Daniels | Wrestling scene busy during holiday break, too

Dec. 28—The chance to wrestle right after Christmas for Rantoul came about by Mark Owen just having a conversation.

While high school basketball has holiday tournament games all morning, afternoon and night this week, the state's prep wrestlers aren't spending the break off their feet.

Far from it.

Case in point: Owen and his youthful Eagles. In recent years, Rantoul had competed in the St. Thomas More New Years Challenge at Palmer Arena in Danville. But the event is no more, prompting Owen to find another opportunity for his team to wrestle in.

Enter the eight-team Decatur Unity Christian Christmas Duals that unfolds Thursday and Friday. Rantoul will get the chance to wrestle seven matches in two days, with Chillicothe IVC, Clinton, Decatur Unity Christian, Mattoon, Normal U-High, Pittsfield and Ridgeview also in the field.

"The most exciting part is the unknown," Owen said. "Having a team that is both younger and still growing in numbers, it was important to me to find an event where I could get my wrestlers a lot of quality match experience. I have a good relationship with the coach at Decatur Unity Christian, Zach Whitsel. He mentioned that he was putting on an event on the same dates as the event that was canceled. When we talked about his event, it felt like a great fit for us."

Junior Darius Williams at 150, junior Drew Owen at 285 and sophomore Alicia Navarette at 145 are among the wrestlers Rantoul counts on this season.

Especially with no seniors on the Eagles' roster.

"Darius has been much more aggressive in his matches this year and has a motor that doesn't quit," Mark Owen said. "Drew Owen has developed into a strong leader over the season, and he continues to play a more vocal role in the practice room by working with his teammates daily to help them improve their techniques. Alicia has been completely fearless this year. She has taken on any match we have given to her, primarily against male competition. In our practice room, she internalizes and tries to use everything we show her and calls out our most experienced wrestlers to be her practice partners. She faces this adversity daily and still manages to keep a smile on her face."

The STM wrestling team won't put on its own holiday event this year, but the Sabers will make the drive to Lincoln on Friday and Saturday for the 31-team Floyd Bee Memorial Holiday Tournament that also features local teams Centennial, Danville, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley/Fisher and Urbana.

"This is our first time competing in the tournament, so I'm not sure what to expect," STM coach Kurt Sexton said. "But this year, for me personally, will be nice to just focus on wrestling and not have to worry about all the other stuff that goes into hosting a tournament."

The Sabers won't stay overnight in Lincoln, but the chance to get away for large stretches of two days can only strengthen the team chemistry on a close-knit team already. Seniors August Christhilf at 175 pounds, Brody Cuppernell at 190 and Robbie Vavrik at 285 are the top wrestlers on a relatively small team that may struggle to win dual meets, but could have several individuals fare well at tournaments.

"My guys are super tight because they all played football together and then came right into wrestling basically with no break," Sexton said of the 10-1 football team the Sabers had this past fall that reached the 8-man state quarterfinals. "They're a group who have been together for quite a while and they all hang out together even after practice. There a great group of kids, and we have a lot of fun, but sometimes those bus rides are interesting."

Mahomet-Seymour has a long bus ride and overnight trip to the Metro East area, with the Bulldogs making their annual stop at the 62nd Red Schmitt Holiday Tournament in Granite City. The 27-team tournament starts Thursday and ends Friday, with teams from Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky taking part. Veteran M-S coach Rob Ledin saw his Bulldogs place second at last year's tournament, but have had to deal with injuries and replacing since-graduated state champion Mateo Casillas in the lineup this winter.

"I'm hopeful that January will bring a healthier lineup," Ledin said. "We are still putting pieces in place in our lineup but feel good about the opportunities our wrestlers as a whole have gotten early in the season. The best part of attending the Red Schmitt Holiday Tournament is the competition, both the format of pool to bracket and the schools that attend."

Building team rapport for a few days away from their normal routine is an added bonus, too.

"Overnight trips definitely give another dimension to team bonding, but the day-in and day-out routines do even more," Ledin said. "I'm hopeful that our team remembers more than just wrestling wins and losses as they reflect on their high school career."

And we haven't even mentioned one of the state's biggest events before the start of the IHSA postseason in late January: Abe's Rumble. The 60-team dual tournament will take place Friday and Saturday at the Bank of Springfield Center, with area teams Hoopeston Area, LeRoy/Tri-Valley, Monticello, Oakwood/Salt Fork, Prairie Central, St. Joseph-Ogden, Unity and Westville in the field.

"The best part about Abe's Rumble is the environment," Monticello coach Andy Moore said. "This is a grueling two days of competition where most team will have to deal with adversity and keep wrestling through multiple dual meets. It really teaches individuals and teams where they are and gives them direction for the remainder of the season."

See? Holiday tournament week isn't just about basketball. The wrestlers have plenty of say in the matter, too.