Monte Smith is filing in-depth reports from the IHSA Wrestling State Finals for WRMJ. His complete recap of all the TRAC representatives from Day 2 is below.
Augustus Swanson and Landon Near set up a conference matchup in the 113 lb state finals on Saturday night after Swanson bested Morford (Mercer County) by fall and Near won 7-4 over Gaither (Olympia). Swanson leads the series 2-1 with wins of 7-5 and 4-1, but Near won the last match-up between the two at Sectionals last week with a 7-4 decision.
Near placed fourth in 2025 at 106 in his Freshman season.
Swanson, a four-time state qualifier, did not place his freshman year (2023) at 106, took 5th place at 106 (2024) his Sophomore year, and did not place his junior year (2025) at 120.
Etheridge punches his ticket to the 165 lb state finals on Saturday night after a 16-9 win over Garner (Coal City). Etheridge, a three-time state qualifier, will look to win his first state championship against Pierre Walton (Althoff).
Etheridge did not place his sophomore year (2024) at 165 and took fourth place his junior year (2025) at 165.
Boston Morford (Mercer County), Landon Blanton (Newman), and Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) all fell in their semifinal matches and now will wrestle in the semifinal wrestlebacks on Saturday morning. With a win, they would fight for a third-place medal, and a loss would place them in the fifth-place match.
Nate Lower (Rockridge), Kane Dauber (Princeton), Eli Burns (Mercer County), and Caleb Reymer (Erie) have moved on to day 3 and will wrestle again on Saturday morning, needing one more win to secure a medal.
Tyler Grennan (Newman), Zyhler Hansen (Newman), Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge), Landon Peterson (Mon-Rose), and Thomas Sowards (Rockridge) all suffered their second loss of the tournament, which ended their respective seasons.
Full recap of results below.
Semifinals – Friday Night
113 Boston Morford (Mercer County) lost by fall in 0:42 to Augustus Swanson (Princeton)
Morford came out firing off shots at Swanson. He hit a super duck to get in on Swanson’s legs but ran out of room to finish the takedown. Morford fired off another super duck this time in the middle of the mat and was able to get to his outside single position and lift Swanson’s leg into the air, but Swanson used his veteran experience to get his leg back down as Morford was trying to adjust and threw Morford backwards. This pushed Morford off balance and Swanson immediately took advantage to get the takedown and slide in a reverse half to pin Morford in 0:42 seconds.
Up Next: Boston Morford will await the winner of Bramlett (Murphysboro) & Drinkwine (Reedcuster) in the Semifinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
113 Landon Near (Newman) winner by decision 7-4 over Brandon Gaither (Olympia)
Near set the tone for the match from the whistle and attacked Gaither multiple times. Near was able to get into a waterfall position before hitting a sitout through Gaither’s legs and caught a foot on the way through to prevent Gaither from getting away to collect a takedown at the edge of the mat. Near led 3-0 after the 1st period and chose to go neutral to start the 2nd. Near continued to attack with his front headlock position to move Gaither around on the mat before again scoring another takedown with 15 seconds left in the 2nd period to take a 6-0 lead heading into the 3rd period. Gaither took bottom to start the 3rd and had trouble getting out from bottom as Near kept constant pressure. Gaither was able to get an escape with 30 seconds left and then quickly got a takedown of his own to get within 2 points of Near. Gaither then let Near up with the hopes of getting another takedown to tie the match, but Near stayed in good position with his head/hands defense to punch his ticket to the finals with a 7-4 victory.
Up Next: Landon Near vs Augustus Swanson in 113 finals on Saturday night.
132 Dean Wainwright (Riverdale) lost by decision 4-3 to Jeremiah Lawrence (Hope)
Both wrestlers spent the 1st period jockeying for position and feeling each other out. Wainwright at the end of the 1st period but the score remained 0-0. Wainwright picked bottom to start the 2nd period and quickly got out in 7 seconds to take a 1-0 lead but the two continued handfighting without gaining an advantage. Lawrence picked bottom for the 3rd period and also got out in 7 seconds to tie up the match at 1-1. Lawrence pushed Wainwright around the mat without really attempting a shot or putting himself in danger of Wainwright’s speed. Lawrence was finally able to break through Wainwright’s defense and collected both Wainwright’s ankles. Wainwright fought back into Lawrence but gave up the takedown with 24 seconds left in the 3rd period. Lawrence got hit for stalling to reset the wrestlers and Wainwright was able to escape and put on a flurry of attacks to get Lawrence hit for stalling again but ran out of time. Wainwright lost 4-3 to Lawrence and now will fall to the Semifinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
Up Next: Dean Wainwright will await the winner of Franckowia (Richmond Burton) & Speck(Illini Bluffs) in the Semifinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
132 Landon Blanton (Newman) lost by fall in 5:24 to Max Philpot (Vandalia)
Philpot opened up the scoring with a takedown in 20 seconds into the 1st period. While Blanton was trying to escape the two constantly were falling off the mat as Philpot seemed to want to be near the edge of the circle to work himself out of danger when needed. Blanton was able to get an escape and got Philpot hit for stalling at the end of the 1st period. Down 3-1 Blanton chose bottom to start the 2nd period. While Blanton was scrambling to get free, Philpot figure four Blanton’s knee and was charged with an illegal move to give Blanton a point. With the reset, Blanton was then able to get back to his feet and collected another point for his escape to tie the match up at 3-3. Blanton did get hit with his own stalling call for not staying in the center of the mat. Philpot with choice in the 3rd period picked bottom, but Blanton released him to go neutral to try and get a takedown. Blanton continued on the attack but Philpot, a savvy veteran, waited for the aggressive pushing from Blanton to lateral drop him to his back and collect the fall in 5:24.
Up Next: Landon Blanton will await the winner of Hawthorne (Althoff) & Swartz (Oakwood) in the Semifinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
165 Casey Etheridge (Princeton) winner by decision 16-9 over Mason Garner (Coal City)
Etheridge looked like a man on a mission from the start of the match collecting a takedown in 12 seconds. He then let Garner back up to his feet and while trying to find his angles for another takedown got hit with a stalling call. Etheridge went back on the attack to get his second takedown in the 1st period and again let Garner back up to his feet. This time Etheridge stayed on the attack and got Garner hit with a stalling call before taking down Garner for a third time in the 1st period to lead 9-2. Etheridge chose bottom to start the 2nd period and quickly got a reversal 6 seconds into the 2nd period and again Garner got another escape a short time later. Garner was able to make some adjustments to prevent Etheridge from scoring, so Etheridge held an 11-3 advantage going into the 3rd. Garner elected to stay on their feet and was able to get a takedown in 11 seconds, let Etheridge back up and took him down again to again release Etheridge. Etheridge now only held a 13-9 advantage midway through the 3rd period and was able to finish another takedown and ride Garner out to punch his ticket to the 165 lb finals on Saturday night.
Up Next: Casey Etheridge vs Pierre Walton (Althoff) in 165 finals on Saturday night.
Round 1 Wrestlebacks Friday Morning
106 Tyler Grennan (Newman) lost by decisions 11-6 to Davin Torza (Yorkville Christian)
Torza made the first attack quickly with a takedown and ride out in the 1st period. Torza chose bottom to start the 2nd period and continued with an escape 8 seconds into the 2nd period. Grennan picked up the pace and continued to attack Torza that got Torza hit with a stall call for backing out of the circle. After the reset, Grennan was able to hit an outside single and shelf the leg to get the takedown. He then rode Torza out to finish the 2nd period with Torza up 4-3. With the option in the 3rd period, Grennan chose neutral and continued his attacks on his feet and got Torza hit with another stalling call to tie up the match at 4. Torza, forced to keep wrestling, got into his front headlock position and hit a gator roll to secure the takedown and a 4 point nearfall. Grennan fought hard to get off his back and the match was stopped for a potential dangerous assassin move. Grennan with the reset was then able to get an escape with just under 30 seconds left and came charging in like a bull to get Torza hit with another stalling to give Grennan another point. Grennan then got hit for stalling for just pushing Torza out and not attempting to score. Even with the late push, Grennan was unable to close the gap and lost by decision 11-6. With the loss, this ended Grennan’s freshman season and state tournament.
132 Clayton Blumenstein (Rockridge) lost by Maj. Dec 16-6 to Jacob Hardesty (Canton)
Hardesty went on the attack in the 1st period and timed up Blumenstein’s movements to score two takedowns in the first period. Down 6-1 to start the 2nd period, Blumenstein elected to go neutral and adjusted his stance slightly and was able to get a takedown of his own. Blumenstein looked for a way to get a turn on top but was unsuccessful and gave up an escape midway through the 2nd period and then another takedown shortly after. Hardesty took a 10-4 lead into the 3rd period and used his movements on his feet to score two more takedowns and push the match out of reach for Blumenstein even with a late escape. Blumenstein falls by Major Decision 16-6 to Hardesty and ends his senior season.
138 Landon Peterson (Mon-Rose) winner by decision 10-9 over Broady Kelly (Robinson)
Peterson guts out a tough win to advance to the next round. Kelly started out the scoring by winning a scramble in the 1st period to go up 3-0 over Peterson. Kelly then chose bottom and got an escape quickly to start the 2nd period, but Peterson immediately attacked and was rewarded with a takedown. Both wrestlers kept up the pace and scrambled around which led to a flurry of scoring. Kelly got a reversal but Peterson rolled his way out to get an escape and then collected another takedown to go up 7-6 after the 2nd period. Peterson picked bottom to start the 3rd and the scrambling continued as neither wrestler was able to score any points for over a minute and a half, but the last 30 seconds was action packed with Peterson getting a reversal, Kelly countered with his own reversal and received a penalty point for Peterson locking hands to tie up the match with 15 seconds left. Peterson scrambled around which caused Kelly to lock his hands right before time expired to secure a win 10-9 and move onto the 2nd round of wrestlebacks.
Up Next: L. Peterson (Mon-Rose) vs AJ Daly (Unity) 2nd Round wrestlebacks Friday afternoon.
157 Thomas Sowards winner by decision 8-6 over Derek Wilkey (Benton)
Sowards again was able to strike quickly similar to his match yesterday by getting a takedown in 20 seconds into the 1st period. He gave up an escape before both wrestlers were unable to create any angles to score. Sowards up 3-1 to start the 2nd chose to stay on his feet and was able to use his hands to create the angle and score another takedown but gave up another escape towards the end of the period. Wilkey down 6-2 to start the 3rd also chose neutral and picked up the attacks to get Sowards hit with a stalling call midway through the 3rd period before getting a takedown with 40 seconds left in the match. Wilkey tried releasing Sowards to go back to their feet but Sowards dove back in and secured a reversal to go back up by 3 but again was hit for stalling to give Wilkey another point and reset the position. Sowards was able to ride tough in the last 20 seconds and collect a 8-6 decision and move onto the 2nd round of wrestlebacks later this afternoon.
Up Next: Thomas Sowards vs Dylan Galvez (Hope) 2nd Round wrestlebacks Friday afternoon.
Round 2 Wrestlebacks – Friday Afternoon
106 Nate Lower (Rockridge) winner by Fall 4:47 over Mohammed Z Nadre (Sullivan)
Lower went to work on his feet early in the 1st period firing off a shot and then working back up to his feet in an outside single position before dumping Nadre to the mat to collect the takedown. While trying to work a turn, Lower gave up a reversal late in the 1st period and was fortunate to not give up any nearfall to keep a 3-2 after the 1st period. Nadre chose to go neutral in the 2nd and Lower again fired off another deep shot to extend his lead to 6-2 and this time keeping better wrist control on top. Lower would finish the period on top with a 6-2 lead and picked neutral to start the 3rd. Lower continued to attack and would again get another takedown early in the 3rd period and finally was able to get Nadre to his back to get the fall in 4:47. This puts Lower into the blood rounds and one match away from earning a medal. Lower will look to avenge a 9-2 loss against Paredes (Dixon) from last week at sectionals.
Up Next: Nate Lower vs Riley Paredes (Dixon) Quarterfinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
126 Zhyler Hansen (Newman) lost by decision 2-1 to Isaiah Perez (Oregon)
Perez went straight into his Russian ties in order to try and secure a takedown in the 1st period, but Hansen was able to scramble out of the position to keep the score at 0. Perez continued his attacks, although he was not able to get a takedown, Hansen was hit with a stalling call to end the 1st period tied at 0. Perez elected to go on bottom to start the 2nd period and Hansen worked hard to get a turn by putting in a leg boot. Perez was able to work the leg out and elevate it in order to get Hansen out of position and get back up to their feet. Perez continued to push the pace on their feet which caused another stalling call against Hansen and gave Perez a 2-0 lead after two periods. Hansen went underneath in the 3rd and struggled to get to his feet. Perez continued to ride tough but gave up a pair of stalling calls himself by being unable to return Hansen to the mat. With 10 seconds left, Hansen gave one last scramble to try and tie up the match but Perez was able to hold on with a 2-1 win and advance to the next round.
138 Landon Peterson (Mon-Rose) lost by fall 1:29 to AJ Daly (Unity)
Peterson opened it up to start the match and got in deep on a shot but Daly was able to scramble his way out as the two wrestlers rolled out of bounds. Daly countered with an attack of his own and secured a takedown midway through the 1st period. Daly locked up a tight wing to put Peterson on his back and Daly was able to earn the fall in 1:29 in the 1st period.
138 Kane Dauber (Princeton) winner by tech fall 4:13 over Mauricio Glass (LeWin)
Glass strikes first with a takedown 7 seconds into the match. Dauber was able to quickly escape back to his feet and countered the underhooks that Glass was using to score his own takedown and take Glass to his back to get 2 nearfall points to end the first period. Dauber up 6-3 after the 1st period chose bottom and again got an escape to get back neutral. Glass came in with his underhooks again and Dauber hit a carry to get another takedown. Dauber continued the attack on top with some tight wings in order to get a 4 point nearfall and a 2 point nearfall to hold a 16-3 lead going into the 3rd. Glass chose neutral and went for a big move to try and get back into the match but Dauber stayed in good position to secure the takedown and get the tech fall to move onto tomorrow. Dauber will look to secure a medal for himself if he can best Daly (Unity) Saturday morning.
Up Next: Kane Dauber vs AJ Daly (Unity) Quarterfinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
157 Thomas Sowards (Rockridge) lost by decision 8-7 to Dylan Galvez (Hope)
Sowards came in attacking with his pass by to Russian tie but Galvez was able to move quickly to fend off Sowards’ attacks and counter for a takedown of his own with 40 seconds left in the 1st period. Sowards was able to get a late escape right before the end of the 1st period. Galvez up 3-1 chose bottom to start the 2nd and was able to get an escape once he got some hand control. Galvez kept moving to create another opportunity for a takedown midway through the 2nd period and this time rode Sowards out to finish the 2nd period with a 7-1 lead. Sowards down 6 entering the 3rd period picked neutral and started moving his feet more to create his angles and got a takedown 30 seconds into the 3rd period. He then was able to put in a wing and turned Galvez to collect a 3 point nearfall to tie up the match at 7. Galvez after fighting off his back was able to wrestle back control with an escape to go back up by 1 with 45 seconds left in the match. Sowards continued to attack but Galvez stayed in good position with his head/hands defense and prevented Sowards from scoring again. Galvez got hit with a late stalling but secured the victory 8-7 over Sowards.
165 Eli Burns (Mercer County) winner by decision 10-7 over Joshua Lamour (Paris)
Burns started the scoring with an early takedown 30 seconds into the 1st period. Lamour was able to escape quickly after the takedown but Burns went right back to work on his feet to get another takedown. Lamour again got an escape before the end of the 1st period, with Burns leading 6-2. Lamour picked bottom to start the 2nd period and got another quick escape to push the match to 6-3 and was able to open up his own offense to score a takedown halfway through the 2nd period to tie the match at 6 a piece. Burns got hit with a stalling call late in the 2nd period but was able to scramble his way into a reversal as time was expiring in the 2nd period to retake the lead 8-6. After a brief injury timeout for Burns’ shoulder, Burns elected to go underneath in the 3rd period and again was hit with another stalling call midway through the 3rd period to give Lamour a penalty point. Lamour’s coaches were yelling to cut Burns and go back to their feet, but Lamour continued to try and lock up a nearside cradle. Burns was gassed but was able to prevent Lamour from scoring and was able to scoot out from underneath to get a reversal as time expired to win by decision 10-7. Burns will look to avenge a loss earlier in the season as he takes on Zimmerman (Porta) in the blood rounds in order to secure a medal.
Up Next: Eli Burns vs Justin Zimmerman (Porta) Quarterfinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.
285 Caleb Reymer (Erie) vs Charles Harris (Sullivan)
Both wrestlers looked to gain head position through handfighting for inside position. Reymer was able to finally gain control and get a takedown with 20 seconds left in the 1st period but Harris quickly got out to leave Reymer leading 3-1 after the 1st period. Reymer chose bottom to start the 2nd period and quickly got to his feet to get an escape to go up 4-1. Reymer again won the handfighting to secure another takedown to push his advantage to 7-1 midway through the 2nd period. Reymer this time was able to keep his pressure on Harris to break him flat before he buried a half-nelson in to turn Harris and get the fall with 3 seconds left in the 2nd period. Reymer will move on to the blood rounds Saturday morning with the hope to collect another win and secure a medal.
Up Next: Caleb Reymer vs Dylan Bopes (Dixon) Quarterfinal Wrestlebacks Saturday morning.