Both Hononegah and Lena-Winslow/Stockton bowed out early in the IHSA Dual Team State Championships, effectively ending the boys wrestling season for the Rockford area on Friday, Feb. 27.
The semifinals were Saturday morning, followed by the third-place matches and championship bouts from Class 1A to 3A. But Le-Win/Stockton fell 39-35 to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley in Friday’s 1A state quarterfinal bouts, while Hononegah was tripped up 46-25 by St. Charles East in one of Friday night’s 3A quarters.
“We’ll see what we have left,” one of Hononegah’s two individual state champs, Brody Sendele had said right after stepping down from the podium about the dual team tourney.
Apparently not quite enough. Hono’s other individual state champ, Rocco Cassioppi, started the quarterfinals off with an 18-second pin, and his twin Bruno (who took second at individual state) earned a first-period pin as well. Sendele’s victory appeared to have Hono off and running ― but the momentum didn’t last.
Hono lost eight of the last nine matches to fold in the quarters. They placed second as a team last year and basically came in a tie for fifth this year.
As for Le-Win/Stockton ― which took third in the 1A dual team state tourney two years ago and won titles back in 2017 and 2019 ― they also led at the midway point of its quarterfinal on Friday. But Melvin-Sibley won the last three matches, all bonus-point victories that sealed it.
Two-time defending state champion Eli Larson earned a 16-0 tech-fall, and the PantherHawks’ other three state placers ― Jeremiah Luke, Oliver McPeek and Arrison Bauer ― all won as well. But Melvin-Sibley was too much down the stretch, ending Le-Win/Stockton’s season one step short of earning hardware.
Melvin-Sibley and St. Charles East each lost their state semifinal bouts on Saturday morning and were scheduled to wrestle for third on Saturday night.
Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and sign up for the Rockford High School Sports Newsletter here at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears and Blackhawks to local youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Hononegah, Lena-Winslow/Stockton bow out in quarters of dual team state
Reporting by Jay Taft, Rockford Register Star / Rockford Register Star
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