Three champions among 12 locals to advance out of Dixon Regional

DIXON – A dozen local wrestlers kept their seasons alive Saturday at the Class 2A Dixon Regional at Lancaster Gym, with three taking titles and three more earning runner-up finishes.

Dixon’s Jack Ragan (113 pounds) and Charlie Connors (138) and Sterling’s Zyan Westbrook (132) all rolled to championship-bout victories, with each winning by technical fall.

Ragan used a takedown and two separate instances of back points to turn a 4-2 lead after the first period into a 15-3 lead going into the third. He led wire-to-wire in an 18-3 win over Rochelle’s Freddie Hernandez in 4:49.

“It feels great, it was a great win,” Ragan said. “I beat him 8-6 at the start of the season, and now it feels good to come out and tech him. My shot felt good today, and I had good scrambles.

“I just felt great out there, and it makes me feel good going into next week.”

Connors took control early as well, leading 7-0 after a takedown and back points less than a minute into the first period. He escaped to start the second period, then got another takedown and back points to finish off a 15-0 win over Galesburg’s Orlando Castellano in 3:48.

“I just went out there and wrestled hard all three periods, just kept the hand-fight up. I really like it when it’s at home, but that’s extra; you’ve got to get it done no matter where you are,” Connors said. “I’m looking forward to sectionals. Got the (No.) 1 seed, but that doesn’t really matter. I still have to go out and work hard next week.”

Westbrook led 3-1 after the opening period, then got an escape and takedown early in the second to take a 10-3 margin into the third. He finished off the 20-4 tech fall against Polo-Forreston’s Lucas Nelson with two more takedowns to end the bout in 4:58.

“I was just staying with my game plan, staying low like I do in my other matches, getting into my offense,” Westbrook said. “It’s nice [to win]. My mind’s already on sectionals, got a good seeding, and next week I have to do the same thing as this week: stay on my offense, get some of my stuff, don’t worry about what they’re doing.”

Dixon’s Riley Paredes (106) and Sterling’s Gage Tate (175) also took second in their title bouts. Paredes scored a first-period takedown and second-period reversal and back points to jump out to a 7-0 lead, but Freeport’s Treyden Diduch got within 7-6 by the end of the second period before scoring a reversal and back points to pull away for a 15-7 major decision.

Tate fell behind Geneseo’s Kye Weinzierl early in their bout and couldn’t recover, as the Maple Leafs junior controlled from the top before finishing off a 17-2 tech fall in 2:30.

“I think I just need to work on my sprawl and my conditioning. I think I can get him [next week],” Tate said. “I’ve been doing well with my technique. Last year, all I did was try to throw people, but I’m getting better on my shots and just getting into better positions.”

Six locals battled back through wrestlebacks before earning sectional berths with wins in their third-place matches. Sterling’s Cael Lyons (126) and Tatum Allen (157) dominated their matches, with Lyons winning a 16-0 tech fall in 3:41 over Freeport’s Thomas Olson, while Allen also controlled his bout in a pin of Galesburg’s Don Patrick in 2:57.

Dixon’s Will Howell (190) trailed 4-1 early in the second period, but tied with a takedown, then put Galesburg’s Cale Johnson on his back for a pin in 3:45.

Sterling’s Oswaldo Navarro led Dixon’s Dylan Bopes 3-2 after the opening period in the heavyweight third-place bout, then Navarro got Bopes on his back early in the second period and finished off a pin in 2:45.

“I just wanted to slow it down, take my time. I didn’t want to rush things, I just wanted to pace it out,” Navarro said. “Just getting an early takedown was big.

“The first time we met, we went to overtime, and I knew everything was on the line for this match. I have a lot of confidence [after the win], and I’m excited for next week.”

A couple of locals kept their seasons alive with big comebacks in their third-place bouts. Sterling’s Evan Jones (113) trailed 8-4 midway through the second period before flipping the script with a takedown and back points to grab a 10-8 lead. Ahead 10-9 going into the third period, Jones scored another takedown to seal a 13-9 victory over Geneseo’s Elliott Kreiner.

“There was a lot of urgency [after I got behind]. I was stressing, and then all of a sudden, I just did that. I can’t believe it,” said Jones in disbelief. “I don’t know how I did it. It was a little skill and a lot of luck. I was so happy, I just started breaking down when I won. I can’t believe it. It’s the biggest moment in my life, as a second-year wrestler.”

Dixon’s Jayden Weidman found himself in a similar position in his third-place bout against Freeport’s Sajjad Nathan Abdulrazzaq at 150 pounds. Trailing 7-0, Weidman turned things around with a strong start to the second period, and ended up finishing off the pin in 2:38 to punch his ticket to sectionals.

“I was kind of tense starting it off, and I kind of got in a bad position; he caught me in a near-side cradle. He tipped me over, and I had to keep fighting. I noticed that there were 40-some seconds left, and I thought, ‘If I get pinned, I’m done for the year,’ ” Weidman said. “Next period comes up, and he takes a bad shot, and I just kind of push him over and lay on him. I start doing the butcher, and I end up getting that cradle and putting him on his back, and that’s what won me the match.

“Being able to turn that around definitely gives me confidence for next week.”

Six other locals just missed out on a trip to next weekend’s Washington Sectional. Dixon’s Bopes, Gavin Kramer (132) and Daniel Fordham (175), Sterling’s Chad Bennett (106) and Charlie Reyes (215), and Polo-Forreston’s Micah Stringini (165) all finished fourth.

Geneseo won the team title with 225.5 points after taking an insurmountable lead into the final matches. Rochelle (138.5), Dixon (131.5), Galesburg (120.5) and Sterling (109.5) rounded out the top five, while Polo-Forreston finished eighth (36 points).