Bulldog wrestling places seventh at Sycamore Wrestling Invitational
By Fred Kroner
Bulldogs Caden Hatton and Mateo Casillas won their weight classes on Saturday (Jan. 8) in the Sycamore Wrestling Invitational.
Hatton was 3-0 at 106 pounds, including a 4-2 triumph in the championship match over Kaneland’s Cameron Phillips.
Casillas was 4-0 at 195 pounds. He also captured a 4-2 victory in the finals over Hunter Janeczio, from Yorkville.
Three other Bulldogs competed in fifth-place matches. Brennan Houser (170 pounds) and Colton Crowley (220 pounds) were victorious.
Houser wound up with a 4-1 record at 170 pounds. His third pin of the tournament came in 53 seconds in his fifth-place match against Kaden Combs, from Woodstock North.
Crowley was also 4-1 at 220 pounds. He collected a pin in 1:54 in the fifth-place match against Logan Sowell, from Cary-Grove.
Braeden Heinold (152 pounds) compiled a 3-2 record. He dropped a 4-2 decision in the fifth-place match against Luke Zook, from Yorkville.
Camden Harms (285 pounds) finished eighth in his weight class. He lost by injury default in the seventh-place match against Dallas Dinkla, from Grayslake North.
M-S had placers at five other weight classes.
Camden Heinold was 2-2 at 120 pounds and finished 10th.
Reese Wilson was 2-2 at 126 pounds and ended in 11th.
Logan Petro was 2-3 at 145 pounds and wound up in 14th.
Gage Decker was 2-3 at 132 pounds and placed 15th.
Jacob Dobbins was 2-2 at 160 pounds and was 17th.
M-S filled 11 of 14 weight classes and had a cumulative 29-19 tournament record, winning 14 of the matches by pin.
Meet champion Yorkville accrued 502 points. M-S was seventh with 372 ½ points.
Also on Saturday (Jan. 8), M-S sent its junior varsity squad to Pekin for a 13-team JV invitational.
The Bulldogs captured fourth place, with 136 points. Meet champion Galesburg totaled 193 points.
Schools could enter more than one competitor at each weight class. The highlight for M-S was at 160 pounds where Nick Demos decisioned Bulldog teammate Cale Hillard, 3-0, in the finals. Demos had reached the finals with three consecutive pins. Hillard had one pin.
Three other M-S competitors reached the finals and were beaten. Kaleb Roberts was 1-1 at 132 pounds. Theo Ratliff was 2-1 at 152 pounds. Ethan Grindley was 2-1 at 170 pounds.
Placing third were Lukas Alstetter (2-1 at 106 pounds), Kaleb Collins (2-1 at 132 pounds) and Deandre Hughey (2-1 at 145 pounds).
Other Bulldog participants to place among the top six were Jack Jessup (2-1 at 126 pounds), Braedon Williams (3-1 at 152 pounds) and Tyler Golden (2-2 at 138 pounds).
The Bulldogs (17-3) have two home dates this week, starting with Thursday (Jan. 13) Apollo Conference duals against Effingham and Taylorville, and the annual Marty Williams Invitational on Saturday (Jan. 15).
