By Fred Kroner
Six Mahomet-Seymour wrestlers – five of whom are seniors – secured top-four finishes on Saturday in the IHSA Class 2A Highland Sectional and qualified for the state tournament.
The senior qualifiers are Caden Hatton (113 pounds), Brennan Houser (182 pounds), Mateo Casillas (195 pounds), Colton Crowley (220 pounds) and Camden Harms (285 pounds).
Houser and Casillas were each sectional champions. Hatton finished as the sectional runner-up. Crowley and Harms placed fourth.
M-S had one other state-qualifier, junior Donovan Lewis (138 pounds).
Two other Bulldogs finished one win away from a state berth: freshman Colton McClure (106 pounds) and senior Reese Wilson (126 pounds).
In all, 12 Bulldogs competed at the sectional and 11 won at least one match, with nine posting at least one pin.
Houser (47-2) pinned all three of his sectional opponents. Casillas (48-1) recorded one sectional pin (the school-record 83rd of his career) and held his semifinal and final-round opponents scoreless.
With 169 career wins, Casillas is six away from Brett Camden’s school-record win total.
Hatton (37-11) won by decision and by technical fall.
Crowley (40-12) bounced back from a first-round loss with three consecutive wins in consolation matches where a loss would have ended his state bid. He registered two pins in less than a minute and has 73 falls in his career and stands 10th on the M-S career list.
Harms (44-7) won three of his five matches at the sectional, with two by pins. For the season, Harms has 37 falls.
Lewis (31-19) won five of his six sectional matches, holding two opponents scoreless. His lone loss was by one point. Lewis also posted two pins.
As a team, M-S’ sectional entrants had a cumulative 30-18 sectional record with 15 of the wins by pin.
McClure (34-18) and Wilson (27-22) each compiled 3-2 records at the sectional. Wilson pinned two opponents and McClure pinned one.
The Bulldogs’ other sectional competitors were Camden Heinold (132 pounds), Tallen Pawlak (145 pounds), Gage Decker (152 pounds) and Cale Hillard (170 pounds).
Pawlak each collected one win by pin.
M-S returns to action in the three-day IHSA state tournament at the State Farm Center. First-round matches are on Thursday (Feb. 16).
Mahomet-Seymour Girls’ Wrestling
Two of the four Mahomet-Seymour athletes who participated in the IHSA girls’ wrestling sectional at Peoria Richwoods on Saturday (Feb. 11) won a match by pin, but did not advance to state.
Kalista Granadino (110 pounds) posted one pin and was one win away from qualifying for state. Granadino finished the season with a team-best 12-9 overall record.
Gabby Dawson (130 pounds) also recorded a sectional pin.
The Bulldogs’ other sectional competitors were Kimberly Schoonover (105 pounds) and Grace Payne (145 pounds).
M-S scored 12 points and placed in a tie for 36th in the 55-school sectional field.
