By FRED KRONER
The lone Class 1A sectional qualifier for the St. Joseph-Ogden wrestling program secured a berth in the state meet by placing fourth in Saturday’s Heyworth Sectional.
Sophomore Owen Birt (195 pounds) won four of his six matches for the day, reaching the 20-win mark for the season and also continuing his season.
The entire postseason series is sponsored by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) rather than by the IHSA.
Birt (20-11) won four matches by pin, including one fall in 15 seconds, his fastest of the season.
For the season, Birt leads SJ-O with 15 pins. All six of his postseason victories have been by fall.
Birt advances to the Class 1A state meet, which will be held on Thursday (June 24) in Springfield.
In the team race, Petersburg Porta scored 132 points and captured first place. SJ-O was 25th out of the 30 teams with 17 points.
The Spartans did not have any seniors on the team this season.
