Vandals place 4th at state dual team finals

After opening the state dual team finals with an almost-perfect opening round, the Vandalia wrestling team earned the school’s 11th state tournament trophy.
In earning that trophy, the Vandals improved one of its state records and broke at least two more.
Vandalia has the most state dual team finals appearances in Class 1A, improving its record mark from 10 to 11.
The Vandals also broke the state finals record for most points by a team in a match with its 82-0 win over Chicago Rickover Naval Academy. It actually was an 83-point win, as the academy had a -1 point total due to an unsportsmanlike penalty.
The previous record for points in one match was held by the Coal City 2016 team.
And Vandalia also broke the record for most pins in a match, it’s 12 pins against Rickover Naval Academy breaking the previous mark of nine earned by the Dakota teams in 2013 and 2015. The Vandals’ other two wins were by a major decision and a forfeit.
After that shutout win over Rickover Naval Academy, the Vandals fell to the eventual second-place team, Coal City (42-22) in the semifinal round, and then lost to Roxana (44-27) in the third-place match.
“It’s tough to end like that, with two losses, but it’s hard to win up here,” Vandals head coach Jason Clay said.
“We’ve taken some losses up here and fortunate to get some wins,” he said.
“It’s a young group and there’s a lot to learn,” he said about a lineup that consisted of five juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen.
“There were some matches where we got a little bit overwhelmed, some situations, and it’s just part of growing,” Clay said.
“The biggest challenge is realizing that and having the desire, and I think they will grow. Sometimes, time fades the feelings, and you’ve got to fight that tendency to become complacent,” he said.
“You’re not going to get better just because you’re a year older. Just because we don’t have any seniors we’re not going to be better next year; we’ve got to work for it.
“Obviously, the potential’s there, and we kind of broke the ice, hopefully, this year, and accomplish more next year,” Clay said.
About a fourth-place finish, he said, “Our goals were higher than that, but I think it’s hard for those kids to realize to really have that goal and to see what that goal is like when they’re not even close enough to touch it.
“Now, they’ve gotten close enough to see it and how it’s all going to work and what all it is going to take,” Clay said.
“I think that will be big for the future (of the program). Like I said, you’re not going to get better just because you’re older; you’re going to have to get in there and work hard, because other people are trying to beat you,” he aid.
“So, obviously, I think we’ll have all of the higher goals and mindset next year as a group,” Clay said.
Assistant coach Patrick Myers feels good about winning a trophy, but agrees with Clay that it has taught the wrestlers what it takes to move up in the ranks.
“Anytime we come up here and we get a trophy, it’s amazing. It was a good year,” Myers said.
“I think we finished (with a record of) 33-4, and we can’t be disappointed in that. It’s been a long, growing year,” he said.
The younger members of the squad have experienced successes at lower levels, and now know what it takes at this level.
“Whenever I think about the fact that half of our lineup is freshmen, and then there’s freshmen who aren’t even in our starting lineup that are just chomping at the bit, that speaks wonders about our junior high program, just the mentality of wanting to start and actually getting to start,” Myers said.
“That’s something that we haven’t had any experience with, because we’re used to just teaching kids as soon as they hit their freshman year, but now it’s a different ballgame in Vandalia wrestling,” he said.
“They’re finding out that it’s going to be a lot of hard work, harder than it was before, to be a first-place team.
“It’s an obvious goal, but we have a lot of work to do. We can’t just be satisfied, we have to strive for more,” Myers said.
Quarterfinal Match
Vandalia 82, Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) -1
215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Juan Vega Hernandez (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:38
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Justin Chogllo (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:18
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Jonathan Pawlowski (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:32
120 – Brody Matthews (Vandalia) over Breyon Wallace (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:09
126 – Deon Moore (Vandalia) over Chris Uzhca (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 2:42
132 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Jacob Pizarro (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Maj 9-0
138 – Parker Ray (Vandalia) over Justin Hernandez (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 3:41
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Jonny Velez (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:07
150 – Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) over Brandon Valbuena (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 1:18
157 – Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) over Mohammed Al-Tabaqchali (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:47
165 – Ross Miller (Vandalia) over Evan Grabowski (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 2:16
175 – Zander Tate (Vandalia) over Naruto Martinez (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:55
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Christopher Chogllo (Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy) Fall 0:33
Chicago (Rickover Naval Academy)’s team score was adjusted by -1.0 for Unsportsmanlike Conduct
Semifinal Match
Coal City 42, Vandalia 22
285 – Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) over Emmett Easton (Coal City) Fall 0:58
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Owen Petersen (Coal City) Maj 12-4
113 – Cooper Morris (Coal City) over Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) Dec 11-5
120 – Culan Lindemuth (Coal City) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Dec 5-1
126 – Luke Munsterman (Coal City) over Deon Moore (Vandalia) Dec 8-6
132 – Brody Widlowski (Coal City) over Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) Maj 18-6
138 – Mason Garner (Coal City) over Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) Maj 13-2
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Aidan Kenney (Coal City) Fall 2:44
150 – Brock Finch (Coal City) over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) Maj 12-1
157 – Brant Widlowski (Coal City) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall 1:44
165 – Landin Benson (Coal City) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) Fall 1:01
175 – James Keigher (Coal City) over Ross Miller (Vandalia) Dec 11-4
190 – Cade Poyner (Coal City) over Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) Fall 2:27
215 – Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) over Unknown (Unattached) Forf
Third Place Match
Roxana 44, Vandalia 27
106 – Max Philpot (Vandalia) over Savion Hall (Roxana) TF 15-0
113 – Elijah Mabry (Vandalia) over Ari Walker (Roxana) Fall 0:34
120 – Lleyton Cobine (Roxana) over Brody Matthews (Vandalia) Fall 2:48
126 – Logan Riggs (Roxana) over Deon Moore (Vandalia) TB-1 14-12
132 – Brandon Green Jr. (Roxana) over Gabriel Weischedel (Vandalia) Fall 5:52
138 – Cole Yarbrough (Vandalia) over Kaden Carilsle (Roxana) Maj 16-5
144 – Dillon Hinton (Vandalia) over Trevor Gihring (Roxana) Fall 4:37
150 – Bryan Rodriguez (Roxana) over Dade Kleinik (Vandalia) Fall 2:34
157 – Braden Johnson (Roxana) over Artan Mustafa (Vandalia) Fall 0:41
165 – Lyndon Thies (Roxana) over Noah Langston (Vandalia) TF 16-1
175 – Elias Thies (Roxana) over Ross Miller (Vandalia) SV-1 9-7
190 – Kaden Tidwell (Vandalia) over Robert Watt (Roxana) Fall 4:49
215 – Donald Battles (Roxana) over Dominic Swyers (Vandalia) Dec 13-8
285 – James Herring (Roxana) over Jayden Rosetto (Vandalia) Fall 1:24

Vandalia’s Deon Moore controls Chris Uzhca during the Vandals win over Chicago Rickover Naval Academy in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Dual Team State Finals.

Vandalia’s Jayden Rosetto pins Juan Vega Hernandez during the Vandals win over Chicago Rickover Naval Academy in the quarterfinals of the IHSA Dual Team State Finals.