Five Bulldogs finish in top 8 at Mascoutah Invitational
By Fred Kroner
Five Bulldogs earned top-eight finishes on Saturday (Dec. 16) in the 29-school Mascoutah Invitational.
The top M-S finisher was junior Brock VanDeveer, who was 6-1 at 190 pounds and placed third. He posted two pins, one in 3:44.
Gideon Hayter was fifth (106 pounds), Colton McClure was sixth (120 pounds), Justus Vrona was seventh (126 pounds) and DeAndre Hughey was eighth (150 pounds).
Hayter was 4-2 with two pins (one in 1:15), McClure was 5-3 with two pins and one technical fall (fastest fall in 2:52), Vrona was 4-2 with two pins (one in 2:42) and Hughey was 2-3 with one pin (in 22 seconds).
At 165 pounds, Cale Hillard was 3-2 for the tournament with three pins, including one in 1:33.
At 144 pounds, Hawke O’Malley recorded the team’s other pin (in 57 seconds). He was 1-2 overall.
Other Bulldogs to win a match at the two-day event were Adam Dobrucki (1-2 at 132 pounds) and Kaleb Roberts (2-2 at 157 pounds).
Team honors were won by Normal Community (201 ½ points), followed by Roxana (198 pounds) and Morton (195 ½ points). M-S was 16th with 96 ½ points).
The Bulldogs (7-4) return to action on Thursday (Dec. 28) in the Granite City Invitational.
Mahomet-Seymour Junior Varsity Wrestling
Mahomet-Seymour sent its junior varsity squad to a 16-team varsity tournament at Springfield on Saturday (Dec 16) and the Bulldogs ended in 11th place and had two top-six placers.
At 150 pounds, Kaleb Collins was 4-1 and ended in fifth. At 165, Hughey Allen was 3-2 and took sixth.
Collins recorded three pins, including one in 2:01. Allen produced two falls, one of which occurred in 1:41.
Three other M-S grapplers also recorded pins. Beau Back was 1-2 at 144 pounds with one pin (in 2:15). Noah Frank was 2-2 at 190 pounds with 1 pin (in 4:21). Austin Crull was 2-2 at 285 pounds with two pins (including one in 1:18).
Also securing a win at the tournament were Liam Noonan (1-2 at 120 pounds) and Grant Munds (1-2 at 138 pounds).
The Bulldogs’ cumulative record for the day was 14-19 with nine pins.
Team honors were captured by Chatham Glenwood (256 points), followed by Petersburg PORTA (186 ½ points). M-S was 11th with 43 points.
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A second group of M-S junior varsity wrestlers participated in a JV Tournament at Jacksonville on Saturday (Dec. 16). The Bulldogs finished in a tie for 18th in the 30-school invitational.
Three M-S athletes captured top-five finishes, including the champion at 126 pounds, Garrett Waisath. He was 3-0 for the tournament with two pins, one of which took place in 1:30.
Grant Wilson was the runner-up at 157 pounds. He was 2-1 with two pins (the fastest in 49 seconds).
Kaiden Hackett ended fifth, also at 157 pounds. He was 1-3 for the day.
Two other Bulldogs recorded a pin at the tournament: Wyatt Belz was 1-2 at 144 pounds (with the pin in 1:14) and Collin Hughes was 1-2 at 175 pounds (with the pin in 2:30).
Overall, M-S’ entries had an 8-12 record for the tournament with six pins.
Mount Zion was the meet champion with 255 points. Runner-up Quincy had 221 ½ points. M-S finished with 55 points.
The M-S junior varsity squad will return to action on Wednesday (Dec. 27) at Bradley-Bourbonnais.
