Bulldogs fall to Chicago Brother Rice in state dual-team match

By Fred Kroner

In the quarterfinals of the IHSA Class 2A dual-team wrestling state tournament on Friday (Feb. 23), Mahomet-Seymour fell just short against Chicago Brother Rice, dropping a 36-27 decision.

Brother Rice wound up placing fourth in the event held at Grossinger Motors Arena, in Bloomington.

The Bulldogs won six of 14 bouts in the quarterfinals and finished in a 3-3 deadlock in matches that ended by pin.

The match started by blind draw at 215 pounds.

M-S sent a wrestler to the mat who had not been in a varsity bout all season, Phil Daniels.

Daniels won his debut, 9-5, and when Noah Daniels followed with a pin in 1:16 at 285 pounds, the Bulldogs were off to a good start.

However, the Bulldogs won just four of the next 12 matches and had their season end one win shy of the state semifinals.

Other M-S winners against Brother Rice were Lukas Alstetter (6-1 decision at 113 pounds), Colton McClure (pin in 3:54 at 120 pounds), Gage Decker (pin in 3:18 at 157 pounds) and A.J. Demos (4-3 decision at 165 pounds).

M-S ends the season with a 17-5 record in dual meets.

The team leaders in pins were Justus Vrona (26 at 126 pounds), Gage Decker (25), Brock VanDeveer (24 at 190 pounds), Talon Decker (23 at 138 pounds), Alstetter (19) and Noah Daniels (19).

The team leaders in takedowns were DeAndre Hughey (90), VanDeveer (67), Vrona (65), Gage Decker (50) and Alstetter (50).

The team leaders in wins were Gage Decker (40), Vrona (39), VanDeveer (36), Hughey (35), McClure (35), Talon Decker (33) and Noah Daniels (30).

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Former Mahomet-Seymour wrestler Peyton Cox, who transferred to Washington prior to his freshman season, was a member of the team state championship dual-meet team for the second consecutive year.

Washington won its Class 2A state matches 49-13 over Wauconda, 51-21 over Brother Rice and 30-28 in the finals over Lombard Montini.

Cox wrestled twice in the tournament at 144 pounds and secured pins in 59 seconds and in 1:37.

Washington has captured six team state crowns in the past nine years.

The previous week, Cox advanced into the state championship match individually for the third year in a row, and dropped a 9-7 decision in the title match.

It was the third consecutive state runner-up finish for the junior and all three of his Class 2A championship matches were settled by no more than two points.

For his three-year career at Washington, Cox has a career record of 114-8. He finished 28-2 this season with 15 pins.