High School Sports
Wrestling Wildcats finish 2nd in own Tourney last weekend
The Mt. Olive Wrestling Wildcats finished in second place with 178 team points behind Whtifield with 239.5 in Mt. Olive’s 40th Wrestling Invitational Tournament. Mt. Olive was led by Maxx Fritz who won the 132 weight class and Lee Welch who won the 138 weight class.
Fritz won by technical fall, won by fall, and won by major decision to score 28 team points while Lee received a bye, won by major decision, and won by decision to score 22 team points.
The team also received help from Caden Monke at 113 who won by fall, won by fall, and lost by fall to score 20 team points, Jonny Darrah at 145 who won by major decision, won by major decision, and lost by fall to score 21 team points, and Shon Calvert at 152 who won by fall, won by fall, and lost by fall to score 24 team points.
[pullquote]Mt. Olive was led by Maxx Fritz and Lee Welch[/pullquote]Monke, Darrah and Calvert each finished in second place in their respected classes.
Chris Fyffe scored 15 points for the Wildcats after finishing third at 285 while Gavin Bertoldi scored 10, Boe Gipson scored 7, Alex Lamparter scored 7 and Kyle Ballard scored 10 after finishing in fourth in their respected class.
Matt Darrah wrestled in one of the overall toughest weight classes in the tournament and won two by by fall, lost one by fall and lost one by technical fall scoring 7 team points.
In JV action, Joey Stephens at 145 and Tyler Reid at 220 both lost two by fall.
Behind Mt. Olive in second place, Rochester finished with 158.5 points, Harrisburg 133.5, Carlinville 95, Wood River 89.5, Pinckneyville 88.5, Carlyle 68, Hillsboro 67, Chatham JV 53, Breese Mater Dei 27.5, Carrollton 27.5, Mt. Zion JV 23, Metro East Lutheran 6, Whitfield JV 6, and Alton Marquette, Saint Thomas More and Mt. Olive JV 0.
The team wrestled Jerseyville and Carrollton on Tuesday and then Wood River and Highland at Wood River on Wednesday. Junior varsity wrestlers travel to Chatham Glenwood to participate in their tourney this weekend.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – –
There are plenty of ways to keep up on BenGil news:
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter
Follow us on Twitter for the fastest breaking news updates and score updates
Comments
In a decisive finish that underscored his rising dominance in Illinois Class 1A cross country, senior Chaz Oberkfell of Gillespie High School claimed the state title with a time of 14:31.10 at the IHSA State Cross Country Championships held at Detweiller Park on Saturday, November 8.
Finishing just behind Oberkfell, sophomore Evan Knobloch of Toulon (Stark County) crossed the line in 14:46.25, placing second. Rounding out the top five were senior Blake McLeese of Tuscola (14:46.45), senior Luca Bryja of Elgin (Harvest Christian Academy) with 14:48.38, and senior Elijah Teefey of Pleasant Plains at 14:49.02.
This victory marks Oberkfell’s second IHSA Class 1A state championship. He also won the state crown as a junior in 2024 with a time of 14:31.87. In his sophomore year, he finished 21st with a 15:21.43 season-best time.
Looking ahead, Oberkfell is set to compete in the New Balance NXR Midwest Regional Championships on Sunday, November 16, at the LaVerne Gibson Course in Indiana. The meet serves as a critical stepping stone toward the national championships, and Oberkfell will look to carry his state momentum into the regional stage.
Comments
In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.
The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.
From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.
However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.
Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.
Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.
