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BETHALTO – The Civic Memorial boys' wrestling team achieved notable success at the Steve Bradley Invitational tournament held Saturday at their home gym, securing two individual championships and finishing second overall in the team standings.
Vandalia topped the team rankings with 283.5 points, followed by Civic Memorial with 201 points. Stanford Olympia claimed third place with 184 points, while Murphysboro finished fourth with 142.5 points.
Civic Memorial's Bradley Ruckman emerged as a champion in the 132-pound weight class, pinning Kenzer Burrell in just 48 seconds. James Wojcikewicz also claimed a title for CM at 165 pounds, defeating Jordan Sonon-Hale with a pin at 2:55.
Drake Champlin of East Alton-Wood River at 215 pounds, won the title with a 4-2 decision over Highland Ashton Zobrist.
In addition to the champions, Civic Memorial had several other strong performances. Avery Jaimie finished second at 126 pounds after being pinned by Tyson Waughtel of Vandalia at 4:28 of the final match. Knox Verlais also took second place at 150 pounds, narrowly losing to Dillon Hinton of Vandalia by a score of 4-3. Kevahn Flanagan placed second at 175 pounds, falling to Ross Miller of Vandalia, who pinned him in 41 seconds.
EAWR's Jamal Burgess contributed to the area's competitive landscape, with Burgess defeating Waterloo's Konnor Stephens 9-6 to secure third place at 132 pounds, and Altons Marshall Skelton pinned Mattoon's Brody Goodman in 2:40 to finish third at 138 pounds.
Other notable performances included CM's Nathen Herrin, who won by a major decision against Stanford Olympia's Cooper Phillips, and Tristan Ward, who edged Waterloo's Vince Goodman 5-3 at 175 pounds. Luke McCoy of CM also achieved a quick victory, pinning Mattoon's Blain Howell in just 1:39 at 190 pounds.
The tournament saw two fifth-place finishers from the area: Maddox Williams of Jersey at 106 pounds, who pinned Alton's Austin Jones in 21 seconds, and CM's Brock Johnson, who pinned Destin Hill of East St. Louis in 3:00 seconds during the fifth-place match.
Four area grapplers finished in sixth place, including Alton's Jones, Preston Furlow of CM at 132 pounds, Jeremiah Farias of Jersey at 144 pounds, and CM's Anthony Michelon at 157 pounds. The tournament showcased the competitive spirit and talent of local wrestlers, with Civic Memorial making a strong impression in the standings.
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