QND’s Darnell to chase state podium through wrestlebacks, while Illini West’s Watkins, Pittsfield’s Cook do the same

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The luck of the draw wasn’t on Ryan Darnell’s side.

A runner-up in the Class 1A Clinton Sectional, the Quincy Notre Dame senior wrestler drew a spot at the top of the 215-pound bracket at the Illinois state wrestling championships, which began Thursday at the State Farm Center on the University of Illinois campus.

It meant a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Drake Champlin of East Alton/Wood River, who boasted a 40-1 record entering the match.

A valiant effort by Darnell had him trailing 5-0 in third period before he was pinned by Champlin at the 4-minute, 52-second mark. It knocks Darnell into the wrestlebacks, where he will need to win his next two matches to be guaranteed a top-six finish and four matches to place as high as third.

Darnell (44-8) is looking to become the ninth wrestler in program history to earn a state medal and the first since 2018.

In first-round action, Darnell earned an 18-9 major decision over Woodstock Marian’s Dan French. Darnell controlled the match from the start, using a takedown and four-point nearfall in the first period. He finished the match with an escape, a takedown and a four-point nearfall in the final minute.

Two other area wrestlers will look to fight their way through the wrestlebacks in Class 1A.

At 175 pounds, Illini West senior Shawn Watkins Jr. suffered a 17-0 technical fall to Johnsburg sophomore Duke Mays. Watkins (36-6) will face Dwight’s Gavin Bafia in his first match Friday.

At 190 pounds, Pittsfield senior Tucker Cook was pinned in 1:30 by Woodstock Marian’s Jimmy Mastny. Cook (39-11) will face Clinton’s Kristan Hibbard in the first round of wrestlebacks.