The Sentinel: St. Joseph-Ogden ties Monticello at conference wrestling meet, Wagner averts SJO loss

St. Joseph-Ogden ties Monticello at conference wrestling meet, Wagner averts SJO loss

CHILLICOTHE - St. Joseph-Ogden wrestling showcased resilience and grit on January 18 during the Illini Prairie Conference at Illinois Valley Central High School, battling Monticello to a dramatic 40-40 tie.

After defeating Rantoul earlier in the tournament, the Spartans started strong against the Sages, jumping to a commanding 17-0 lead. Jackson Walsh set the tone with a dominant 17-0 tech fall over Aiden Komnick at 113 pounds, while Camden Getty followed with a lightning-fast 34-second pin against Monticello's Kellan Lamb at 120 pounds.

Monticello responded with a string of victories, including Nick Litchfield’s 18-2 tech fall at 126 pounds and a forfeit at 132 pounds. Despite SJO's Aiden Hundley and Landen Butts securing key wins at 138 and 144 pounds, Monticello mounted a comeback. Russ Brown’s 16-1 tech fall at 190 pounds tied the score at 34-all, and Hunter Romano’s second-period pin at 215 pounds gave the Sages their first lead of the match, 40-34.

The Spartans’ hopes rested on sophomore heavyweight Cam Wagner, who delivered under pressure. Wagner pinned Nate Darnell in just 55 seconds, tying the match at 40-40 and preserving SJO’s unbeaten record for the day.

With Monticello behind them, the Spartans faced two more challenges on Saturday: Unity, a 2023 IHSA Class 1A Elite 8 team, and host Illinois Valley Central.

Summary of Key Results

106: Ben Wells (SJO) pinned River Young (Monticello), 1:32
113: Jackson Walsh (SJO) tech fall over Aiden Komnick (Monticello), 17-0
120: Camden Getty (SJO) pinned Kellan Lamb (Monticello), 0:34
138: Aiden Hundley (SJO) pinned Daniel Moore (Monticello), 1:31
144: Landen Butts (SJO) tech fall over Drake Weeks (Monticello), 16-0
190: Russ Brown (Monticello) tech fall over Carter Liam (SJO), 16-1
215: Hunter Romano (Monticello) pinned Nathan Phillips (SJO), 4:38
285: Cam Wagner (SJO) pinned Nate Darnell (Monticello), 0:55

Box Score

106 - WELLS, BEN (SJO) over Young, River (Monticello), Fall 1:32; 113 - WALSH, JACKSON (SJO) over Komnick, Aiden (Monticello), Tech Fall 17-0; 120 - GETTY, CAMDEN (SJO) over Lamb, Kellan (Monticello), Fall 0:34; 126 - Litchfield, Nick (Monticello) over BIRT, ELI (SJO), Tech Fall 18-2; 132 - Osborne, Will (Monticello) over Forfeit, (SJO), FORFEIT; 138 - HUNDLEY, AIDEN (SJO) over Moore, Daniel (Monticello), Fall 1:31; 144 - BUTTS, LANDEN (SJO) over Weeks, Drake (Monticello), Tech Fall 16-0; 150 - Ducker, Isaiah (Monticello) over WARE, THOMAS (SJO), Fall 0:35; 157 - Shubert, Colton (Monticello) over DALY, NATHAN (SJO), Fall 1:08; 165 - MOORE, JONATHON (SJO) over Mikulich, Christian (Monticello), Fall 5:51; 175 - Sinkosky, Max (Monticello) over SWISHER, DEVAN (SJO), Fall 0:55; 190 - Brown, Russ (Monticello) over Carter, Liam (SJO), Tech Fall 16-1; 215 - Romano, Hunter (Monticello) over PHILLIPS, NATHAN (SJO), Fall 4:38; 285 - WAGNER, CAM (SJO) over Darnell, Nate (Monticello), Fall 0:55.

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