Mahomet-Seymour wins sixth-consecutive Regional Championship
BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com
Ten Bulldogs advanced to the Class 2A sectional wrestling tournament based on results from Saturday’s regional at Mahomet-Seymour.
All 14 varsity wrestlers made a contribution to the school’s sixth consecutive regional championship.
Every athlete in coach Rob Ledin’s lineup won at least one match and 13 helped M-S gain bonus points by either posting pins, technical falls or major decisions.
“We were down by 5 ½ points going into the final round,” Ledin said. “We had a very good round. We had nine in the finals and we had to do our job.
“We knew what the seeds were and what we had to do.”
The Bulldogs ended with five regional titlists, including all three of the seniors who competed: Noah Schnepper (126 pounds), Chance Decker (145 pounds) and Seth Buchanan (285 pounds).
None of the three seniors were top-seeded in their weight classes.
Other regional champs for M-S were junior Gage Granadino (152 pounds) and freshman Colton Crowley (182 pounds). They were each top-seeded in their weight classes.
Schnepper and Decker were each required to win three matches at regionals to secure their titles. The other M-S champions had byes into the semifinals and faced just two matches.
“I was proud of the effort and fight all day,” Ledin said. “This was the most proud I’ve been all season, and we’ve had a pretty good season.”
In the pre-meet seedings, ninth-ranked Bloomington was regarded as the team favorite. Normal West (19th-ranked by The Illinois Best Weekly) was also rated ahead of the No. 22 Bulldogs.
“We were definitely ready mentally and physically,” Ledin said. “We were putting together more than one move at a time.”
His final message on Saturday before the first-round began was “score points and have fun.”
Bulldogs who finished second in their weight classes were Braeden Heinold (132 pounds), Logan Petro (138 pounds), Mateo Casillas (195 pounds) and Daniel Renshaw (220 pounds).
Also securing a berth at the two-day Mascoutah Sectional, which starts on Friday, was third-place finisher Brennan Houser (160 pounds).
M-S has one alternant, 170-pound Peyton Myers. He finished fourth and will get to compete only if one of the three placers ahead of him is unable to go this week.
Ledin regards Myers as one of the team’s unsung success stories. The junior was seeded sixth in his weight class, but his story can be traced back to November when he certified at 145 pounds.
“We’ve asked guys to do things out of their comfort level,” Ledin said. “To do this sport is hard enough, but to blow your certification to help the team is something else.”
When the Bulldogs had a void at 170 pounds, Myers got his weight up to 154 pounds, which made him eligible to compete at 170.
“And he knocked off the third seed (at regionals),” Ledin said.
The Bulldogs received a break in the finals when Bloomington’s 120-pound wrestler was disqualified for flagrant misconduct in the final seconds of the title bout that he was losing. His removal from the tournament meant the Purple Raiders lost the 18 points he had accumulated during the day.
“We would have still won by a point-and-a-half,” Ledin said, emphasizing the importance of all 25 wins the Bulldogs had during the day.
The final M-S tally sheet showed “extra” points added to the team total for 13 pins, four major decisions and one technical fall triumph.
“We knew it would be a tough regional to win this year with Bloomington and Normal West both dropping down from (Class) 3A,” Ledin said.
Regional champions Schnepper and Decker each defeated opponents from Bloomington who were top-seeded in their weight classes.
Schnepper’s win came in the finals. Decker’s overtime conquest occurred in the semifinals and set the stage for a finals bout against an opponent from Centennial whom he had lost to twice previously.
In the final team tally, M-S had 199 ½ points, Bloomington was second with 180 points and was followed by Normal West (151) and Centennial (81 ½).
Decker was one of four Bulldogs who posted two pins for the tournament. Teammates joining him in that feat were Houser, Myers and Buchanan.
The two fastest falls by competitors from M-S were by Petro (34 seconds) and 120-pound Adam Pillischafske (53 seconds).
Houser is another example of a squad member who made sacrifices for the team. Like Myers, Houser also certified at 145 pounds, but spent most of the season filling the 160-pound division.
“I’m very impressed with the sacrifices our kids made,” Ledin said.
Some of Saturday’s outcomes reflected the growth of squad members during the season.
At 195 pounds, Casillas was the runner-up.
“He lost to the kid (in the finals) by major decision at Granite City, but lost 2-1 today,” Ledin said. “He is growing by leaps and bounds.”
Buchanan was unnerved in the finals when he gave up the first takedown before regrouping to win.
While the 10 M-S individuals prepare for the sectional, the entire team will continue working out in its bid to reach the dual-team state finals.
M-S (22-1) will return to action as a team on Feb. 25 at Chatham Glenwood against Lincoln, an Apollo Conference foe it defeated during the regular season.
“We made Bulldog Nation proud,” Ledin said.
