No sweat;
Moline's Maryam Ndiaye dominates all opposition to win state title

BLOOMINGTON - Moline wrestler Maryam Ndiaye celebrates her championship win at 155-pounds on Saturday at Grossinger Motors Arena. Last year's runner-up at the state tournament, she defeated Richwoods' Jaida Johnson by major decision, 14-5, to become the first female high school wrestler to win a state champion title in the Quad City area. The senior, who finished undefeated this season at 31-0, ended her prep career of two years with an impressive 47-4 record.

Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks

BLOOMINGTON - Maryam Ndiaye effortlessly pinned her way into the 155-pound title bout on Saturday. Once there, she was also in complete control of the outcome, defeating Jaida Johnson 14-5. Here is a recap of the Moline High School senior's title run at the 2024 IHSA Girls' Individual Wrestling State Finals.

First Round:
Ndiaye opened her state tournament run with a quick pin, sticking New Trier's Nina Aceves (28-8) in 48 seconds for her 28th victory of the season.

Quarterfinal:
Up 5-0 in the second period, Ndiaye tied up Alton's Elanna Hickman (29-5) for the fall at 3:09.

Semifinal:
Facing Clifton Central's Payton Temple (8-4), Ndiaye ran the score up with two takedowns and near fall, going up 8-1 in the second period. At 2:54, the Maroon's star recorded her third state tournament pin, and secured her a spot in the 155 championship match.

Championship Match:
In her only six-minute match as she marched through the 155-pound bracket, Ndiaye, scoring with a pair of takedowns and nearfalls, racked up an 8-2 lead in the first period against Richwood's Jaida Johnson (25-4).

With 30 seconds into the second period, the Moline grappler earned points on another takedown. With 19 seconds left in the frame, Johnson was on her back again, giving up another takedown and nearfall to Ndiaye, who stretched her lead by 10.

There was a lot of action in the third and final period of the match but almost no scoring except for an escape from Johnson on a restart. At the final buzzer, Ndiaye took the bout by major decision 14-5 and became the first Quad City area female wrestler to win an individual state title on Saturday.

Championship Match Gallery

Maryam Ndiaye vs Jaida Johnson

155-pound ~ Championship Match

Sweet revenge; Rockets bump Sages from postseason

MONTICELLO - The Rockets turned the tables on the Sages last Wednesday. Avenging a loss eight days earlier at Arthur Sievers Gymnasium, Unity handed Monticello their season adieu via a 57-41 victory in their IHSA regional semifinal match.

Not wanting history to repeat itself, the Rockets' took a nine-point first-half advantage at the break thanks to four-treys and six-for-six free-throws shooting. Senior Eric Miebach, who finished with a game-high 15 points, led the Unity offensive effort in the first two periods with six points.

The Sages fell further behind in the third quarter, allowing the Rockets an 18-point advantage they could not recover from.

Top contributors in Unity's 25th win of the season were Dane Eisenmenger, who came off the bench to score 12 points. Henry Thomas delivered nine points, Dalton O'Neill added seven, and sophomore Coleton Langendorf finished with six.

The bulk of Monticello's scoring was courtesy of Ike Young and Tyler Blythe. The pair had 11 points each, while Trey Welter and Raiden Colbert mustered six points each. The Sages finished the season 15-15 and 4th in the Illini Prairie standings.

The Rockets advanced to the title game on Friday against Warrensburg-Latham (21-11). The Cardinals moved forward after closing the book on the Maroa-Forsyth season, 67-50.

Guest Commentary |
What Nikki Haley and Joe Manchin Should Do

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator

Nikki Haley is overall respected for her political service. She did a good job as Governor of South Carolina for two terms and as an Ambassador for our country. Personally, I can see her as doing a fine job as President of the United States, but it won’t be this time around.

Haley has already lost Iowa, New Hampshire and even her home state of South Carolina. She wasn’t even in the contest when it came to the voting. Outcomes don’t look any more promising for her in the state of Michigan and the following Super Tuesday states.

There are reports that Haley might be a possible contender to run in the Presidential election as an Independent candidate in November.

Senator Joe Manchin is overall appreciated by many Democrats. and even by some Republicans. There is rumored speculation that Manchin might also run as an Independent.

Manchin has done a respectable job in the Senate and most likely would be fine as President. The only problem with Manchin is the same problem with Haley. Neither one has a snow ball’s chance in July of winning the election for President of the United States. Some Republicans would be accepting of Haley and many would be accepting of Manchin but the majority of Republicans aren’t going to vote for either one. Some Democrats would be okay with Manchin but again, he doesn’t have a chance of winning.

The greatest disaster for the Republican party would be for Haley to run in November and siphon off ten percent of the Republican voters for her. This would be enough votes to insure a loss for Trump. Or, if she doesn’t run and Manchin runs, he would surely glean about ten percent of Biden’s votes and insure Biden’s loss.

Manchin and Haley running in November as Independents or or representing some other party is not a good long-term plan for either of them. Both parties will view their runs as selfish acts and probably never elect either one of them to anything again.

Haley has every right to keep slugging in Michigan and even on Super Tuesday if she wishes. However, there comes a time to fold and support her party’s chosen candidate, who will be former President Donald Trump.

Manchin needs to run now and go for his party’s support. There’s nothing heroic about bring a spoiler of Biden’s reelection. The same is true for Haley.

Trump would be smart to make Haley his running mate. A solidified ticket would serve the Republicans better.

Regardless if Biden or Trump is elected President, chances are we could be swearing in the Vice President as President before the next four years are over. Americans surely will be looking closely at the Vice-Presidential contender this November.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He is the author of 13 books including Uncommon Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

-----------------------------------------------------------