Four Bulldogs are national champions at Disney Duals
By FRED KRONER
Mahomet-Seymour Wrestling
Four athletes representing the Mahomet-based Illinois Top Dawgs Wrestling team emerged as national champions and earned AAU All-American accolades after the conclusion of the three-day, 43-team Disney Duals in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday (June 19).
The unbeatens for the Top Dawgs were Brennan Houser (12-0 at 182 and 195 pounds), Mateo Casillas (12-0 at 195 and 220 pounds), Drew Kested (11-0 at 145 and 152 pounds) and Camden Harms (10-0 at 285 pounds).
Houser, Casillas and Harms are all rising seniors at M-S. Kested is from Sterling and graduated in 2022.
The four national titlists are among 11 medalists for the Top Dawgs program.
The team’s silver medalist was Tallen Pawlak (9-1 at 138 pounds). He is an upcoming M-S junior and also secured All-American status.
The Top Dawgs’ bronze medalists were Logan Petro (7-2 at 145 and 152 pounds) and Colton Crowley (7-2 at 220 pounds). Petro is a 2022 M-S graduate and Crowley is a senior-to-be.
The team’s copper medalist was Braeden Heinold (8-3 at 152 and 160 pounds). Heinold is a 2022 M-S graduate.
Harms posted the most pins for the Top Dawgs with six (three in less than a minute and five in the first period). Casillas registered five falls, all in the first period. Totaling four pins apiece were Camden Heinold, Braeden Heinold (three in the first period) and Crowley.
The fastest falls were by Houser (23 seconds) and Casillas (40 seconds).
In addition to the eight wrestlers who competed in the varsity matches and won medals at the Disney Duals, teams were allowed to enter alternate or extras. Three of those Top Dawgs entries also captured national recognition.
They were bronze-medalist Kaleb Roberts (11-2 at 138 pounds) as an extra, copper-medalist DeAndre Hughey (7-3 at 145 pounds) as an extra along with bronze-medalist Braedon Williams (6-2 at 170 pounds) as an extra. All three are rising juniors at M-S.
Others in the Top Dawgs’ varsity lineup – each of whom won matches during the three-day event – were Colton McClure (103 pounds), Zyan Westbrook (113 pounds), Camden Heinold (120 pounds), Reese Wilson (126 pounds), Alexander Demos (132 pounds), Nicholas Demos (160 and 170 pounds), William Schoonover (160 pounds) and Ethan Grindley (170 pounds).
Grindley is a 2022 M-S graduate.
Wilson, Nicholas Demos and Schoonover are rising seniors at M-S.
Camden Heinold and Alexander Demos are sophomores-to-be at M-S.
McClure is a freshman-to-be at M-S.
Westbrook is from Sterling and will be a sophomore in the fall.
The remainder of the Top Dawgs’ contingent consisted of Lukas Alstetter, Isabelle Leyhe and Kaleb Collins. Alstetter and Leyhe will soon start their junior years. Collins is a sophomore-to-be. All three attend M-S.
The tournament consisted of a series of dual meets. The Illinois Top Dawgs were 7-5 overall, but bounced back from an 0-4 first day to win seven of their final eight matches, including the last one, which enabled the team to place third in the Gold Division and 17th overall.
In first-day action, the Top Dawgs lost to the Delta Eagles 38-27, NFWA Red 35-32, MXW Gold 39-25 and Golden Bears 51-14.
On the second day, the team was victorious over the Minot Magicians 50-21, Montana Sidney 42-29, Genoa 39-35 and Westerville North 40-33.
On the final day, the Top Dawgs topped the North Dakota Border Brawlers 67-6, and Shamrocks Wrestling 44-30 before falling in the Gold Division semifinals to Montana Sidney 51-24. In the third-place matchup, the Top Dawgs gained revenge for an earlier loss to NFWA Red, 38-33.
M-S head coach Rob Ledin was the Top Dawgs’ head coach.
