By FRED KRONER
Eight of the 12 Mahomet-Seymour wrestlers who participated in the Class 2A sectional tournament the Bulldogs hosted on Saturday (June 19) qualified for the state tournament.
The lone M-S sectional champion was undefeated sophomore Mateo Casillas (195 pounds), who prevailed in the finals 7-5 in overtime to improve his season record to 24-0. He needed an escape at the end of regulation to force OT.
The entire postseason series is sponsored by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) rather than by the IHSA.
Two of Casillas’ teammates reached the finals before losing.
Brennan Houser (182 pounds) and Colton Crowley (285 pounds) were decisioned in sectional championship bouts.
Crowley (24-4) won by pin and a 3-0 decision to reach the finals. Houser (23-5) registered a semifinal pin.
Two Bulldogs captured wins in third-place matches.
Caden Hatton (106 pounds) won three of his four matches for the day, including an 18-2 technical fall triumph in the third-place bout.
Hatton is the team-leader in wins and has a 30-2 overall record.
Daniel Renshaw (220 pounds) needed a 1-0 decision in the semifinal wrestlebacks to get a shot at third place and then disposed of his opponent with a pin in 3 minutes, 54 seconds.
Like Hatton, Renshaw (28-3) was 3-1 for the day.
Qualifying for state with fourth-place finishes for the Bulldogs were Logan Hillard (138 pounds), Braeden Heinold (145 pounds) and Peyton Myers (160 pounds).
Seniors Renshaw (18) and Hillard (14) are the team-leaders in pins for the season,
Heinold was the busiest Bulldog for the day. He wrestled five times and collected three wins. Myers (20-6) totaled two pins to reach the 20-win mark for the season.
Seven of the eight M-S state qualifiers received notice in this week’s issuance of the IWCOA state rankings.
Casillas and Renshaw are each ranked second. Houser is rated fourth, Crowley seventh, Hillard eighth and Hatton ninth. Heinold received an honorable mention listing. Myers was unranked.
In the team state rankings, M-S (26-0 in dual meets) was rated 11th.
Other M-S athletes who competed at sectionals, but did not qualify for state were Mason Rasche (120 pounds), Tallen Pawlak (132 pounds), Logan Petro (145 pounds) and Hayden Nelson (170 pounds).
M-S placed second in the 26-team field. The sectional team titlist was Bethalto Civic Memorial with 191 ½ points. M-S was the runner-up with 149 ½ points.
The Bulldogs’ sectional qualifiers combined to win 20 matches on the day and 11 were by pins. Hillard, Myers and Renshaw all registered two pins at the sectional.
The team’s quickest falls were by Myers (53 seconds), Casillas (58 seconds) and Hatton (58 seconds).
The Class 2A state tournament will be conducted on Friday (June 25) in Springfield.
Seniors on the M-S roster this season were Caleb Dowers, Gage Granadino, Logan Hillard, Peyton Myers, Hayden Nelson, Payton Ragona, Daniel Renshaw and Jacob Schlenker.
