Class 1A Sectional Roundup

By Curt Herron
For the IWCOA

Class 1A Vandalia Sectional

Unity qualified eight individuals for the IHSA finals and had won five championships while Vandalia had six qualifiers at the Class 1A Vandalia Sectional.

Sectional champions were Unity seniors Tavius Hosley (47-1 at 145), Grant Albaugh (30-4 at 182) and Karson Richardson (46-3 at 285) and juniors Kyus Root (41-7 at 170) and Nick Nosler (44-2 at 195), Auburn sophomore Anthony Ruzic (22-0 at 113) and junior Dresden Grimm (45-1 at 132), Murphysboro senior Arojae Hart (34-1 at 138) and junior Dayton Hoffman (36-4 at 160), Carlyle freshman Tyson Waughtel (48-0 at 106), Shelbyville junior Calvin Miller (47-2 at 120), Benton sophomore Mason Tieffel (44-4 at 126), Vandalia junior Eric McKinney (44-5 at 152) and Hillsboro senior Magnus Wells (34-1 at 220).

Grimm, Hart and Hosley all qualified for their third state finals appearance. Hosley has two second-place finishes in the IHSA finals while Hart was second, Ruzic and Tieffel placed third and Grimm was sixth in the IWCOA finals.

Claiming second place were Auburn senior Gage Lopez (29-10 at 120) and junior Cole Edie (38-7 at 285), Anna-Jonesboro senior Blake Mays (30-5 at 138) and junior Caleb Mays (44-5 at 145), Fairfield senior Konnor Dagg (35-6 at 195) and junior Payton Allen (39-2 at 220), Litchfield junior Alex Powell (31-6 at 106), East Alton-Wood River senior Aaron Niemeyer (35-5 at 113), Richland County freshman Carson Bissey (23-2 at 126), Herrin sophomore Blue Bishop (31-3 at 132), Cahokia junior Nick Deloach Jr. (41-8 at 152), Vandalia senior Ryan Kaiser (41-7 at 160), Lawrenceville junior Brian Seed (33-1 at 170) and Westville senior Rylee Edwards (33-2 at 182).  Kaiser, Niemeyer and Powell are also three-time state qualifiers, with Niemeyer taking sixth at the IWCOA.

Some of the closest title matches saw Grimm win 3-0 over Bishop 3-0 at 132, McKinney beat Deloach 5-2 at 152, Hoffman won 5-3 over Kaiser at 160 and Albaugh prevailed 7-2 in overtime over Edwards at 182 while Waughtel beat Powell 9-3 at 106 and Hosley won 7-0 over Caleb Mays at 145. Ruzic, Tieffel, Hart, Root all captured major decisions while Nosler won by technical fall and Miller, Wells and Richardson all recorded falls.

Taking third place were Unity freshman Kaden Inman (40-12 at 120) and seniors Nat Nosler (30-6 at 160) and Oran Varela (35-5 at 220), Cumberland senior Iysten Syfert (41-7 at 170) and Colby Ryan (40-6 at 195) and junior Noah Carl (42-6 at 285), Anna-Jonesboro freshman Drew Sadler (46-4 at 106) and junior TJ Macy (26-7 at 132), Harrisburg sophomore Tony Keene (37-2 at 113), East Alton-Wood River senior Jason Shaw (39-3 at 126), Vandalia senior Cutter Prater (45-4 at 138), Carlinville junior Jake Schwartz (45-3 at 145), Effingham senior Jon Perry (39-7 at 152) and Sacred Heart-Griffin junior Cory West (41-3 at 182).

Syfert is a four-time state qualifier while Shaw was second at the IWCOA and also took second in Missouri and third in Florida. Perry and Prater advanced to state for the third time and West placed fifth at the IWCOA finals.

Finishing fourth were Vandalia freshman Sophie Bowers (40-11 at 113) and juniors Pierson Wilkerson (28-22 at 120) and Owen Miller (39-11 at 132), , Murphysboro freshman Kaiden Richards (38-10 at 106) and senior Patrick Campbell (22-9 at 145), Mt. Zion junior Tanner Garrett (25-9 at 126) and senior Lawrence Tribble (32-11 at 160), Taylorville senior Gage Rusher (38-8 at 138) and junior William Blue (27-11 at 195), Roxana sophomore Braden Johnson (14-12 at 152), Pittsfield senior Mason Davis (30-7 at 170), Lawrenceville junior Nathan Blackwell (31-11 at 182), East Alton-Wood River freshman Drake Champlin (32-14 at 220) and White County senior Titus Wood (6-3 at 285). Miller is also a three-time state qualifier.

Class 1A Olympia Sectional

Tremont qualified six individuals for the IHSA finals in Champaign and also had three winners to lead the way at the Class 1A Olympia Sectional in Stanford. 

Sectional champions were Tremont seniors Levi Leitner (32-5 at 152), Lucas Wendling (37-2 at 170) and Cooper Wendling (30-3 at 195), Illini Bluffs sophomore Hunter Robbins (28-3 at 106) and junior Paul Ishikawa (35-1 at 138), Canton junior Trevor Hedges (29-5 at 126) and senior Andrew Hedges (18-2 at 145), Oakwood/Salt Fork junior Reef Pacot (39-4 at 132) and senior Joe Lashuay (33-5 at 160), Farmington sophomore Keygan Jennings (42-1 at 113), St. Joseph-Ogden freshman Holden Brazelton (41-3 at 120), Macomb junior Max Ryner (44-5 at 182), Dwight senior Samuel Edwards (18-0 at 220) and University High senior Hunter Otto (28-1 at 285).

Title winners who are three-time state qualifiers and won IWCOA titles are Ishikawa, Lashuay and Cooper Wendling while Pacot is going to state for the third time and placed fourth at the IWCOA and sixth in 2020 in the IHSA finals. Other champions who placed in the last IWCOA finals were Andrew Hedges (third), Otto (third), Trevor Hedges (fourth), Jennings (fifth) and Lucas Wendling (fifth).

Placing second were Notre Dame freshman Ian Akers (33-6 at 106) and senior Joey Mushinsky (37-2 at 160), Ridgeview/Lexington sophomore Braydon Campbell (29-5 at 120) and senior Evan Antonio (38-4 at 220), Illini Bluffs sophomore Ian O’Connor (39-8 at 126) and freshman Jackson Carroll (32-10 at 132), St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore Emmitt Holt (33-7 at 113), Olympia junior William Winter (33-2 at 138), Illini West senior Lance Belshaw (32-7 at 145), University High senior Zachary Gross (31-6 at 152), Canton junior Joseph Norton (36-1 at 170), Hoopeston Area senior Abel Colunga (34-4 at 182), Macomb junior Ethan Ladd (39-8 at 195) and Bismark-Henning Rossville-Alvin Cooperative junior Hunter Wilson (34-13 at 285).

In two interesting title match stories, Lucas Wendling avenged two losses with a 5-2 victory over Norton to hand him his first defeat in 37 matches in the 170 finals in a clash of the top two-ranked in the state. And Lashuay claimed a 7-6 victory over Mushinsky at 160 to deny him of winning a ninth tournament title this season. Colunga is a four-time state qualifier while Antonio has qualified for state three times and took fifth at the IWCOA finals.

In other decisions in title matches, Jennings won 7-2 over Holt at 113, Brazelton edged Campbell 3-1 at 120, Andrew Hedges was a 7-2 winner over Belshaw at 145, Leitner beat Gross 8-4 at 152, Ryner claimed a 3-1 sudden victory over Colunga at 182 and Edwards was a 12-8 winner over Antonio at 220. Ishikawa won at 138 by major decision and individuals winning titles by fall were Trevor Hedges in 6:23 over O’Connor at 126, Robbins at 106, Pacot at 132, Cooper Wendling at 195 and Otto at 285.

Claiming third place were Prairie Central sophomore Donavan Lewis (28-6 at 132) and junior Connor Steidinger (34-4 at 195), Olympia freshman Drew Eimer (40-5 at 106),

Ridgeview/Lexington sophomore Danny Tay (35-6 at 113), Mercer County sophomore Ethan Monson (27-6 at 120), Quincy Notre Dame senior Curtis Steinkamp (41-5 at 126), Dwight senior Dillon Sarff (28-5 at 138), El Paso-Gridley junior Dax Gentes (45-3 at 145), Clinton senior Trevor Willis (31-10 at 152), Deer Creek-Mackinaw junior Gage Sweckard (37-8 at 160), Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher senior Braylen Kean (20-5 at 170), Rantoul senior Keddrick Terhune (22-5 at 182), Hoopeston Area junior Hunter Cannon (33-8 at 220) and Tremont senior Luke Sauder (20-14 at 285). Sarff is a four-time qualifier who placed fourth at the IWCOA, where Monson also took fourth and Terhune placed sixth.

Taking fourth were LeRoy/Tri-Valley freshman Brady Mouser (22-10 at 106), sophomore Connor Lyons (23-12 at 132), junior Tyson Brent (30-3 at 170) and senior Andrew Moore (24-11 at 220), Dwight freshman Dylan Crouch (21-9 at 113) and senior Emmett Emmons (21-13 at 145), Tremont freshman Bowden Delaney (35-5 at 120) and junior TJ Connor (24-12 at 182), Oakwood/Salt Fork freshman Pedro Rangel (30-6 at 126), sophomore Bryson Capansky (37-13 at 138), Kewanee senior Kadin Rednour (35-6 at 152), Knoxville junior Jaxin Johnson (18-8 at 160), The High School of Saint Thomas More sophomore Brody Cuppernell (24-4 at 195) and PORTA junior Isaac Espnschied (23-14 at 285).

Class 1A Coal City Sectional

IC Catholic Prep and Yorkville Christian each had four champions and nine state qualifiers while Coal City advanced eight individuals from the Class 1A Coal City Sectional.

Sectional champions were IC Catholic Prep seniors Nick Renteria (24-1 at 120), Jadon Mims (22-3 at 220) and Isaiah Gonzalez (27-1 at 285) and sophomore Michael Calcagno (17-1 at 182), Yorkville Christian juniors Noah Dial (35-8 at 132), Tyler Martinez (36-10 at 160) and Jackson Gillen (42-5 at 170) and freshman Aiden Larsen (38-6 at 106), DePaul College Prep senior Mikekal McClarin (22-2 at 126) and freshman Max Rosen (27-5 at 113), Peotone senior Kevin Hogan (37-10 at 145) and junior Marco Spinazzola (39-2 at 138), Coal City senior Ashton Harvey (9-1 at 195) and Bishop McNamara junior Luke Christie (25-2 at 152). 

Christie, Gonzalez, Harvey, Hogan, Mims, Renteria and Spinazzola are all headed to state competition for the third time. Gonzalez took second at the IWCOA while Mims was third and Renteria finished fifth at the event.

Taking second place were Yorkville Christian seniors Isaac Bourge (27-10 at 120) and Michael Esquivel (32-13 at 285) and sophomore Grason Johnson (16-17 at 126), Coal City seniors Zach Finch (35-6 at 152) and John Housman (28-7 at 113) and junior Braiden Young (33-8 at 182), IC Catholic Prep senior Brandon Navarro (19-6 at 170) and sophomore Joseph Gliatta (21-6 at 145), Phoenix Military Academy seniors Omar Ramirez (22-5 at 132) and Rafael Soto (26-5 at 138), Manteno senior Gabe Johnson (26-8 at 195) and sophomore Carter Watkins (30-7 at 160), Seneca junior Kyler Hahn (29-9 at 106) and Nazareth Academy freshman Gabe Kaminski (30-4 at 220). Bourge and Navarro will also be at state for the third time.

In the closest title matches, Gillen won 3-1 over Navarro at 170, Christie was a 9-5 winner over Finch at 152 and Gonzalez won 6-0 over Esquivel at 285. Renteria and Hogan won major decisions while Dial claimed a win by technical fall and Larsen, Rosen, McClarin, Spinazzola, Martinez, Calcagno and Harvey all won by fall and Mims claimed his title by injury defaut. 

Finishing in third place were Coal City junior Derek Carlson (30-6 at 160), sophomore Brant Widlowski (39-7 at 120) and freshman Culan Lindemuth (36-8 at 106), Reed-Custer senior Ryan Tribble (26-6 at 138) and junior Kody Marschner (36-1 at 220), IC Catholic Prep sophomore Omar Samayoa (18-6 at 132) and freshman Andrew Alvarado (20-11 at 113), Seneca senior Owen Feiner (44-6 at 145), St. Laurence senior Mike Gentile (27-7 at 170), Westmont senior Jaylan Lacy (38-3 at 195), Peotone senior Oscar Villalobos (37-14 at 182), DePaul College Prep junior Emmett Jeske (22-10 at 285), Yorkville Christian junior Drew Torza (35-14 at 152) and Phoenix Military Academy sophomore Jose Lua (26-6 at 126).

Marschner was unbeaten heading into the sectional but he suffered his first loss in the semifinals 10-9 to Mims and responded to that setback with two wins. Both Marscher, who was second at the IWCOA, and Tribble will be making their third state appearances.

Taking fourth place were Manteno seniors Wyatt Young (22-9 at 170) and Colin Zeppi (25-7 at 182), Phoenix Military Academy sophomores Vin Moreno (27-3 at 120) and Brendyn Shields (9-7 at 285), Bowen senior Michael Alade (20-3 at 132), Yorkville Christian senior Braulio Flores (30-20 at 138), Chicago Hope Academy senior Franky Saez (28-5 at 152), Coal City senior Dylan Cronk (22-13 at 220), Marine Leadership Academy junior David Esteban (8-10 at 113), Reed-Custer junior Landon Markle (33-10 at 145), St. Laurence junior Henry Coughlin (26-11 at 160), Lisle junior Joe Raineri (26-12 at 195), IC Catholic Prep sophomore Bryson Spaulding (13-8 at 126) and Harlan freshman Jonking Williams (20-5 at 106).

Note: a complete story will be posted about the Class 1A Princeton Sectional

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