CHAMPAIGN — Benton sophomore Cohen Sweely and Mt. Vernon senior Dillon White were the only two wrestlers from the immediate area to bring home medals from the State Wrestling Tournaments at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
Both Sweely (1A 113) and White (2A 144) won their first two matches Thursday, but then lost in the semifinals Friday night. Sweely came back Saturday morning and beat Owen Peterson from Coal City 6-5 to earn a spot in the third place match, where he fell to Olympia senior Dylan Elmer by tech fall (17-1). The fourth place finish for Sweely as a sophomore comes after a sixth place finish as a freshman. He finished this season at 45-6.
White, who finished 2nd in 138 a year ago, won his first 42 matches this season before falling 3-0 to IC Catholic freshman Aiden Arnett in the semifinals Friday night. White suffered an injury in that semifinal loss and had to forfeit his two matches Saturday to wind up sixth, finishing with a 42-3 record.
Area wrestlers Paxton Pyatt from Murphysboro (1A 113), Drew Sadler from Anna-Jonesboro (1A 126), Keyton King from Salem (1A 150), and Colin Hughey from Trico (1A 175) all lost in the quarterfinal wrestlebacks, falling one victory shy of medaling.
Regional wrestlers brought home several medals including three state championships. Drake Champlin from East Alton/Wood River (1A 215), Pierre Walton from East St. Louis (2A 165), and Jonathan Rulo from Belleville East (3A 285) all won state titles. Lyndon Thies from Roxana (1A 165), Bradley Ruckman from Civic Memorial (2A 132), Brock Ross from Mascoutah (2A 150), Tyson Rakers from Highland (2A 157), and Jaxson Mathenia from Waterloo (2A 215) all lost in the championship matches.
Here is the complete list of medalists from the region:
1A State Medalists
113–Cohen Sweely (Benton) 4th
126–Dawson Hawthorne (Althoff) 6th
132–Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) 3rd
144–Logan Riggs (Roxana) 6th
157–Carson Bissey (Richland Co.) 6th
165–Lyndon Thies (Roxana) 2nd
190–Danny Jackson (Red Bud) 3rd
215–Drake Champlin (East Alton/Wood River) Champion
2A State Medalists
126–Avery Jaime (Civic Memorial) 6th
132–Bradley Ruckman (Civic Memorial) 2nd
144–Dillon White (Mt. Vernon) 6th
150–Brock Ross (Mascoutah) 2nd
150–Knox Verbais (Civic Memorial) 3rd
157–Tyson Rakers (Highland) 2nd
165–Pierre Walton (East St. Louis) Champion
215–Jaxson Mathenia (Waterloo) 2nd
3A State Medalists
l38–Ryan Richey (Edwardsville) 3rd
190–Simon Schulte (Edwardsville) 6th
215–Roman Janek (Edwardsville) 4th
285–Jonathan Rulo (Belleville East) Champion
