By Fred Kroner
Six Mahomet-Seymour Junior High wrestlers captured regional championships on Saturday (Feb. 25) in a meet that M-S hosted.
Gideon Hayter (eighth-grader at 80 pounds), Beau Back (eighth-grader at 119 pounds), Talon Decker (eighth-grader at 126 pounds), Marco Casillas (seventh-grader at 145 pounds), Gabe Maya (eighth-grader at 185 pounds) and Jayvon Tompkins (seventh-grader at 275 pounds) all earned regional crowns.
Back pinned all three of his foes. Two of his falls came in 19 and 21 seconds.
Decker and Casillas received first-round byes and wrestled twice. They collected two pins apiece. Casillas spent 77 seconds on the mat and Decker needed a total of 94 seconds for his two falls.
Tompkins, however, had the shortest amount of time on the mat. He also wrestled twice and posted pins in seven seconds and 49 seconds.
Hayter and Maya were each 2-0 for the tourney with one pin.
In each of 18 weight classes, the top three placers qualified for the sectional tournament, which will be held on Saturday (March 4) at Jacksonville High School. The top four placers at the sectional will advance to the state meet, in DeKalb, on March 10-11.
Advancing to the finals at regionals, but placing second for the Bulldogs were Myles Hartzler (seventh-grader at 70 pounds), Grant Morphew (sixth-grader at 75 pounds), Niko Truax (seventh-grader at 90 pounds), Caleb Scott (seventh-grader at 95 pounds), Joe Vrona (sixth-grader at 100 pounds) and Garrett Waisath (eighth-grader at 112 pounds).
Of that group, Truax and Vrona were the only ones with more than two matches at the regionals. They were each 2-1. Both of Truax’s wins were by pins.
Winning their third-place matches, and also moving on to the sectional for M-S, were Noah Meints (sixth-grader at 85 pounds), Liam Noonan (eighth-grader at 100 pounds), Tate Kimball (eighth-grader at 105 pounds), Aidan Banister (eighth-grader at 112 pounds), Jaycee Fancher (eighth-grader at 119 pounds), Corey Bell (eighth-grader at 135 pounds), Pearce Douglas (eighth-grader at 145 pounds), Nino Caballero (seventh-grader at 155 pounds) and Ashton Lamb (seventh-grader at 215 pounds).
Schools were permitted to enter as many as two wrestlers in each weight division.
At 100 pounds, 112 pounds, 119 pounds and 145 pounds, both M-S participants continued their seasons.
At 100 pounds, Vrona defeated Noonan, 9-3, in the semifinals. At 112 pounds, Waisath beat Banister, 6-0, also in the semis. At 145 pounds, Casillas topped Douglas in the semifinals.
At 119 pounds, Back and Fancher did not meet one another.
In two other weight classes, a wrestler from M-S beat a teammate in the match for third place.
At 135 pounds, Bell pinned Collin Hammerschmidt. At 155 pounds, Caballero decisioned Chris Dill, 9-0.
Other Bulldogs who were fourth and one win away from advancing, besides Hammerschmidt and Dill, were Alex Johnson (75 pounds), Wyatt Bell (90 pounds) and Cale Arbogast (167 pounds).
Bulldog wrestlers combined for 32 pins at the regional and finished with 26 of their 32 entries placing among the top four.
M-S won team honors at the regional with 381 points. Runner-up Mount Zion had 246 points, edging Mattoon (245 ½ points).
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In the M-S Varsity Bulldog Invitational (on Sat., Feb. 4) nine Bulldogs registered top-six finishes.
Weight-class champions were Decker (126) and Casillas (145). Each was 3-0. Decker won all of his bouts by pin. Casillas had two pins, each in less than a minute.
Finishing in second place for M-S was Back (119 pounds). Morphew (75 pounds) grabbed a third-place finish.
Ending in fourth were Hartzer (70 pounds), Hayter (85 pounds), Waisath (112 pounds) and Braeden Eades (185 pounds).
Lamb (215 pounds) took sixth place.
M-S also hosted a Junior Varsity Invitational on Tuesday (Feb. 14).
Twenty-one squad members placed among the top four.
Eight Bulldogs emerged as champions.
They were Noonan (97- to 100-pound class), Dominic Gaudio (101- to 104-pound class), Banister (105- to 109-pound class), Tristan Phenecie (114- to 119-pound class), Hawke O’Malley (122- to 127-pound class), Hammerschmidt (129- to 132-pound class), Douglas (133- to 142-pound class) and Maya (161- to 174-pound class).
In the finals at 101- to 104-pounds, Gaudio topped M-S teammate Kaden Johnson in the finals. In the finals at 133- to 142-pounds, Douglas defeated Dill.
The other runner-up performer for the Bulldogs was Johnson (73- to 79-pound class).
Placing third for M-S were Briar Castor (65- to 69-pound class), Scott (90- to 94-pound class), Fancher (122- to 127-pound class), Camden Ashby (143- to 154-pound class) and Lamb (182- to 215-pound class).
Bulldogs who took fourth place were Noah Vitt (84- to 89-pound class), Kaiden Mustread (101- to 104-pound class), Anshaun White (110- to 113-pound class), Wyatt Belz (129- to 132-pound class) and Arbogast (161- to 174-pound class).
Six M-S wrestlers competed in championship matches at the Braidwood Reed Custer Junior High Invitational on Saturday (Jan. 21).
Three M-S grapplers won their weight classes: Morphew (75 pounds), Decker (126 pounds) and Casillas (145 pounds).
Finishing in second place were Truax (90 pounds), Waisath (105 pounds) and Back (119 pounds).
Another set of Bulldogs participated in a junior varsity tournament on Jan. 21 at Bloomington. The team’s top finisher was Banister, who placed second at 112 pounds.
