Sterling’s Turner Garcia is lone area big-school wrestler still competing

CHAMPAIGN – Sterling senior Turner Garcia is the lone area Class 2A athlete still competing after the second day at the IHSA State Wrestling Tournament being held at State Farm Center.

The Sterling 160-pounder made the most of a consolation bracket opportunity. He gained a pulse-pounding 4-2 decision against Champaign Centennial’s Cam Nesbitt in a first-round wrestleback Friday.

Nesbitt needed a mere 7 seconds to record the first takedown, but Garcia escaped at the 1:18 mark to cut the deficit in half. Garcia then rode out Nesbitt the entire second period, setting the stage for a tense final 2 minutes.

Garcia was cut to begin the third period, tying the bout at 2-2. With 36 seconds to go, Garcia scored a takedown to go up 4-2.

“He actually shot in,” Garcia said, “and I knew it was coming. I was looking for my stuff. He shot in first and I knew I had to get long. I used my 6-foot-2-ness there as an advantage. I kept hearing my coaches yelling at me, motivating me, and I finally locked it up for two.”

The remaining time for Garcia was spent fending off a reversal attempt by Nesbitt, and it appeared to be on the verge of happening. With two mat officials watching like a hawk, Garcia was able to avoid giving up the tying two-point move.

“It was definitely so close,” Garcia said. “The coaches were yelling time, so I had a good indication of that. I felt like it was a comfortable spot, though. Again, my long legs I thought helped me out. I just hung on for dear life and it worked out.”

Next up for Garcia in the wrestleback quarterfinals is Crystal Lake Central’s Frank Carone.

In Class 1A, Mat Garrison and Taylor Fleetwood still have a chance to come home with some hardware after splitting a pair of bouts Friday.

Garrison, an Erie-Prophetstown junior, dropped a 4-3 decision against West Frankfort’s Connor Eaton in the 170-pound quarterfinals. He rebounded to pin Tremont’s Caiden Buster in 2 minutes, 13 seconds. Next up will be Mercer County’s Steven Speaker II.

Fleetwood, a Fulton senior, lost 5-0 to Vandalia’s Anthony Enlow in the 285-pound quarterfinals. He came back to pin IVC’s Curtis Cokel in 2:42. Next up for Fleetwood in Saturday morning’s wrestleback quarterfinals will be Orion’s Logan Lee.

In a Class 2A 138-pound wrestleback, Sterling’s Isaiah Figueroa dropped a 12-1 decision to St. Rita’s Jake Viloria.

The state wrestling tournament proved to be a one-and-done experience for five area wrestlers.

In Class 1A, Morrison’s Augustus Linke (138) and Reilly Dolan (145) lost preliminary bouts on Thursday. When the wrestlers who defeated them lost in Friday’s quarterfinals, the two Mustangs were eliminated from the competition.

The same fate awaited three wrestlers in Class 2A. Preliminary-round losers who did not have a chance for a wrestleback were Rock Falls 132-pounder Adam Meenen, and a pair of Dixon Dukes in 160-pounder Sebastian Quintana and 182-pounder Clint Schielein.

Girl power: After making history with Thursday as the first girl to win a bout at the boys individual state tournament, Oak Lawn Richards freshman Mia Palumbo split a pair of bouts Friday. She lost 9-0 to Marengo’s Landen Pfeiffer, but rebounded in the 2A wrestlebacks with a 9-2 decision against Woodstock North’s Carter Miller.

Hard at work: As usual the Sauk Valley was represented in the officiating ranks at the state wrestling tournament.

Don Mekeel of Sterling was working his 18th state finals. They have been split between individual and dual team state finals. Mekeel’s son, Ryan, is also among the 18 mat officials at state, and it is his fourth appearance.

Scott Holbrook of Orion, a 1986 Newman graduate, is working the state finals for the 11th time. It is his sixth individual finals.