High School Sports Roundup

By Al Zipsie

Wrestling.

Lena-Winslow/Stockton avenged a loss to Aurora Christian to get back the 1A wrestling dual team State Championship Saturday.

The Panther/Hawks had a convincing 44-20 win over AC in the title match. Lena-Winslow/Stockton had won state in 2017 before Aurora Christian beat them in in the Sectional last year and went on to win state.

The Panther/Hawks finished the season 32-1 for their second state crown in three years. The only loss was to Coal City who was runner up to Washington in the 2A title match.

It will be interesting next season with NUIC powers LW/S and Dakota battling again likely in the same Regional. AC is going to 2A however Coal City should be back into 1A. Lena-Winslow/Stockton and Dakota have now won the State title in six of the last seven years and have been in the finals seven of the last eight with the Panther/Hawks second in 2012. Dakota won State four straight years from 2013 to 16.

LW/S coach Kevin Milder is now 435-137-2 after 25 seasons. The Panther/Hawks rolled to wins Saturday in the quarterfinal over Tremont 52-15 and Heyworth in the semi-final 55-14.

For the day Ian Kuehl who was third at 285 in Individual State, Jason Hermann (fourth at 145) and Case Harmston (fourth 160) were all 3-0 on  the day along with Marey Roby at 126 and Colin Dvorak at 170. Kuehl (45-5) and Dvorak (42-7) as seniors both went out as state champions. Kuehl was a three-time medal winner, all-time career wins leader as he finished third at state twice as a senior and sophomore and won the title as a junior.

In the matchup with AC it began at 220 where Gennings Dunker battled before falling 9-8. Kuehl took a forfeit at 285 for a 6-3 lead. Then it was state champ at 106 Joel Mylin getting a 12-1 major decision over Zach White of LW/S as AC had it's only lead of the match at 7-6.

Jaden Rice at 113 and Simon Rillie 120 picked up six points each on forfeit wins and Roby added an 8-0 major to build a 22-7 cushion. Aurora Christian was hurt with three forfeits, two of those state medalist.

The other state champ from AC Noah Villarreal had a tech fall over Winston McPeek at 138 cutting the deficit to 22-12. Then LW/S broke it open with five straight wins. Tanner Kalkbrenner started it with a 52 second pin at 138. AC had a team point deducted for UC (unsportsmanlike conduct) and LW/S led 28-11.

Then it was on as Jason Hermann had a pivotal 12-6 decision over state medalist Zeke Marshall at 145 and Andrew Haas won a 9-0 major at 152. Harmston had another key decision 7-4 at 160 and Dvorak had a fall in 3:16 at 170 as the Panther/Hawks surged to their biggest lead at 44-11 over the shell shocked AC.

At 182 Gavin Keefer battled another tough foe falling 9-4 and with the meet won LW/S gave the forfeit at 195 to start the celebration. The losses to state champs were the only ones on the day for White and McPeek and Dunker at 220. Brady Stich won both his matches wrestled at 195.

With Lewin/Stockton state title and Eastland's second in basketball go to Facebook NUIC Sports Hardware for current totals.

Basketball.

Hononegah will play for a berth to the 4A state girls basketball tournament.

The Lady Indians play Wheaton Warrenville South in the Streamwood Super-Sectional Monday night at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on 1440 WROK.

Hononegah had beat Boylan 68-53 for the Sectional Championship Thursday.

In 1A girls basketball Eastland was the state runner up falling in the title game to private school power Danville Schlarman Saturday 62-36. The Cougars finished the season 31-5.

They rallied from seven points down with three minutes left in a 64-63 semifinal win over Tri-County. Erin Henze who had 25 points drilled her sixth 3-pointer of the game to put Eastland up 62-61 with 33 seconds left. With six seconds left Tri-County was leading by one when they missed two free throws. The Cougars Dani Rush pulled down the defensive rebound and was fouled. She went to the other end and calmly made both free throws her only points of the game to give the Cougars the dramatic one-point win and the schools first berth in a basketball state championship game. Last year another NUIC school Stockton was the 1A runner-up. This year Eastland eliminated Stockton in the Sectional final.

In 1A boys Regional championships Friday it was East Dubuque beating Lena-Winslow 48-30 at Galena. At Morrison River Ridge behind 24 points from Ben Crist beat Pearl City 48-43. At Forreston, the host Cardinals won a four-overtime thriller 48-45 over Dakota. At Durand Polo got by Aquin 77-74.

In the East Dubuque Sectional Tuesday, it's Polo and River Ridge with East Dubuque matching up with Forreston Wednesday. The winners play for the Sectional championship Friday.

In 2A boys Winnebago edged Byron at the North Boone regional 63-57. They play Sterling Newman in the Riverdale Sectional semifinal Wednesday.

Stateline Sports Hub. Final NUIC Rankings.

Boys

1. East Dubuque
2. Polo
3. River Ridge
4. Forreston
5. Lena-Winslow
6. Pearl City
7. Eastland
8. Dakota
9. Milledgeville
10. Aquin

Girls

1. Eastland
2. Stockton
3. Amboy
4. Aquin
5. Dakota
6. East Dubuque
7. Galena
8. River Ridge/Scales Mound
9. Ashton/Franklin Center
10. Lena-Winslow

Stateline Sports Hub. All NUIC.

Wrestling

1st Team

Ethen Doty. Sophomore. First wrestling state champion from Eastland for West Carroll Coop. Unbeaten in 45 matches and state champion at 126.

Andrew Wenzel. Sophomore. Dakota. Celebrated his 16th birthday by winning the state championship at 170.

Ian Kuehl. Senior. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. Third in state at 285. Team state champ.

Jason Hermann. Sophomore. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 145 fourth at state. Team state champ.

Case Harmston. Sophomore. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 160 fourth at state. Team state champ.

Caleb Alber. Senior. Dakota. 138 fifth at state.

Colin Dvorak. Senior. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 170 State Qualifier. Team state champ.

Lucas Sutherland. Sophomore. Dakota. 120 State Qualifier.

Maddux Blakely, Freshman. Dakota. 106 State Qualifier.

Conner Elmer. Junior. Dakota. 113 State qualifier.

Zach White. Freshman. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 106 State Qualifier. Team state champ.

Briar Bevills. Junior. West Carroll. 113 state qualifier.

Avery Shaw. Junior. Amboy. 195 State Qualifier.

Eli Dertz. Junior. From Eastland and West Carroll Coop. 182 Regional champion.

2nd Team

Winston McPeek. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. Blood round loss Sectional at 132. Team state champ.

Martin Synder. Dakota. 195 blood round loss Sectional.

Eric Quinett. Dakota. 285 blood round loss Sectional.

Simon Rillie. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 120 Sectional blood round loss. Team state champ.

Marcus McKenna. Polo. 170 Sectional blood round loss to Harmston.

Marey Roby. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 126 blood round Sectional qualifier. Team state champ.

Gennings Dunker. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 220 Sectional qualifier. Team state champ.

Jaden Rice. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 113 Sectional qualifier. Team state champ.

Nick Upmnan. Durand. 195 Sectional qualifier.

Trapper Hartman. West Carroll. 120 Sectional qualifier.

Marcus Cater. Ashton/Franklin Center. 145 Sectional qualifier.

Tanner Kalkbrenner. Lena-Winslow/Stockton. 138 Sectional qualifier. Team state champ.

Aiden Nardin. Dakota. 160. Injured unable to compete at Regional.

Tyler Simmer. 126. Dakota.

Stateline Sports Hub All NUIC Boys basketball.

1st Team

Justin Young. Polo.

Bradeon Fyock. Forreston.

Hunter Sherman. East Dubuque.

Layne Boyer. East Dubuque.

Parker Magee. Lena-Winslow.

2nd Team

Braiden Soltow. Polo.

Payton Heller. East Dubuque.

Nate Rahn. Milledgeville.

Brady Webb. Polo.

Ben Crist. River Ridge.

All NUIC. Girls.

1st Team

Jaynee Prestegaard. Senior. Ashton/Franklin Center.

Tiana Timpe. Sophomore. Stockton.

Erin Henze. Junior. Eastland.

Abby Barr. Junior. Aquin.

Tabytha Toelke. Sophomore. Dakota.

2nd Team

Tabria Thomas. River Ridge.

Lydia Coatney. Eastland.

Sami Wasmund. Galena.

Addie DeMichelle. Aquin.

Alyssa Southard. Pecatonica.