The road to a state medal starts now. Twenty-one area wrestlers will be competing at the IHSA Individual State Finals on Thursday. Here are the athletes in the medal hunt.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Cameron Wagner wrestles South Vermillion's Baylen Curry in a 285-match in January. Wagner, who won by tech Fall 18-3, is making his first trip to the state wrestling tournament.
Area wrestlers from both Class 1A and Class 2A will take the mats Thursday at the State Farm Center, where twenty-one qualifiers aim to push through the opening round and secure spots in the quarterfinals at the Illinois High School Association Individual Wrestling State Finals. Oakwood leads the local contingent with six state qualifiers emerging from the Olympia Sectional. Steven Uden enters the 113-pound bracket at 39-6, while Weston Frazier (35-4) competes at 120, Pedro Alberto Rangel (27-14) at 126, Mason Swartz (39-6) at 132, Devin Ehler (42-1) at 138, and Tyler Huchel (36-6) at 144. Uden and Ehler, both consistent performers throughout the postseason, arrive with momentum and are viewed as strong medal contenders.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
ABOVE: Oakwood-Salt Fork's Steven Uden wraps up Canton's Jaxsun Owens in their Class 1A 106-pound first-round match a year ago in February. Unden, who won the bout by pin at 4:53, returns to state for another shot at a state title, this time in the 113-pound weight class.
BELOW: Unity's Abram Davidson tries to score on a takedown in his second-round consolation match against Princeton's Casey Etheridge. Davidson lost in a heartbreaking 19-17 decision and was eliminated from the tournament. Stronger and smarter Davidson is a medal contender in the 2026 installment of the state tournament.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden advanced two wrestlers to Champaign. Ben Wells carries a 42-7 record into the 113-pound division, and Cam Wagner brings a 31-8 mark into the heavyweight bracket. Unity qualified three athletes, with freshman AJ Daly (38-13) at 138, Abram Davidson (44-7) at 165, and Josh Heath (39-13) at 175 all advancing out of Olympia. Davidson is a two-time qualifier for the Rockets.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
SJO's Ben Wells, a sophomore, makes his first appearance tomorrow as a state qualifier at the State Farm Center.
