CHAMPAIGN, ILL. • Either Lavion Mayes of Mascoutah or Benard Gantt of Cahokia will win a Class 2A state wrestling title Saturday night at Assembly Hall.
Mayes and Gantt will square off in the 145-pound championship match after both won semifinal bouts Friday night.
Mayes improve to 42-1 with a 12-6 win over Dylan Hay of Grayslake Central and Gantt upped his record to 32-7 with an 8-4 triumph over Dalton Coleman of Mount Zion.
The duo are two of five Metro-East who will compete in Saturday's finals. David Pearce of Civic Memorial will take on George Fisher of Marimon Academy of Aurora at 126.
Pearce (25-2) outpointed Doug Johnson of DeKalb 7-5 in a match that Pearce was in control 7-3 until the final five seconds when Johnson scored a 2-point takedown and was nearly put on his back.
In Class 3A, Taylor McGiffen of Alton will be the Redbirds first wrestler to compete in the finals after he scored a 7-2 decision over Evan Welsh of Warrenville South at 182 pounds. McGiffen (47-1) takes on Sammy Brooks of Oak Park-River Forest.
Edwardsville's Blake Blair scored a 2-point takedown with three seconds left to rally for a 5-4 win over Matt Koran of Joliet West. Blair (41-4) goes against Brad Johnson of Lockport.
