MHS Assistant Wrestling Coach Tony Wright submitted this report. Photos were take by Yearbook student photographers.
The Mustang wrestlers had a strong start to the first half of their 2024-25 season. They galloped into Christmas break with a 9-3 dual meet record and a 4th place finish, at a quality Erie[, IL,] Holiday Tournament. There has been a flurry of excitement surrounding the group. They’ve had some extremely exciting duals in their home gym with some intense finishes. The addition of the new scoreboards in the MHS gymnasium have added to the excitement as well.
Rolling into Christmas break, the group always looks forward to traveling to Springfield, IL, for the annual Abe’s Rumble Dual Team Tournament. Abe’s Rumble featured 60 of Illinois 1A Wrestling teams; it included 19 of the top 25 ranked teams in 1A and 99 top 10 ranked individuals in the State. Morrison was placed in pool F; on day one they faced #2 ranked Vandalia, Westville, Illini Bluff, and honorable mention Mt. Zion! They started pool play against Vandalia. It was a tough dual to start with, as Vandalia handled the Mustangs with ten individuals ranked in the top 10 in the state. Vandalia beat Morrison 68-9, but the dual had some great matches with high level opponents. Caleb Modglin and Cael Wright were victorious in the dual. Modglin beat #8 ranked, Keagan Turner 14-10 and Wright dominated #8 ranked, Aiden Evans, leading by ten points before pinning his opponent.
Next up were Westville and Illini Bluffs. Morrison got on a roll and dominated Westville, 59-23, by way of six pins and a technical fall. Brady Anderson, Caleb Carroll (shown below), Patrick Schaefer, Kamden White, Zach Milder, and Caleb Modglin contributed pins. Noah Stout (below Carroll) won by way of technical fall. Landon Rubright, Cael Wright, and Randy Gerlach contributed by way of forfeit. Likewise, the dual with Illini Bluffs saw the Mustangs win 48-16. Bluffs, short on numbers, couldn’t keep up with the Mustangs.
In the final pool dual, the Mustangs faced a ranked opponent in Mt. Zion. This dual started all wrong for the Stangs. They dropped the first four matches and were down 0-24. But as they hit 106 lb. weight class, the momentum shifted. Landon Rubright earned a forfeit to get the Mustangs on the scoreboard. Cael Wright bumped up to the 113 lb. weight class and ground out a 13-7 victory. The team would lose the next two bouts and find themselves behind 9-30 with six matches to go. Kamden White earned a forfeit before Zach Milder and Caleb Modglin would excite the bench with two pins for Morrison. Carson White gave a valiant effort at 150 lbs., losing 10-1 in a match that saw him fight hard to save some team points. Down by 10 points with two matches to go, Levi Milder earned a forfeit at 157 lbs. With a team score of 33-37 Brady Anderson stepped on the mat for the final bout. Anderson controlled the first period with a pair of takedowns and backpoints. In the second period Anderson, scored another takedown and pinned his opponent–sealing the victory for the Mustangs.
In round one on Friday night, the Mustangs fell to Murphysboro 44-30. It was a competitive dual that saw the Mustangs drop a couple toss up matchups, which could have changed the dual outcome. Murphysboro went on to take sixth place.
The loss to Murphysbory placed the Mustangs in the 16 team silver bracket as they entered day two. Saturday morning brought a matchup with St. Joseph Ogden. The Mustangs wasted little time getting revved up for the day. They won ten-of-14 matchups, running away with the dual. Rubright, Wright, K. White, Z. Milder, Modglin, L. Milder, and Anderson contributed pins, while Schaefer and Stout earned victories for their team.
In their seventh dual the Mustangs were slated against #16 ranked Seneca. The dual held some tension. The unranked Mustangs were seeking vengeance after Seneca edged them for a team trophy at the Erie Holiday Tournament. The dual saw both teams trade wins in the first seven matchups, before the Mustangs took control in the middle of the lineup. They put together five pins in a row, to put the dual out of reach for Seneca. Wright, Schaefer, Z. Milder, Modglin, L. Milder, Anderson, and Stout all contributed pins, and White earned a major decision.
By the time the eighth dual of the grueling two days rolls around, competitors start to look like zombies, drained from two days of hard competition. Mustang Coaches Tom Drosopoulos and Wright demanded the wrestlers stay on the gas pedal, and the boys responded. Facing Monticello, Landon Rubright started things off hot with a pin. Wright followed with his own pin, and once again the middle of the lineup proved dominant for the Mustangs. K. White, Z. Milder, Modglin, L. Milder, Anderson, and Stout collected pins, while Carson White fought for a major decision. The meet was capped off by heavyweight Trevor Tipton earning a hard-fought victory by way of pin.
In the final bout of the Tournament the Mustangs faced #13 ranked Canton. The Mustangs ran out of steam, losing a couple of key matchups early in the dual, forcing them to take some gambles with their lineup. In the end, Canton was too much, and the Mustangs fell 23-51.
All in all, it was a great weekend of Wrestling. Any opportunity to compete in an event like such is a privilege and opportunity to challenge yourself. The Mustangs entered the Tournament unranked and let the State of Illinois Wrestling know not to count them out! The group have beaten four ranked teams in the past two weeks and outplaced a handful of other teams at the Abe’s Rumble with Sstate rankings. Leading the way for team individually, Cael Wright went 9-0 with 7 pins. Caleb Modglin went 7-1 with 5 pins and 2 technical falls. Brady Anderson went 6-1 with 5 pins and a technical fall.
The Mustangs will be in action Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at MHS, versus Putnam County and Riverdale. Action starts at 5:30 p.m. Don’t miss out! The Riverdale dual should provide some significant matchups, as the Mustangs look to carry momentum into the second half of the season.