By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s junior high wrestling team capped a successful week by capturing team honors on Saturday (Feb. 5) in its own 16-school Bulldog Invitational.
M-S amassed 233 points. Runner-up Chatham Glenwood totaled 196 ½ points. LeRoy was third with 184 ½ points.
The Bulldogs’ junior varsity also competed in the tournament and placed 15th with 41 points.
Gideon Hayter (75 pounds) and Noah Daniels (215 pounds) won their respective weight classes for M-S.
Hayter pinned all three of his opponents. Daniels collected a pin in the championship match.
Five M-S grapplers were beaten in the finals. Placing second were Justus Vrona (95 pounds), Colton McClure (100 pounds), Beau Back (105 pounds), Talon Decker (112 pounds) and Marco Casillas (135 pounds). All five finished with 2-1 records for the day.
Three Bulldogs registered fifth-place finishes: Corey Bell (119 pounds), Payton Mitchem (126 points) and Grant Arbuckle (167 pounds).
Bell and Arbuckle each posted 4-1 records for the day. Mitchem was 3-1 and worked his way through the consolation bracket with three consecutive pins in less than 30 seconds.
M-S wound up with five sixth-place finishers, two representing the varsity and three from the JV squad.
The sixth-place wrestlers were: Liam Noonan (90 pounds), Tate Kimble (95 pounds), Connor Bennett (105 pounds), Noah Franks (155 pounds) and Ashton Lamb (185 pounds). Kimble, Bennett and Lamb were representing the JV.
In all, 27 M-S grapplers participated in the Bulldog Invitational between the varsity and JV entries. Nineteen won at least one match and 18 earned at least one pin.
Besides the 12 placers, other squad members with pins were Auggie Gaudio (85 pounds), Garrett Waisath (100 pounds) and Jackson Davis (135 pounds).
M-S warmed up for the tournament by winning two dual meets at Monticello on Tuesday (Feb. 1).
The Bulldogs avenged a 15-point loss to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley the previous week with a decisive 72-24 victory. M-S also defeated Monticello, 72-27.
Back, Mitchem, Casillas and Noah Daniels pinned both of their opponents in the two dual meets.
Decker was the only other Bulldog to win twice in the dual meets without receiving at least one forfeit.
M-S (12-2) returns to action on Thursday (Feb. 10) at home against Mattoon.
