Immke and Wagner wrestle back to qualify for IHSA State berth

BY FRED KRONER
fred@mahometnews.com

The three Spartans who qualified for Saturday’s Class 1A sectional at Stanford Olympia all won at least one match. Two of them earned berths at the state tournament, which starts on Thursday at the UI State Farm Center.

A.J. Wagner (113 pounds) and Isaiah Immke (145 pounds) made sure their seasons continued by prevailing in wrestlebacks.

After dropping a first-round decision, Immke faced three elimination matches, ultimately winning those as well as his fourth wrestleback bout. Immke placed third at the sectional and, in the process, hit the 20-win mark for the season.

His first and last wins in wrestlebacks were by pin. His middle two triumphs were by identical 8-7 margins.

“Isaiah really had to battle in the wrestleback rounds,” SJ-O coach Richard Vetter said.

Against an opponent from Mercer County, Immke trailed by a point with 10 seconds left in the match. He received a penalty point (for his opponent’s locked hands) and executed a late escape to pull off the one-point win.

Against an opponent from Hoopeston Area, Immke was behind by two points in the third period before garnering a match-tying takedown. He then let his opponent go, placing himself behind 7-6, but registered the decisive takedown in the last minute and then prevented his foe from escaping for 45 seconds.

“Both of those 8-7 matches came down to heart and desire,” Vetter said. “Isaiah kicked it into another gear to pull both those victories out.

“His final match of the day was far less stressful with a pin at the end of the first period.”

Immke has a 20-7 season record.

Wagner, who has a 41-8 season record, won twice to reach the semifinals, where he lost an 8-3 decision. He followed that up with a 31-second pin before suffering a 3-1 loss in the third-place match.

For the second year in a row, Wagner is the team-leader in pins. He has 27, raising his career total to 61.

In the latest state rankings by the IWCOA, Wagner was ranked eighth and Immke was 20th.

The other SJ-O sectional competitor was Isaiah Moore (126 pounds). He started with a flourish, collecting a 25-second pin in his first bout. The sophomore lost his next two matches and finished the season with a 33-11 record.

Moore ranks second on the team with 19 falls.