December 27, 2024
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Wrestling: Connor Lorden second for La Salle-Peru, Augie Christiansen makes Princeton history at IHSA state meet

By Eddie Carifio
Princeton’s Augie Christiansen celebrates with his coach after his win in the Class 1A 145 pound 3rd place match Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in the IHSA individual state wrestling finals in the State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Princeton’s Augie Christiansen celebrates with Princeton coach Steve Amy after his win in the Class 1A 145-pound third-place match Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in the IHSA individual state wrestling finals in the State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

CHAMPAIGN – For the second week in a row, La Salle-Peru 220-pound wrestler Connor Lorden was denied a championship by Washington’s Justin Hoffer.

On Saturday, Lorden fell 5-2 to Hoffer, taking second in the Class 2A Boys Wrestling Individual State Tournament at the State Farm Center.

“I thought I had a really good year. I wish I could have finished it off with a title,” Lorden said. “But I’ll take second. I’ll take second all day.

La Salle-Peru’s Connor Lorden faces off with Washington’s Justin Hoffer in the 220-pound Class 2A championship match on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023 at State Farm Center in Champaign. (Gary Middendorf – gmiddendorf@shawmedia/Gary Middendorf)

Princeton’s Augie Christiansen took third at 145 pounds in Class 1A while also setting the school record for wins. Seneca’s Chris Peura and Ottawa’s Ivan Munoz each took sixth.

Lorden trailed 3-2 in the third period to Hoffer, who bested him at the Rochelle Sectional last week. Hoffer got a takedown to secure the win.

“He’s a defensive wrestler, so I was focused on patience and working my shot,” Lorden said. “The last few I just dove in on him. He got the better of me today.”

Lorden, who was the first L-P wrestler to reach a state-title match since 1998-99, scored a pair of seven-point wins en route to the final at the tournament, which started Thursday. He said he had no regrets after a weekend of wrestling hard.

Lorden finished the season 38-3.

“I thought I wrestled a couple of very good matches,” Lorden said. “I don’t think the last one I really wrestled my style. He’s a tough kid. It was a tough match.”

Christiansen lost his opener Thursday but won five straight matches to claim third place at 145 in Class 1A. He wrapped up his trip with an 8-4 win against Herrin’s Blue Bishop.

“It’s amazing,” Christiansen said. “I didn’t even make it here last year. I come out, lose my first match, then win what, five straight matches to take third. It’s unreal to me.”

That third-place win put Christiansen’s record at 50-6, becoming the first Tiger to win 50 matches in a season.

“It means a lot,” Christiansen said. “There’s been a lot of good wrestlers to come through Princeton High School. To know I’m one of those guys in the record book means a lot.”

Ottawa’s Ivan Munoz (bottom) wrestles Morton’s Harrison Dea in the Class 2A 106 pound 5th place match in the IHSA individual state wrestling finals in the State Farm Center at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

Ottawa’s Ivan Munoz (bottom) wrestles Morton’s Harrison Dea in the Class 2A 106-pound fifth-place match Saturday at State Farm Center in Champaign. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com/Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.co)

Munoz dropped two matches in the Class 2A 106-pound bracket Saturday. He lost a close 9-7 match to Civic Memorial’s Bradley Ruckman, then dropped the fifth-place match to Morton’s Harrison Dea 10-4.

“I was just trying to win. I was just trying to get a medal. That was it,” Munoz said. “I came to get a medal, and I got it. It’s amazing. It’s my first time coming here.”

Munoz finished the season 35-7.

“I mean, it went pretty good,” Munoz said. “I had a loss in the second round, but I came back to get a medal.”

Peura took sixth at 195 in Class 1A, falling 8-6 to Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley’s Aiden Sancken. He finished the season 46-10 after dropping his last three matches in the tournament.