Lincoln High School Wrestling Regular Season round-up
Dawson McConell to compete for state title this Thursday

 

[February 14, 2024] 

The LCHS Wrestling team has completed the regular season with a record of 17 wins and 7 losses. The Railers finished 3rd in Conference to #5 State Ranked Chatham Glenwood and state ranked Jacksonville who won the dual by a narrow margin that came down to a coin toss that the Crimsons won. Here are some Team and Individual Highlight’s for the regular season.

Tournament Finishes (Tournaments range from 14 to 32 teams)

32 Team Lincoln Invitational- 7th place

14 team Clinton Invitational- 7th place

22 team Morton Invitational- 7th place

Rochester 14 team invitational- 3rd place

JV finished 2 jv tournaments with 2 4th place finishes with 14 to 24 teams competing in each tournament.

Notable Individual Accomplishments for the 2023-2024 Regular Season

Wrestlers who Surpassed 100 Career victories

-Jacob Lawence (Senior)- 125 Career wins

-Dawson McConnell (Junior)- 116 Career wins

School Record
-Jacob Lawrence- Most 3 pt near-falls (59) in a season previously held by Dave JOcson who had 41 3pt NF dating all the way back to the 1979/1980 wrestling season.


Lincoln Community High School Wrestling battle in the post-season

The LCHS Wrestling Railers traveled to the Bloomington Team and Individual Regional and Mahomet en route to the State Farm Center Individual Wrestling Championships. Lincoln brought home the Team Regional Title beating 2nd place Normal West and 3rd place Bloomington capping these teams by 30 plus points. This is the 2nd Regional Championship the Railer Wrestlers have brought home in the past 5 years respectively breaking a streak from the last Regional Champions in 1984 under the legendary Coach Floyd Bee. The Railer Wrestlers put on a stellar performance at regionals entering 14 competitors and resulting in at least 1 win for each and every of the 14 Railers enroute to the team victory.

Regional individual results:
2 Champions
6 - 2nd place finishes
3 - 3rd place finishes
1 - 4th place finish
Twelve wrestlers advanced to the individual Sectional Tournament consisting of 12 man brackets from 4 regionals that was held at Mahomet Senior High School. One Lincoln Railer was a Sectional Alternate. Only four wrestlers from the individual sectional tournament in each weight class advances to the State finals in Champaign Illinois where they will compete in 16 man brackets to be crowned the best in the state.

At 106 pounds, Braden Barrish in his first High School Season put in great effort but fell short in the Sectional Tournament finishing 0-2 on the day.

At 113 pounds, 2nd year wrestler and Senior, Ethan Maynard wrestled with a lot of heart but fell short to some more experienced wrestlers going 0-2 in the Sectional Tournament.

At 120 pounds, 3rd year wrestler, Junior Cort Pentacost won his first match to advance to the quarter finals where he lost to 2x returning defending State Champion Drew Davis. Cort would go on to win his next match to fall short just 2 wins away from competing in the State Tournament.

At 126 pounds, Junior Karter Hild finished the tournament in a loaded bracket 0-2.

At 132 pounds, 1st year high school wrestler Cameron Bell went 0-2 on the weekend.

138 pound regional champion, Sophomore Lacon Adams went 0-2 on the weekend.

At 144 pounds, Senior Jacob Lawrence wrestled a hard tournament coming back from injury to miss the State Tournament by 1 match losing in the blood round. Jake will be an alternate at 144 pounds and if a wrestler at his weight is unable to complete, he may have the opportunity to move into the bracket.

At 150 pounds, Sophomore Ryne Metelko completed the weekend by going 0-2.

157 pound 3rd year Junior, Aiden Frye went 3-2 on the weekend losing in the blood round and qualifying for the state tournament by one match.

Dawson McConell is the lone wrestler at 165 pounds to qualify for the state tournament losing to a known foe in the finals against the same Bloomington wrestler who is ranked in the top 4 in state. Dawson will wrestle this Thursday in the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois for a chance to be crowned the best wrestler in his respective weight class.

At 215 pounds, in his second year and second appearance at the Individual Sectional tournament Sophomore Caleb Zirkelbach finished the weekend going 0-2.

To round the group out, at Hwt Logan Wachendorf won his first match and lost n the quarters to win another match on the backside and finishing two matches from qualifying for the state tournament.

Dawson McConnell, along with State Alternates, Jacob Lawrence and Aiden Frye will be attending the brawl at the hall this Thursday February 15th, 16th, and 17th to compete for a State Title.

The Lincoln Community High School wrestlers will wrestle for the Sectional title on Tuesday February 20th in Taylorville, Illinois against #8 ranked Mahomet Seymore for their chance to qualify for the 2024 Illinois Team State finals where eight teams in three Classes will battle where a top four finish will bring home a state trophy. The Lincoln Community High School Railers are graduating five Seniors and have 11 returning Sectional Qualifiers for the 2024/2025 Wrestling Season.

[Jason Lawrence]