s unbeaten Cole Ebert in the finals.

Delgado (22-9) bounced back from a 1-0 quarterfinal loss to New Trier’s Wilson Wright with four-straight wins in the consolation bracket. After winning the first by technical fall, he won the next three by decision, claiming an 8-2 victory over Waukesha North’s Antonio Del Rio to claim third place at 120.

Simakov (23-7) used a fall and a decision to advanced to the 285 semifinals, where he dropped a 1-0 decision to Appleton North’s Ethan Hansen (16-2), who won the championship. Simakov responded with a pair of wins, including a 3-2 decision over Nicolet’s Max Stulmacher in the third-place match.

Spassov (20-4) also advanced to the 160 semifinals, where he lost 15-4 to Moore. After beating Harvard’s Bailey Livdahl 11-1 in the consolation semifinals, he lost the third-place match 9-0 to Union Grove’s Cooper Willis.

Other Illinois champions were Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Ethan Spacht (106), Morton’s Connor Kidd (120) and New Trier’s Jack Cummings (195).

Spacht (8-0), who’s ranked sixth in 3A, won all four of his matches by fall, recording three of those in the opening period, including in the 106 championship match which he won with a pin in 1:32 over Round Lake’s Grayson Kongkaeow to capture his first title of the season.

Kidd (18-0) advanced to the 120 title mat with three-straight falls and then captured a 14-2 major decision over New Trier’s Wilson Wright for the championship. Kidd, who’s ranked fourth in 2A, also won titles at Joliet Central and Mascoutah.

Cummings (19-2) got falls in his first two matches and then won 11-4 over Downers Grove South’s Noah Rapinchuk in the semifinals before capturing a dramatic 5-3 overtime win in the 195 finals over Appleton North’s Brock Arndt. Cummings, who’s ranked sixth in 3A, won a title at Antioch earlier this season.

Round Lake’s Grayson Kongkaeow (19-6) was pinned in 1:32 by Spacht in the 106 finals. Kongkaeow, who’s best previous finishes this season were thirds at Conant and Prospect, beat Harvard’s Brian Hernandez 13-6 in two overtimes in the quarterfinals and won 11-5 over Wauconda’s Lucas Galdine in the semifinals.

New Trier’s Wilson Wright (16-4) fell 14-2 to Kidd in the 120 finals. He followed a fall with a 1-0 decision over Hersey’s Esteban Delgado and claimed a 10-5 decision over Downers Grove South’s Donnie Fields to reach the finals for the second time this season, with Antioch being the other.

Downers Grove South’s Jimmy Nugent (19-5) recorded falls in his first three matches to reach the 145 title mat, where he lost 12-4 to Cedar Grove-Belgium’s unbeaten Cael Erickson. This was the best finish this season for Nugent, who’s seventh in 3A at 138, placing one spot better than he did at Hinsdale Central.

Round Lake got a second finalist when Aidan McCain (21-5) reached the finals at 182, where he fell 11-5 to Delavan-Darien’s unbeaten Cole Hanson. McCain recorded four-straight falls, with one in 3:37 over Johnsburg’s Kyle Rasper in the semifinals. McCain equaled his best showing of the season, a second at Prospect.

Other third-place finishers from Illinois schools were Wauconda’s Lucas Galdine (14-3) at 106, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Levi Greenlee (16-5) at 126, Morton’s Steven Marvin (19-4) at 132, Downers Grove South’s Luke Swan (21-4) at 138, Bradley-Bourbonnais’ AJ Mancilla (21-2) at 170, Downers Grove South’s Will Schuessler (21-6) at 182 and Harvard’s Nathan Rosas (18-1) at 195.

Additional Illinois competitors who finished fourth were Round Lake’s Alejandro Cordova (20-10) at 113, Johnsburg’s Landon Johnson (11-5) at 132, Wauconda’s Colin Husko (17-2) at 145, Downers Grove South’s Noah Rapinchuk (12-8) at 195 and Wauconda’s Matthew Merevick (15-5) at 220. 

Fifth-place finishers from Illinois were Morton’s Zane Ely (17-4) at 113, Downers Grove South’s Donnie Fields (18-8) at 120, Harvard’s Ivan Rosas (13-2) at 145 and New Trier’s Matthew Boyer (20-3) at 152.  

Brownsburg, Indiana dominates Saint Thomas More New Year’s Challenge

With a team that has been ranked as high as tenth nationally in the field, the story of The New Year’s Challenge for Illinois teams was basically who would finish in second place.

Brownsburg, ranked second in Indiana and 13th nationally, completely dominated the 18-team competition in Danville that is hosted by The High School of Saint Thomas More in Champaign, winning each of its six duals by an average of 56.8 points.

In the championship dual meet, the Bulldogs forfeited at two weights and recorded nine falls and had a win by technical fall to claim a 68-12 victory over Ridgeview/Lexington.

Other than forfeits, Brownsburg only lost five matches with three of those coming on pins in their closest victory, a 59-18 win over Mattoon, on the opening day of the event.

But while the Green Wave was one of eight teams to advance to the championship bracket, they lost 42-39 to Ridgeview/Lexington in the quarterfinals and took sixth place.

Even with its close victory over Mattoon, Ridgeview/Lexington won its first five duals by an average of 36.6 points. It advanced to the title meet with a 62-9 victory over Mahomet-Seymour’s junior-varsity team. It was the best tournament showing of the season for the Colfax school that co-ops with Lexington, topping a fifth-place effort at Clinton. On the first day of the event, the second-place finishers beat Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin Cooperative/Armstrong, Pittsfield and North Boone.

The top performer in the competition for coach Jeremy Lopshire’s runner-up Mustangs was Evan Antonio, who won all six of his matches at 220. Daniel York went 5-1 at 106 and Caeden Lopshire finished 4-1 at 160.

East Alton-Wood River avenged an earlier defeat when it edged Mahomet-Seymour’s JV 37-36 to claim third place to go 5-2 in the competition. The Oilers nipped Attica of Indiana 37-36 in the quarterfinals before falling 54-6 to Brownsburg in the semifinals. 

On the first day, coach Tim Donohoo’s team claimed victories over Clinton, Westosha Central of Wisconsin and Illinois Valley Central while falling to Mahomet-Seymour’s JV.

Leading the Oilers was Jason Shaw (126), who went 7-0, while Aaron Niemeyer (113) and Tyler Adams (120) both went 6-1.

Mahomet-Seymour’s JV also had a good tournament, claiming wins over Illinois Valley Central, Clinton, East Alton-Wood River and Westosha Central on the first day and edging Seeger, Indiana 34-33 to help it go 5-2 over the two days.

Leading the Bulldogs were Caleb Bundren, who went 4-0 at 138 and 145, Hayden Hart (170/182), who finished 3-0, Lukas Altstetter (106/113), who went 6-1 and Deandre Hughey (145/152), who finished 5-1.

Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin Cooperative/Armstrong beat Mattoon 45-33 to take fifth place. After falling to Brownsburg in the quarterfinals, the Blue Devils defeated Attica, Indiana 51-24. On the first day, it beat North Boone and Pittsfield and fell to Ridgeview.

Top performers for Bismarck-Henning Rossville-Alvin Cooperative/Armstrong were Landen Toellner (106) and Gavin Golden (195), who both finished 5-1.

Following its loss in the quarterfinals to Ridgeview, Mattoon beat Seeger 48-30 but then fell in its final match to take sixth. The Green Wave went 2-1 on the first day with wins over Alleman and Edwardsville’s JV while falling to Brownsburg.

Leading the way for Mattoon was Aidan Blackburn (152), Aidan Spurgeon (195) and Leo Meyer (220/285), who all finished 6-0, Brady Foster (120), Mick Porter (138) and Kiefer Duncan (145), who all went 5-1 and Ben Capitosti (132), who finished 4-1. 

Clinton was led by Trevor Willis (152), who went 8-0, as well as Cayden Poole (126) and Tyler Fair (132/138), who finished 7-1, and Kristan Hibbard (160), who went 6-2.

Top performers for Edwardsville’s junior-varsity were Max Miller (160/170), who went 4-0, Jayden Cole (113), who finished 6-1, Ben Weakley (170/182), who went 5-1 and Nick Helton (145), who finished 4-1.

Leading the way for North Boone were Maysen Smith (138/145) and Logan Witte (138/145), who both went 6-1, and Garrett Louis (182), who finished 5-1.

Top performers for Saint Thomas More were Brody Cuppernell (195) and Henry Wurl (220), who both finished 6-0, and Joe Clavey (152), who went 5-1. 

Mason Davis (170/182) went 7-0 to pace Pittsfield while Tucker Cook (182/195) finished 5-1. And Alleman’s Charlie Jagusah (285) also went 7-0.

Civic Memorial takes second at Diamond State Duals

Civic Memorial fell 46-29 to Willard, Missouri in the championship dual meet of the 14-team Diamond State Duals in Springdale, Arkansas last week

The Eagles won seven dual meets by an average of 42.1 points with the closest being a 51-30 victory over Har-Ber, Arkansas before falling in the finals. Coach Jeremy Christeson’s squad, which won titles at its own invite and at Mascoutah, captured a 54-20 semifinals victory over Arlington, Tennessee to advance to the title meet of an event that featured teams from five different states.

Leading the way for Civic Memorial was Abe Wojcikiewicz (170/182), who went 8-0. Finishing with 7-1 records were Bradley Ruckman (106/113), Joey Biciocchi (132/138), Bryce Griffin (138/145) and Michael Bridgeman (220), while Colton Carlisle (182/195) finished 6-1, Logan Cooper (285) went 4-1 and Ben Skaggs (145/152) finished 6-2.

In the title meet, Willard won four of the first five matches to take an early 19-6 advantage. Wojcikiewicz, Cooper and Biciocchi all recorded falls, Ruckman won by technical fall and Aiden Turner got a win by forfeit. The Eagles won five of the first seven matches in the semifinals to grab an early 27-12 lead and closed with wins in the last four matches.