Eleven area qualifiers emerged from Saturday’s regional meet at Ridgeview High School in Colfax. Five Spartans and six Rockets will compete Friday at Olympia High School in the hunt for a berth to state.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
St. Joseph-Ogden's Ben Wells defends himself against a shot from Prairie Central's Andrew Patino during their bout at the Illini Prairie Conference duals last month. Wells won the regional title for his weight class, advancing to sectionals this weekend.
COLFAX - The mat narrowed and the margins tightened Saturday at Ridgeview High School, where every takedown carried postseason weight and every whistle pushed area wrestlers closer to Olympia. By the end of the Class 1A regional, 11 wrestlers from Unity and St. Joseph-Ogden had done enough to keep their seasons alive, earning advancement to this Friday’s IHSA Individual Sectional at Olympia High School. St. Joseph-Ogden sent five wrestlers through, highlighted by two regional champions who controlled their brackets. Sophomore Ben Wells (40-6) delivered a composed performance at 113 pounds, defeating Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Ian Rotramel (30-13) by a 10-4 decision to claim the title. At 285, junior Cam Wagner (28-6) imposed his pace early and often, earning a major decision over GCMS’ Carson Sexton (32-12) to secure another championship for the Spartans. Unity matched that top-end success with a dominant run from Abram Davidson. The senior capped his day as the Rockets’ lone regional titlist, scoring a technical fall at 3:58 against GCMS junior Cooper Miller (37-10) at 165 pounds, finishing with a 22-7 advantage that underscored his control from start to finish. Depth carried Unity through the rest of the bracket, with five Rockets finishing as regional runners-up. AJ Daly (35-12) placed second at 138, Hayden Smith (36-12) followed at 144, Devin Glik (24-17) earned a runner-up finish at 150, Ben Mullins (33-14) placed second at 157, and senior Josh Heath (36-11) closed the group with a second-place showing at 175. St. Joseph-Ogden added critical points and sectional qualifiers through grit in the placement rounds. Senior Vance McComas was the Spartans’ lone runner-up finisher, while Nathan Daly at 150 pounds and Coy Hayes at 165 battled back to secure third-place finishes, each doing enough to extend their postseason run. Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley captured the team championship with 309.5 points. Unity finished second with 158 points, and St. Joseph-Ogden placed third with 142.5, placing both area programs firmly in the sectional conversation heading into Friday. St. Joseph-Ogden competitors at the regional were: (106) Weston Hubbard, freshman (12-6); (113) Ben Wells, sophomore (37-6); (120) George Hale, sophomore (26-17); (126) Camden Getty, senior (35-9); (144) Alec Bowlin, junior (5-18); (150) Nathan Daly, senior (28-11); (157) Alex Vaughn, junior (25-10); (165) Coy Hayes, senior (35-7); (175) Devan Swisher, senior (18-13); (190) Vance McComas, senior (26-16); (215) Liam Carter, sophomore (29-15); (285) Cam Wagner, junior (25-6). Unity’s regional lineup included: (106) Vincent Abon, sophomore (23-20); (120) Deklyn Thomas, freshman (5-25); (126) Bryson Williams, freshman (7-28); (132) Sam Hollett, freshman (7-21); (138) AJ Daly, freshman (33-11); (144) Hayden Smith, freshman (34-11); (150) Devin Glik, senior (21-16); (157) Ben Mullins, junior (31-13); (165) Abram Davidson, senior (38-6); (175) Josh Heath, senior (34-10); (190) Bradley Smith, sophomore (24-16); (215) Chason Daly, senior (27-17); (285) Cristian Sellers, senior (10-25). The sectional round at Olympia High School awaits Friday, where only the top finishers will punch their tickets to state, and the stakes will rise with every bout.
