By Fred Kroner
For the third time in the last three state wrestling tournaments sponsored by the IHSA, the Oakwood/Salt Fork program produced two Class 1A All-Staters.
The three-day 2022 tourney ended on Saturday (Feb. 19) at the UI State Farm Center with senior Joe Lashuay placing second at 160 pounds and junior Reef Pacot capturing fifth at 132 pounds.
Lashuay won three of his four state bouts, starting with a 16-3 decision and following with a 5-4 win and a 3-1 overtime conquest in the semifinals. His 5-4 win was secured thanks to a takedown with 0:13 left in his six-minute match.
In the title match, Lashuay dropped an 8-2 decision to finish the year with a 36-6 record. He won his first nine postseason matches.
Pacot improved on his sixth-place finish from 2020 by winding up 3-2 at state.
He opened with a 12-1 victory and then added a 17-4 triumph before falling in the semifinals, 6-1.
In the wrestlebacks, he was blanked 1-0, but recovered to register an 8-0 win in the fifth-place match. His final record is 42-6.
Oakwood/Salt Fork has had two IHSA state-placers in 2022, 2020 and 2019. There was no sanctioned meet in 2021, but the IWCOA sponsored an unofficial state meet. Lashuay won his 160-pound weight class a year ago.
The Comets had two other state-qualifiers.
Freshman Pedro Rangel dropped 13-2 and 6-1 decisions at 126 pounds and finished the year with a 30-8 record.
Sophomore Bryson Capansky lost 18-3 and 13-6 decisions at 138 pounds and wound up with a 37-15 season mark.
