Boys wrestling: Newman Central’s Brady Grennan takes third at IHSA state tournament

CHAMPAIGN – Newman Central senior Brady Grennan had only one thing on his mind Saturday afternoon: revenge.

Grennan wanted to redeem himself after losing in the quarterfinals of the Class 1A 132-pound bracket at the IHSA individual state tournament Thursday. He had the perfect opponent in the bracket’s third-place match Saturday at Champaign’s State Farm Center, facing Richland’s Carson Bissey, whom he lost to in the quarterfinals.

It took a scrappy matchup that led to a bloody nose, but Grennan got exactly what he was looking for Saturday. He held on to win 5-1 to take third and get his revenge.

“I proved that I’m the better wrestler and I can get it done,” Grennan said.

Grennan led a group of three Newman wrestlers who placed at the state tournament Saturday. Senior Carter Rude (144) and junior Daniel Kelly (157) each took fifth.

Saturday felt like an important moment for Grennan. After placing during his first three seasons, he didn’t want to end his career by not placing after losing in the quarterfinals.

Grennan went on to win three matches to position himself for another third-place match, his third in his career. He previously competed in the third-place match as a freshman at the IWCOA state tournament and as a sophomore at the IHSA tournament.

Saturday’s matchup between Grennan and Bissey had a slow start after both wrestlers wanted to size each other up. The two tied after one period before Bissey took a 1-0 lead on an escape in the second.

“I proved that I’m the better wrestler and I can get it done.”

—  Brady Grennan, Newman Central senior

Grennan took a 2-1 lead late in the second period and tacked on three more points in the third to cap his career with another third-place finish. Grennan placed third as a freshman and sophomore and fifth as a junior.

“It feels good,” Grennan said. “Just because I lost doesn’t mean I was out of the tournament. I knew I could bounce back.”

Rude won his matchup by medical forfeit while Kelly ran out to a commanding lead and never looked back. Kelly led 4-2 after one period and then made it 9-2 after two. He went on to win the match 13-7 and place in his first trip to state.

Rude placed for the third time, including a runner-up finish last year. While Rude wanted to cap his career with a state championship, he was proud to end his career with another medal.

“This is a very prestigious state when it comes to wrestling,” Rude said. “Placing here is a pretty good feeling no matter what.”