The Mount Carmel wrestling team is sending 13 grapplers to the state tournament. Photo courtesy of Mount Carmel High School
Postseason Roundup | Area wrestlers and gymnasts are state-bound
By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
Once again, the Southwest Regional area will send a ton of wrestlers to the IHSA boys state meet, including 17 sectional champions.
The state matches are from Feb. 15-17 at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
In Class 3A, Mount Carmel had four champs at the Hinsdale Central Sectional — Seth Mendoza at 126 pounds, Evan Stanley at 132, Edmund Enright at 157 and Colin Kelly at 175. The Caravan have 13 wrestlers heading to state.
Marist had a trio of champions — Will Denny at 150, Donavon Allen at 138 and Conor Phelan at 190.
Sandburg’s Rocco Hayes also won a title at 106.
In Class 2A at Hinsdale South, St. Rita had a trio of sectional champion as Jack Hogan at 105, Nino Protti at 132 and Sean Larkin at 144 were on the top step of the podium.
Riverside-Brookfield’s Edgar Mosquera (113), Richards’ Mike Taheny (165), Brother Rice’s James Crane (190) and St. Laurence’s Xavier Bitner (215) will also head to Champaign as sectional champs.
In Class 1A, De La Salle had a nice set of championship bookends at the Hope Sectional as Jeremiah Lawrence won at 106 while David McCarthy won at 285.
Grandberry back at state
The area had just one sectional champ in girls wrestling and she is familiar with state competition.
At the Evanston Sectional, Aaliyah Grandberry of Curie qualified for her third straight at 235.
Grandberry has two straight second-place finishes at the state tournament.
The girls state tournament is Feb. 23-24 at Grossinger Motors Arena in Bloomington.
Gym dandies
District 230 co-op gymnast Reagann Chausse finished fifth in the all-around with a 36.425 to advance to the state meet on Feb. 16-17 at Palatine High School.
She also advanced to the state meet on the balance beam (finishing third with a 9.325) and fifth on the floor exercise (fifth with a 9.1500). Lyan Ibrahim tied for third in the vault with a 9.4000.
Aimee Crnich earned an at-large trip to state on the balance beam, Ibrahim earned an at-large bid on the floor exercise.
Lyons’s Emily Tucker placed fourth on the uneven parallel bars with a 9.2000.
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