Mahomet-Seymour wrestling advances to state quarterfinals
By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s wrestling team trailed early on Tuesday (Feb. 22) in its team sectional match against Bethalto Civic Memorial, but put on such a comeback they were able to forfeit the final two matches and still post a 38-34 victory.
In the latest IWCOA state wrestling rankings, the Bulldogs were fifth in Class 2A and Civic Memorial was 10th.
The victory advances M-S (28-3) into the state quarterfinals on Friday against 16th-ranked Chicago Brother Rice with a berth in the state semifinals on the line.
In a meet that started (by blind draw) at 145 pounds, the Bulldogs trailed Civic Memorial, 16-7, after five matches.
The tide began to turn when junior Mateo Casillas took the mat for his 195-pound bout.
Casillas needed just 26 seconds to score a pin and earn the 54th victory of his junior season.
Earlier reports that Casillas had broken the school’s single-season record for wins at the individual state meet were in error. He had tied the record (53 wins) that was set by Hunter Crowley in 2016-17.
His quick pin at the team sectional, held at Chatham Glenwood High School, put him in possession of the school record.
It also jump-started a Bulldog rally that saw Colton Crowley win at 220 pounds by pin in 1:44, followed by an 11-4 decision from Camden Harms at 285 and a pin by Caden Hatton, at 106 pounds, in 3:17.
Hatton’s win presented the Bulldogs with a comfortable 28-16 lead with five matches remaining.
M-S just needed three of those matches to secure its advancement.
The Bulldogs lost the 113-pound match by pin before Camden Heinold (120 pounds) posted a pin and Reese Wilson provided M-S an insurmountable 38-22 lead with two matches remaining.
M-S forfeited the final two bouts rather than risk an injury, making the final score, 38-34.
Other winners for the Bulldogs against Civic Memorial were Braeden Heinold by major decision at 152 pounds, 13-2, and Jacob Dobbins with an 8-2 decision at 160 pounds.
Besides Casillas’ milestone win, the team win was a record-setter for coach Rob Ledin’s program.
The current team had shared the mark for most team wins in a season (27) with the 1987-88 state championship M-S squad. The 2021-22 team now stands atop the list as the school’s all-time winningest for dual meets in a single season.
The state berth is the third for Ledin-coached teams in the past six years. The Bulldogs are seeking their first team state trophy in wrestling since the 2001-02 squad took fourth.
The M-S/Brother Rice winner will face either No. 3 Deerfield or No. 6 Rock Island in the semifinals.
The pairings for the other 2A bracket are No. 1 Joliet Catholic vs. No. 21 Riverside-Brookfield and No. 8 Chatham Glenwood vs. No. 15 Antioch.
