WEEK 16 PREVIEW
Team Sectionals!
Tuesday, Lockport heads to Mahomet-Seymour High School to take on Edwardsville High School for the right to qualify for the IHSA Dual Team State Tournament. The dual is slated to begin at 6:00pm, so plan accordingly!!! A win would send Lockport to the Dual Team State Tournament for the third straight season, looking to improve on the 4th place and 3rd place finishes that have come the last two seasons and come away with a team title. None of that happens, however, without first defeating Edwardsville on Tuesday night. Confidence is high, given the 62-3 victory we took over Edwardsville earlier this year. But, just coming off of state, and at the end of a very long season, both teams will have some adjustments in their lineups. Injuries, weight, and illness all play a critical role, so expect matchups we didn't have in the dual (or regionals/sectionals/state, for that matter).
Team State!
Saturday morning, provided we win on Tuesday, is Dual Team State. It's down at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington, Illinois. Our first dual is at 9:00am, and will be against the winner of Tuesday's dual between Marmion Academy and Sandburg. Following that dual on Saturday, we'll take the mats again at 2:00pm. Our opponent for that dual, from people who like to talk about that sort of thing, is apparently going to be Lincoln-Way West, making for a great rematch from earlier this season. The finals, which start at 5:30pm on Saturday, should be a battle between ourselves and either OPRF or the winner of the Montini/Mt. Carmel sectional matchup on Tuesday.
Notice all those early matchups between great teams? So do we. And the fans. It's just not right. If you feel the IHSA needs to change the dual-team state format, go ahead and contact them - particularly the wrestling advisory board or Craig Anderson.
WEEK 15 RECAP
Well, we had this thing called "State." It went pretty well. We set a new record for number of placers in one season for the Lockport Wrestling program. 10 out of the 12 wrestlers won at least one match, and it could definitely have been 12 out of 12. Click here for a full recap.
ALUMNI RECAP
This was not an action-packed week for the Porter Alum, nor was it a particularly good one, but when we struggle, that just means we move forward. Onward and upward.
Shaun'Qae McMurtry (Northern Illinois University): On Saturday, Qae took a loss by fall to Gardner-Webb's Alex Bennett in 6:32. Not seeing the match, I don't know what happened, but I know Qae had a major decision spread over Bennett going into the 3rd, so it would seem he was caught.
Vince Dietz (St. Cloud State University): In St. Cloud's final dual of the season, a team victory over Augustana, Dietz took an upset loss to Auggie's Ben Goodwin, by a score of 6-3. Dietz looks to rebound this weekend at the NCAA Super 3 Regional and earn a qualifying spot at NCAA DII Nationals.
Brad Johnson (Oklahoma University): Friday, Oklahoma took on Oregon State, where Johnson took a tough loss, falling to Oregon State's Corey Griego by a score of 10-8 in Overtime.