Gage Reed truly earned a first for the Oakwood/Salt Fork program.

Until Saturday, the Comets had a total of 12 individual state placers in wrestling, but no Oakwood athlete had ever earned more than one medal.

Reed became the first while also becoming a state champion.

The junior dominated his final two matches – not allowing a point in either– and took top honors in Class 1A at 113 pounds with a 3-0 championship-match decision over Tolono Unity’s Tavius Hosley at the UI State Farm Center.

Reed placed fifth in the same weight class as a sophomore, losing a one-point decision in the semifinals.

He ends his junior season with a 43-3 record.

Head coach Mike Glosser pinpointed one key difference in his standout.

“He really turned the corner on his mindset,” Glosser said. “This year, he believed he was one of the best wrestlers in the state.”

His game plan was similar for virtually all opponents.

“Non-stop offense,” Reed said. “Stay aggressive on offense.

“Offense. Offense. Offense.”

Wrestling is a sport that requires discipline, commitment and patience.

As great as the season ended – and perhaps the reason the season ended so well – a mid-season meet provided a critical learning opportunity for Reed.

The date was Jan. 7, and it was the first meet of the new calendar year. The Comets went to Unity and also faced Mount Zion that night.

Reed wasn’t in the lineup. He didn’t make weight.

Even though Oakwood/Salt Fork was forfeiting the next weight class (120 pounds), coach Mike Glosser had no inclination of allowing Reed to bump up and fill that spot in the lineup.

“He has to know it’s unacceptable (to not make weight),” Glosser said. “Wrestling is a sport of discipline and character.”

It was a tough night for Reed as he sat on the sidelines.

“Sitting out, watching my team get beat, was one of the hardest feelings,” Reed said.

It may have also been the best thing for him.

“I knew, ‘OK, it’s time to get my act together.’” Reed said. “There were times I was undisciplined (eating). I’m glad Coach reacted the way he did.

“If I didn’t have that, it could have haunted me in regionals or sectionals.”

From then on, Reed was unstoppable while reaching the highest pinnacle possible.

“He got on a mission, a little bit,” Glosser said. “He was more fanatical with his nutrition and his weight was great.

“It was a good lesson for him and he grew up from it.”

By keeping his weight under control, Reed didn’t need to expend energy before weigh-ins to drop a few extra ounces.

It showed.

“He had lots of energy in his matches,” Glosser said.

The only time Reed didn’t know what to do on the mat came when the final buzzer sounded in his 113-pound state championship match.

“I had so many emotions,” Reed said. “It was the greatest feeling.

“I didn’t know whether to jump up and down, scream or put my hands in the air.”

Showing restraint, Reed did none of the above.

“I try to stay as humble as I can,” Reed said. “I hate it when people celebrate against me. I did not do any of those things.”

Once he left the mat, however, Reed let loose.

“I don’t think I’ve ever jumped so high,” he said, recalling his leap into Glosser’s outstretched arms.

Twenty-four hours after achieving a state title, the celebration had barely slowed down.

“It’s still non-stop happiness,” he said. “Me and my family have been celebrating like there’s no tomorrow.”

Reed was treated to a homecoming parade on Sunday in Oakwood.

“I didn’t think so many people would show up,” Reed said. “That was awesome. I never expected to get something like that.”

Even the coach – who tries to be calm and maintain an even demeanor – got caught up in the moment.

“It was a pretty cool experience,” Glosser said. “A lot of people showed up for him. The town lined the streets.”

It’s a good thing Reed doesn’t need to weigh in today. His celebration involved stops at a couple of restaurants.

“I had a good breakfast (on Sunday) at Hank’s Café,” Reed said. “I haven’t been to Hank’s since wrestling started.”

His plate included an omelet with gravy and hash browns.

For lunch, he joined family and friends at another local favorite, the Little Nugget.

“I had a 12-ounce steak and fries,” Reed said. “I’m going to have to go and run tomorrow.”

Reed came through a tough bracket at state. Among his wins during the three-day tournament were over athletes who placed fourth and fifth.

The state crown is the second for an Oakwood wrestler. The first title was captured by Charles Lomax in 1974 at 119 pounds.

This year marked the third time in the last five years under Glosser that the Comets have had an individual in the championship bout. In that five-year span, the program has produced six state medal-winners.

The other Comets who recently reached the Grand March and then competed for a state title – Cody Ayers and Mason Ajster – paved the way for what happened early Saturday evening with Reed’s breakthrough in the finals, Glosser said.

“It got kids to believe anybody can do this no matter where you’re from,” Glosser said.

The ripple effect from Reed’s championship weekend came quickly for Glosser.

“It kick-starts it,” Glosser said. “I’ve had kids texting me already wanting to know when the next practice is. They’re saying, ‘I want greatness like Gage.’

“I hope this is a turning point, not just for Gage, but the kids around him. They’re talking about taking it seriously all 12 months and not just for four or five.

“They are hungry for more. I can see the look in their eyes.”

For the second year in a row, the Oakwood/Salt Fork cooperative program had two state-placers.

Freshman Reef Pacot (42-7 season record) ended sixth at 106 pounds. He was decisioned 4-3 by Riverdale’s Collin Altensey in the medal round.

Pacot lost by a point in overtime in Friday’s semifinal round and then dropped a 6-3 decision in Saturday’s first match.

The program’s third state-qualifier – 132-pound Joe Lashuay – also won a match at state, but fell short of earning a medal.

Lashuay’s win was 8-4 over Nazareth’s Josh Fowler. He was ousted in the wrestlebacks by Sandwich’s Braulio Flores, 4-3. For the season, Lashuay was 28-8.

From Glosser’s perspective, he will remember more about Reed’s season than where he stood on the podium for the awards’ presentation.

“He never stopped having fun,” Glosser said.

The post January became a turning point for State Champion Gage Reed first appeared on SJO Daily.

Two Oakwood/Salt Fork underclassmen have advanced into the semifinal round of the IHSA Class 1A wrestling state tournament at the UI State Farm Center.

The post Pacot and Reed advance IHSA Class 1A wrestling state tournament first appeared on SJO Daily.

Two Comets are ranked second heading into the start of the IHSA Class 1A state wrestling tournament Thursday at the UI State Farm Center.

Reef Pacot (106 pounds) and Gage Reed (113 pounds) are projected to advance to Saturday’s championship matches according to Rob Sherrill, whose rankings were posted on IWCOA.net.

The third Oakwood state-qualifier is 132-pound Joe Lashuay. In his first match, he will face 37-0 and third-rated Will Carlile, from Litchfield.

Each weight class has 16 competitors.

The post Pacot and Reed ranked ahead of IHSA State Wrestling Finals first appeared on SJO Daily.

They will be joined at the UI State Farm Center by 132-pound sophomore Joe Lashuay.

In Saturday’s Olympia Sectional, Pacot and Reed won their weight classes. Lashuay assured his advancement by placing fourth.

Reed (39-3 record) is competing at the same weight where he placed fifth at state last year.

“Gage Reed was out there just having fun these past few weeks,” Oakwood coach Mike Glosser said. “You can tell that last year let him know he can wrestle with anybody in the state and he believes in himself right now.

“That should not only help him, but also the other two next weekend at state because we all know how much mental comes in to play at this point in the season.”

Reed and Pacot (40-4 season record) go head-to-head in practice virtually every day.

“Reef and Gage battle every day in the room and the competition is breeding success,” Glosser said. “They feed off each other’s energy and are both wrestling very confident right now.

“I knew coming in Reef had a successful youth career with a great youth program and great coach, Vince Chambliss.

“He stepped right in and was ready to compete at the high school level, and with the help of high school coaches Bryce Ivey and Kylee Bott, he’s had a fun freshman year. The kid seems to never lose his cool during matches no matter what happens. He’s a gamer for sure.”

A year ago, Lashuay fell one match short of advancing to state. This year, in that elimination match, he prevailed 14-12 in overtime.

“Joe had a nail-biting match,” Glosser said. “He was winning 6-2 and gets hit in a five-point move and at one point was down 10-6. He got three takedowns in the third period to tie the match at 12-12 to force overtime.

“I was super proud of him because he’s battled a lot of adversity this year. It’s fun to see good things happen to good kids.”

Oakwood had five other sectional competitors, including two who won twice before bowing out.

Tate Johnson (160 pounds) won decisions by scores of 6-1 and 17-5. Colby Smiley (182 pounds) registered two pins, including one in 11 seconds.

Johnson’s wins moved him into the 30-win club for the season.

Josh Miller (195 pounds) and Caide Borden (220 pounds) each posted one pin.

The Comets’ other sectional entry, Connor Hutson (138 pounds) suffered an overtime loss as well as a 3-0 setback.

“It was a fun weekend filled with ups and downs both days as far as team goes,” Glosser said.

In the most-recent IWCOA state rankings, Reed was ranked third, Pacot was ranked seventh and Lashuay was ranked 13th.

The state tournament starts on Thursday at State Farm Center.

The post Oakwood’s Pacot, Reed and Lashuay qualify for IHSA State first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets advanced eight wrestlers to the Class 1A sectional this weekend at Stanford Olympia and finished a scant one-half point behind LeRoy/Tri-Valley in Saturday’s 11-school Class 1A regional at St. Joseph-Ogden High School.

Oakwood had regional champions at the two lowest weight classes with 106-pound freshman Reef Pacot and 113-pound junior Gage Reed.

Pacao is 37-4 for the season and pinned both of his regional opponents. Reed is 36-3 and collected one pin and one technical fall among his three postseason wins.

“You can’t have a better 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup to get the energy and momentum going,” Oakwood coach Mike Glosser said.

In the team chase, LeRoy/Tri-Valley totaled 165 ½ points. Oakwood ended with 165. Third-place Heyworth ended with 153 points.

In the final Illinois Best Weekly state rankings, Heyworth was 15th, LeRoy/Tri-Valley was 17th and Oakwood 18th.

“It was a roller-coaster, back and forth all day,” Glosser said.

The Comets held the lead until the final weight class. Oakwood had no finalists in the 285-pound division. LeRoy/Tri-Valley’s last competitor posted a pin in the championship bout, which accounted for enough points for the Panthers to claim team honors.

“We can’t let what happened as a team overshadow what we did as individuals,” Glosser said.

Oakwood had six of its wrestlers in the finals. For the tournament, 11 squad members not only posted wins but also secured bonus points with either pins, technical falls or major decisions.

The Comets won 23 matches overall at regional and 19 were by more than regular decisions.

Finishing as regional runners-up were Joe Lashuay (132 pounds), Connor Hutson (138 pounds), Josh Miller (195 pounds) and Caide Borden (220 pounds).

Hutson posted the fastest pin by anyone at the SJ-O site, ending a match in nine seconds. The junior also had a dominant 16-0 technical fall triumph.

Miller was seeded fourth in his weight class, but used two pins to advance into the championship bout. Lashuay and Borden each finished with one pin.

Two other Comets secured their berths at sectional by placing third: Tate Johnson (160 pounds) and Colby Smiley (182 pounds).

Johnson was seeded fifth but went 3-1 for the day, pinning three opponents. Smiley produced two first-period falls.

Glosser is emphasizing that this is a new week and all eight of his advancers have a shot to reach state.

“It’s anybody’s game and doesn’t matter whether you were first, second or third (at regionals),” he said.

In Glosser’s nine years as the Comets’ head coach, this year’s schedule was the most challenging. The team ended 22-8 in dual meets.

“If we wanted our kids to reach their maximum potential, we wanted them to be battle-tested,” Glosser said. “This was by far our toughest schedule and it prepares them.

“We’ve had tough matches all year and now when we have tough matches, it’s not a surprise. We’ve seen that already.

“It was nice to see them rise to the occasion.”

Oakwood had two fourth-place finishers at the regional and they will be alternants at their weight classes, available to compete if one of the top three is unable to perform at the sectional.

Ben Jessup (145 pounds) and Caleb Lashuay (152 pounds) were each 2-2 at the regional and collected one pin apiece.

Also contributing a pin at regionals was Case Kopacz (120 pounds), who finished off his opponent in 44 seconds.

The Oakwood seniors in the regional lineup were Caleb Lashuay, Jack Carey (170 pounds), Smiley and Borden.

The post Eight Comet wrestlers advance to Class 1A Sectional first appeared on SJO Daily.

The state-ranked Comets, led by individual champion Gage Reed, placed fifth in the 18-school Randy Bowman Invitational at LeRoy on Saturday.

Meet champion LeRoy accumulated 156 points. Oakwood, ranked 11th in Class 1A by The Illinois Best Weekly, amassed 119 ½ points.

Reed was the 113-pound weight class champion, outpointing his two opponents by a combined 33-7 score.

Six of his teammates also finished among the top five, including two others who advanced into the finals.

Reef Pacot was second at 106 pounds and Caleb Lashuay was the runner-up at 152 pounds.

Winning in a third-place match was Connor Hutson (138 pounds).

Other Oakwood placers were Colby Smiley (fourth at 182 pounds), Caide Borden (fourth at 285 pounds) and Ben Jessup (fifth at 132 pounds).

The Comets return to action on Tuesday at home against North Vermillion, Ind.

The post Reed leads Comets at Randy Bowman Invitational first appeared on SJO Daily.

The state-ranked Comets dropped a narrow 31-30 decision to Danville on Thursday in Westville.

Three Comets posted pins: Connor Hutson, Colby Smiley and Josh Miller.

Reef Pacot was dominant with a 15-0 technical fall triumph.

Caide Borden won a major decision and Caleb Lashuay won a regular decision.

Oakwood (14-5) returns to action on Jan. 21 at home against Hoopeston Area and Westville/Georgetown-Ridge Farm.

The post State-ranked Comets lose to Danville first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets (14-4) continue to move up in the Class 1A state rankings released on Tuesday by The Illinois Best Weekly.

The Comets are ranked 14th, an improvement of three positions from the previous state poll.

Oakwood returns to action tonight at Westville in a meet that also includes Danville.

The post Comet wrestling ranked 14 by The Illinois Best Weekly first appeared on SJO Daily.

Twenty years ago, I was tasked with a challenge that was nothing less than daunting.

My superiors at The News-Gazette asked me to select an all-decade team. They limited the choices to those individuals who had attended high school or junior college in Vermilion County.

As I recall, there were 10 high schools and one junior college. A total of 19 sports were in play.

They didn’t provide any guidelines or restrictions.

“Make it your own,” I was told.

My first thought was to remember one of the first All-Area teams I was involved in picking.  At the time, the thinking was that – in theory – the All-Area teams should be able to go out and play in a game. Thus, the sports with positions had to have each one represented.

It sounds good until you look at the practical side. Often times, the top players are at many of the same positions.

One year in softball comes to mind. The three top players were all dominating pitchers. I had to tell one particular coach that the best his candidate could do was to gain a spot on the second team.

He didn’t like it, and I liked it even less. I wanted to see the best players honored, even if we didn’t have every single position represented.

The coach asked me what he could do. I mentioned that in this particular year, there was a shortage of outfielders. The coach said that his player never played in the outfield. As he hung up the phone, the frustration was obvious in his voice.

The following week, I received a call from the same coach. He was reporting a result and asked for me personally. Before he provided any game details, he let me know that he had a different pitcher for the game.

He had assigned his normal pitcher to the outfield.

His decision helped me fill out the All-Area first team. A most-deserving player made the squad as an outfielder.

Granted, it goes against the spirit behind the creation of the All-Area teams. I’m sure this player was not one of the three best outfielders that year, but she was clearly one of the area’s top three players and the designation was warranted.

Fast forward a decade, from 1999 to 2009. The management folks at The News-Gazette had liked so much the limited All-Decade teams that were selected for the Vermilion County schools that I was asked to choose similar teams for the entire 45-school circulation area.

Talk about thankless challenges.

I haven’t heard if The News-Gazette will continue this tradition or let it slide into oblivion.

However, there’s good news for the readers in the communities where The Daily is regularly published.

All-decade teams have been finalized for Mahomet-Seymour (located on mahometdaily.com), St.  Joseph-Ogden, Oakwood and Heritage (Villa Grove).

We’ll debut the winter sport seasons today and the fall sports teams and spring sport teams will follow in short order.

There were so many deserving candidates that thought was given to adding a special mention list, but the fact is there would then be another group that would just miss inclusion on that list.

So, there are no special mention or honorable mention categories. Some positions might not be included, but that is OK. We feel good about the lists we are providing although we understand and recognize any such list is subjective and there will certainly be disagreements.

Let us know what you think.

One final caveat: to be considered, athletes needed to have been active in their sport during the decade. For example, fall sport athletes during the 2009-10 school year were not considered, but if they were involved in a winter or spring sport, their names might appear.

Perhaps it goes without saying, but to be clear, it was not necessary to have graduated during the decade that is about to end, but to have participated between 2010-19.

Without further ado, the Oakwood All-Decade Winter Sport teams, listed alphabetically:

Oakwood Boys’ basketball

First team

NAME                 HT. GRAD YR.    POS.

Kyle Elliott         6-4     2013        F
Bryce Jones       6-4     2019        G
Cameron Lee    6-5     2012        C
Parker Lee         6-3     2015        G
Chase Vinson   6-0      2018        G

Second team

Hank Chesnut   6-5     2016           C
Casey Fletcher 5-11   2011                G
Trevan Garrett  6-3   2019         G
Skyler Slade       6-4   2014         C
Cameron Wise 6-3   2018         G

Player of the Decade – Parker Lee, who amassed 1,276 career points and ranks fourth on the school’s list for all-time boys’ scoring leaders.

Oakwood Girls’ Basketball

First team

NAME                 HT. GRAD YR.  POS.

Makenzie Baker 5-10  2012              F
Brenna Durst     5-10  2018              F
Amy Martin       5-11  2010              F
Kylie Neuman    5-7    2019             G
Katelyn Young   6-1     2020              F

Second team

Delaney Durst   5-9     2015         F
Sadie Edwards   5-6    2015         G
Angela Elliott     5-3    2012         G
Paiton Frerichs  5-9    2019         G
Shaelyn Turner 5-7     2018         G

Player of the Decade – Katelyn Young, who has a current point total of 2,102 and ranks third on the school’s all-time girls’ scoring list.

Oakwood Wrestling

NAME                 WT.       GRAD YR.

Mason Ajster    160       2019
Antonio Alvarez 145       2015
Dacian Alvarez  112       2012
Gevin Ashikyan 285      2015
Cody Ayers         220      2016
Caide Borden    285       2020
Ren Dazey         126       2018
Ashton Haton   120       2013
Garrett Lashuay 126      2018
Wesley Patton  125      2011
Hunter Phelps  195       2017
Gage Reed        113          2021
Austin Shelton  145      2015
Hunter Tharp       195       2013

Wrestler of the Decade – Mason Ajster, who won 33 matches as a senior and was the state runner-up in Class 1A at 160 pounds.

The post Kroner’s Picks: Oakwood’s All-Decade Teams (Winter) first appeared on SJO Daily.

The Comets (4-0) opened their season on Saturday at the Pirate Duals in Cumberland by winning all four of their meets.

Oakwood/Salt Fork dispatched Shelbyville 60-6, Quincy Notre Dame 52-15, Cumberland 61-15 and Effingham 68-12.

For the day, Oakwood wrestlers compiled a cumulative 47-9 record. Fifteen squad members registered wins.

Eight Comets were 4-0 for the day: Reef Pacot (106 pounds), Gage Reed (113pounds), Blake Barney (120 pounds), Joe Lashuay (132 pounds), Connor Hutson (145 pounds), Jack Carey (152 pounds), Colby Smiley (182 pounds) and Caide Borden (285 pounds).

Smiley posted four pins. Borden and Carey each collected three pins. Reed had two pins.

Ben Jessup (132 pounds) went 3-0 with two pins. At 160 pounds, Tate Johnson was 3-1 with one pin. Caleb Lashuay was 2-1 with one pin at 152 pounds.

Ending the day with 2-2 records for Oakwood/Salt Fork were Case Kopacz (126 pounds), Thomas Lay (195 pounds) and Josh Miller (220 pounds).

Jacob Paris (132 pounds) was 1-0 and Doug Myers (170 pounds) was 0-1.

Five O/SF freshmen earned their first varsity victories: Barney, Jessup, Kopacz, Lay and Pacot.

The Comets return to action on Tuesday at Salt Fork South against Clifton Central and St. Joseph-Ogden.

The post 15 Oakwood wrestlers pick up wins to lead Comets in Pirate Duals first appeared on SJO Daily.