By Fred Kroner
The Oakwood/Salt Fork wrestling program produced three individual champions on Saturday (June 19) at the Heyworth Class 1A sectional tournament.
Compiling 3-0 records for the day were Gage Reed (113 pounds), Reef Pacot (120 pounds) and Joe Lashuay (160 pounds).
They all qualified for the state as did fourth-place finisher Grant Brewer (145 pounds).
The entire postseason series is sponsored by the Illinois Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association (IWCOA) rather than by the IHSA.
Pacot (23-1) was dominant in his bouts, outscoring his three opponents by a combined 46-1 margin. In the most recent Class 1A state rankings, Pacot was listed at the No. 4 spot.
Reed, who improved to 21-0, had a pin among his three wins. The defending state champion is the top-rated grappler at his weight class.
Lashuay (23-1) registered a pin and two major decisions. He has a 21-match winning streak to go with a team-high 14 pins. Lashuay was rated fifth in this week’s Illinois state rankings.
Three other teammates competed at the sectional.
Bryson Capansky (132 pounds) won twice by decision to hit the 20-win mark for the season. He was 2-2 for the day and ended the year with a 20-5 mark.
Blake Barney (138 pounds) dropped two decisions and also wound up the year with a 20-5 record.
Jamison Vanvickle (285 pounds) had a thrilling 1-0 win along with a pin, but lost his final match of the tournament 3-2.
He was 2-2 for the day and winds up 4-5 overall in 2021.
Reed is one of five seniors in the Oakwood/Salt Fork program this season. The others are Connor Hutson, Tate Johnson, Josh Miller and Lane Tate.
In the team race, Oakwood/Salt Fork placed third in the 30-team sectional field.
Sectional champion Petersburg Porta had 132 points, followed by Canton (129 points) and Oakwood/Salt Fork (92 ½ points).
The team’s four state-qualifiers will compete on Thursday (June 24) in Springfield.
