Oakwood/Salt Ford Wrestling advances to state quarterfinals
By Fred Kroner
The Oakwood/Salt Fork wrestling program made history on Tuesday (Feb. 21) with a 46-31 victory over Anna-Jonesboro in a Class 1A team-dual sectional contest at Vandalia.
With the victory, the 21-10 Comets advance to the state quarterfinals for the first time in the history of any of the schools (or former schools) in the cooperative program, Oakwood, Catlin and Jamaica.
The IHSA match started (by random draw) at 160 pounds. Oakwood/Salt Fork lost four of the first six bouts and trailed, 24-12.
“The guys didn’t let the morale drop,” Comets coach Mike Glosser said. “We needed some small guys to step up for us. I have faith in my guys and I’m proud of the way they responded.”
Starting with 106-pound Brayden Edwards, Oakwood/Salt Fork produced wins in four of the next five matches to build a 34-31 advantage.
Edwards started the comeback with a pin.
Two significant matches followed shortly thereafter with Jack Ajster (120 pounds) avenging a sectional loss to his opponent with a pin. Glosser then sent unheralded Thomas Wells to the mat at 126 pounds and the sophomore – who had just 13 matches for the season – moved in and registered a pin.
“He’s always ready to step in and compete, and he got ready in like 30 seconds,” Glosser said.
Wells’ pin lifted Oakwood/Salt Fork into the lead for good, 30-28.
The Comets’ coach waited to see which wrestler Anna-Jonesboro sent out first at the 126-pound weight class and when they held their varsity standout for the 132-pound match, Glosser decided to gamble.
“He (Wells) is a second-year wrestler (with an above-.500 record) and we saw him progress a lot last year as a freshman,” Glosser said.
The maneuver paid off as Pedro Rangel, normally a 126-pounder, recorded an 11-2 win at 132 pounds.
Anna-Jonesboro then forfeited at 145 pounds to IHSA state runner-up Reef Pacot and at 152 pounds to IHSA state-qualifier Bryson Capansky.
The other Oakwood/Salt Fork winners were juniors Dalton Brown (170 pounds) and Harley Grimm (182 pounds), each of whom produced first-period pins.
Oakwood/Salt Fork has won 12 consecutive dual meets and will take on 18th-ranked Elmhurst Immaculate Conception in a 5 p.m. Friday (Feb. 24) state quarterfinal match at Bloomington’s Grossinger Motors Arena.
The Comets were ranked 21st in the most recent state poll by Illinois Matmen.
“I was trying to act calm, but I was really nervous tonight,” Glosser said. “I’m glad they get to experience the next level.”
Glosser’s original thought, after consulting with assistants Vince Chambliss and Brenden Watson, was to not move wrestlers away from where they weighed in.
“We bounced some ideas around,” Glosser said. “Do you overthink it and move or do you let kids wrestle where they normally do?”
He didn’t alter his lineup significantly the first half of the match, but made the gamble when he inserted Wells into the lineup and then asked Rangel and Carter Chambliss (138 pounds) to sacrifice, and each advanced one weight class each.
