Bulldog Wrestling wins IWCOA Regional, wins Apollo Conference
By FRED KRONER
Twelve Mahomet-Seymour wrestlers have earned the chance to compete in their home gymnasium one more time.
In the Sunday (June 13) Class 2A Lincoln Regional tournament, 12 Bulldogs placed among the top six in their respective weight classes to qualify for the sectional meet.
That sectional will be hosted by Mahomet-Seymour on Saturday (June 19), where the top four placers in all 14 weight classes will move on to the state tournament.
The entire postseason series is sponsored by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) rather than by the IHSA.
The Bulldogs also captured team honors at the 15-school Lincoln Regional, accumulating 216 points. Runner-up Chatham Glenwood totaled 171 points. Jacksonville was in third place with 148 ½ points.
Nine M-S grapplers advanced to the regional finals and three emerged victorious.
Logan Hillard (138 points) posted a pin and a technical fall win to dominate his weight class.
Brennan Houser needed to take the mat just once and scored a technical fall win at 182 pounds.
The school’s third regional titlist was Mateo Casillas, who is still undefeated for the season at 195 pounds (21-0). Casillas registered a pin in one of his two wins.
Bulldogs who finished as the regional runnersup were: Caden Hatton (106 pounds), Braeden Heinold (152 pounds), Peyton Myers (160 pounds), Hayden Nelson (170 pounds), Daniel Renshaw (220 pounds) and Colton Crowley (285 pounds).
Nelson recorded two pins for the day. Heinold had one fall.
Placing third for the Bulldogs were Mason Rasche (120 pounds) and Tallen Pawlak (132 pounds).
The other M-S sectional qualifier is sixth-place Logan Petro (145 pounds).
The seniors who will have one more home meet are Hillard, Myers, Nelson and Renshaw.
Other Bulldogs who competed at the Lincoln Regional were Isabelle Leyhe (113 pounds) and Gage Decker (126 pounds).
Individuals who qualify for the IWCOA Class 2A state meet will wrestle in Springfield on Friday (June 25).
**
The unbeaten Bulldogs secured the Apollo Conference wrestling championship on Thursday (June 10) by winning two dual meets at Mattoon, 72-0 over Charleston and 66-12 over Lincoln.
M-S ends the regular season with a 26-0 dual meet record and a 6-0 slate against Apollo Conference foes.
Eleven M-S athletes were 2-0 in the final two dual meets, but only two of them did not receive at least one forfeit.
Hatton won by technical fall and pin at 106 pounds. Nelson at 170 pounds, registered a pair of second-period falls.
Teammates with one pin on Thursday were Heinold (32 seconds at 152 pounds), Casillas (3:09 at 195 pounds), Renshaw (2:35 at 220 pounds) and Crowley (2:36 at 285 pounds). At 182 pounds, Houser earned a technical fall victory.
Five Bulldogs were 6-0 in conference matches this spring: Hatton, Hillard (138 pounds), Casillas, Renshaw and Crowley.
At 170 pounds, Gage Granadino was 2-0 before suffering a season-ending injury. His replacement, Nelson, was 4-0 in his matches, pinning three of his opponents.
Also not losing a league match was Lukas Alstetter, who was 2-0 at 113 pounds.
At all 14 weight classes, M-S grapplers had no worse than a .500 record in conference matches.
Pawlak (132 pounds), Petro (145 pounds), Heinold and Houser were all 5-1. Payton Ragona (126 pounds) was 3-1. Myers (160 pounds) was 4-2. Leyhe (120 pounds) was 3-3.
