Traditionally one of the area’s better wrestling squads, Edwardsville struggled a bit in 2010-11, finishing fourth in the Southwestern Conference and third in the regional tournament.
“We ran into some early-season injuries and really never did completely recover,’’ Tigers coach Jon Wagner said. “But, on the plus side, the injuries opened up opportunities for a lot of our younger guys, who got a chance to compete at the varsity level. We took our lumps at times, but now we’re benefiting from the experience we gained.’’
Edwardsville, off to a 9-1 start, showed its ready to regain its spot with the area’s elite over the weekend with a runner-up finish at the Ron Sauer Duals at Fox.
After beating Seckman (36-28), Kirkwood (74-3), defending event champion Yorkville, Ind. (44-22) and Holt (41-21), the Tigers fell 31-30 to Staley of Kansas City in the title match.
Staley, one of Missouri’s up-and-coming programs, is led by Gary Mayabb, who coached Oak Park to five consecutive state large-school titles before starting the Staley program in the 2009-10.
“He’s a coaching legend,’’ Wagner said. “We really enjoy competing at Fox because of the quality of competition there. Every team you face there has quality kids up and down the lineup.’’
The Tigers, who returned 13 letterwinners, were paced over the weekend by returning state qualifier Blake Blair (195 pounds), who upped his record to 10-0 with five first-period pins at Fox.
“Blake was our only guy to go undefeated; that gives you a pretty good idea of the competition we faced,’’ Wagner said. “Blake had a great offseason and we’re expecting a lot of him.’’
Haydon Grammer (126) and James Mosher (138) are both 9-1. Other key returnees include 2011 state qualifier Sam Andresen (120), Dillon Soliben (126) and heavyweight Sab Champlin.
“The thing I like about this group is that we seem to be pretty solid up and down the lineup,’’ said Wagner, who led the Tigers to state trips in 2006 (fourth), 2007 and 2009 (fourth). “Wrestling coaches like to talk about preparing for February, but we expect to be competitive every time we take the mat.’’
The Tigers, ranked 20th in Class 3A by Illinoismatmen.com, will travel to suburban Chicago for the Minooka Duals this weekend; there, they will face No. 5 Minooka as well as Providence and Lincoln-Way East.
Edwardsville wrestles Thursday at archrival Granite City.
“I think the conference is going to be as competitive as ever,’’ Wagner said. “Granite City’s always very good, Belleville West has some great kids back from a team that won the title last year and Alton’s has some strong kids, too.’’
SUBURBAN WEST SCRAMBLE
In a wrestling world dominated by weekend tournaments, dual matches are more old fashioned than old school. Teams sign on for tournaments because they want to pick up four, five or six matches in one stop; they sign on for duals because, as members of a conference, they have to.
The Suburban West has had a slightly different spin on duals the last year or two. Thanks to fierce competition, big crowds and a few entertaining bells and whistles, It is the home of the cool dual.
“We put on a show at Eureka now,” Wildcats coach Tim Yancey said.
The show includes lights, music, a video board, player introductions. The varsity matches are wrestled under a dramatic, single spotlight.
“We packed the gym for Lafayette last year,” Yancey said. “It was standing room only.”
Yancey's team is part of the excitement. Eureka and Northwest shared the conference title last year, going undefeated in league duals. A winner-take-all match between the two was snowed out.
This year, the Suburban West looks like a three-team race. Eureka, Northwest and Lindbergh seem to be the top contenders. Lafayette, the 2009-10 conference champ, is strong enough to be a factor. The four finished in a bunch at the 2011 state meet: Lafayette and Lindbergh tied for 13th place with 38.5 points, Northwest was 15th with 38 and Eureka 25th with 22.
As far as Northwest is concerned, the more teams involved in the league race, the better. The Lions, who had a streak of 63 consecutive dual wins and nine straight league titles from 2001-09, are crazy for duals.
“We put a high premium on them,” said Ron Wilhelm, who heads the Northwest program with his brother, Bob.
Lindbergh returns five state qualifiers, including state champ Michael Slyman (160 pounds). Lafayette has three state qualifiers, including third-place medalist Nick Olejnik (145). Eureka has two state qualifiers, including fourth-place medalist Matt McClimens (182), and Northwest has three.
Conference matches of note: Eureka at Lindbergh on Dec. 14, Lindbergh at Northwest on Jan. 4 and Northwest at Eureka on Feb. 1.
SUBUBRAN SOUTH POWER
Until someone proves differently, Seckman is the runaway pick in the Suburban South. Coming off an undefeated romp in league duals and a fourth-place finish at last year's Class 4 state meet, the Jaguars turned in a powerhouse showing at the Ron Sauer Tournament Friday and Saturday at Fox. They went 6-1 in duals at Fox with the only stumble coming in a 33-27 loss to champ Staley in the semifinals.
For several years, Seckman has been a juggernaut at the lower weights. Nothing has changed. At the Sauer tourney, the wrestlers in the first five spots in the Seckman lineup went 35-0. Posting 7-0 marks at the tournament were Weston Basler (106), Luke Weiland (113), Brock Wingbermuehle (120), Danny Farrell (126) and two-time state champ Matt Kraus (132).
NEW CONTENDER
One of the area's solid programs for years, Eureka has its sights set on taking a step up the wrestling ladder this year. With state qualifier Matt McClimens, his brother, Luke McClimens (195) and Damarco Jackson (285) back, the Wildcats should score big in the heavy weights. They also have state qualifier Luke Seiler (126) anchoring the lower weights.
Jackson, who went 6-1 at the Sauer tournament, has been an early-season force for the Wildcats.
“He's a monster of a man,” Yancey said. “He's bull strong.”
Eureka's biggest win in the season-opening Sauer tournament at Fox came in a 46-27 victory against Northwest. Its biggest disappointment was a 38-36 loss (on a last-match pin) against Seckman in the quarterfinals.
Eureka went 5-2 at the Sauer duals. The Wildcats pinned Northwest, Yorktown (Ind.), St. Charles West, Hillsboro and Fox, while losing to Seckman and Whitfield.
Given a second chance at the tournament field, Yancey said Eureka could've broken into the top four. Northwest could have been there, too. Same for, well, same for a several teams.
“It could've been four different schools in the finals,” he said.
(Dennis Barnidge contributed to this report.)
